Duckling Leg Injury DIAGNOSIS: Slipped Tendons

[3bird]

That's wonderful that part is over. Sorry both couldn't be fixed. What was the diagnoses for having the other one still slipped?
I bet Ella and Rosie were happy to see each other.

OMG! They were so happy to see each other (although Ella did a great job while Rosie was away--she even met the big ducks)!

We're not entirely clear on what is going on with the left leg, but we will be following up.

The most exciting part of Ella's day was meeting the big ducks!

 

[Miss Lydia]

That's so sweet. I can't get over how big Ella is. They just grow way too fast.

 

[3bird]

That's so sweet. I can't get over how big Ella is. They just grow way too fast.

So true! She was six weeks old yesterday

 

[3bird]

Question for those of you who have dealt with a duck that needs to have a leg splinted for a prolonged period of time: What did you find was the best, most comfortable and safest living situation?

As you may recall, Rosie (the patient) and Ella were the only two ducklings that hatched from our spring clutch. They are, as you might imagine, pretty inseparable. As such, we'd like to keep them together but without Ella stepping on Rosie. Our solution has been to use this small crate inside the brooder, and it seems to work okay. The one problem is that it's hard to turn around in the crate without banging her splinted leg, and once she has moved around, it's hard for her to get back to her water. She is quite content in our laps, but we obviously cannot simply hold her all day and night (although we would if we could.

Here's her inside set-up:

And here is her outdoor set-up:

 

[3bird]

Today Rosie definitely does not seem herself. The last two nights, we've found her facing the wrong way in the middle of the night (away from her food and water), and we don't think she is eating or drinking enough. Yesterday she was gung-ho on raspberries (her favorite treat) and greens, but this am she would not eat any, and she just seems kind of lethargic and (dare I say it?) depressed. Eventually she drank from a wide-mouthed glass jar we offered her (and dunked her whole head several times), and she ate some of her grain from the same jar, but she seems more inclined to just kind of dose off. Karen has been holding her on her lap after we transitioned from inside to outside for the day (too hot inside), and she seems comfortable like that, but again, she just keeps dosing off. We'd like to try her in her sling chair, but we're looking for some advice about the position of the splinted leg--Should it be hanging straight down but not touching the ground, or should we rig it up so it's behind her like it is when she is in her crate or in Karen's lap? Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I can only think of one person that might be able to advise @casportpony

or maybe your vet?

 

[3bird]

I can only think of one person that might be able to advise @casportpony

or maybe your vet?

Thanks! We sent the question to the vet who did the surgery.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Did they say she'd have much pain? wondering if pain meds might be causing some sleepiness and depression?

 

[3bird]

Did they say she'd have much pain? wondering if pain meds might be causing some sleepiness and depression?

We wondered about that.

 

[3bird]

Today Rosie seems even more "blah." It's a big exhausting effort for her to get her up and out and propped up comfortably on some towels when we clean her crate and move her outside. We don't think she ate much at all last night, and she was slow to eat this morning (although she did eat some food floating in her water, and she did dunk her head). Last night, when raspberries and blueberries and watermelon failed, we did get her to show some interest in Grubblies and peas. This morning, no such luck. On the positive side, once we got her propped up, she did do some preening (as best as she was able), but she just looks tired and not quite with it (this was before morning pain meds). It's wonderful that Ella sticks so close, and there is some good mirroring behaviour from time to time (e.g., Ella does something like dunk her head and then Rosie does it). I hate that we can't see the incision site or the foot distal to the incision site to assess. We have strict orders to leave the splint and bandage on for two weeks.

Question: She is damp on her belly and has a hard time cleaning her belly or her vent. We are washing her, but how diligent should we be about making sure she is completely dry (like the point of using a hair dryer on low or something)? I don't like that she seems pretty constantly damp. Any other thoughts or ideas are much appreciated.