Duckling Not Thriving - HELP!

[Isaac 0]

Could you post a picture of the vitamin B complex you are using, and at what dosage? Is her head retracted inwards most of the day?

 

[Tales from Duckingham]

She looks alert in the video just can’t right herself bless her heart. Is she still alert?

Yes she's very alert but not coordinated AT ALL. Gets exhausted from trying to paddle herself upright and then if I put her upright she falls over to the other side. It's SO SAD. The neck starting to go off to one side concerns me today. If I help her eat and drink by steadying her so she doesn't fall over she eats like she's starving.

Her eyes are bright and she's so sweet but she gets so frustrated and it's going to get to the point the others hurt her. If I separate them they all scream until I bring her back and she will jump and hurt herself at all cost to try to get back to her flock.

 

[Tales from Duckingham]

Could you post a picture of the vitamin B complex you are using, and at what dosage? Is her head retracted inwards most of the day?

Last night we started Complex B pills that I grind to a powder (and mash with a bit of food and vitamin water to mix in with Vit. E gel.). They are 1.5mg each so I planned on giving two a day? Vitamin E tabs are 180 mg each so I gave her two this morning to give a bigger boost. They've been getting human grade Brewer's Yeast from day one in their food and continue to do so at about 1.5 T per 1 cup of food.

Her head is upright if she's able to stay on her feet and if I hold her, its been up as well. Photo from 5 mins ago when she stayed on her feet 'sitting' for a couple mins. If she's struggling to right herself her head will be towards her feet or pushing into the ground trying to get up but starting today when i pick her up her head tends to look tilted as if turned slightly to the right. She can raise her head to drink and dives into food and dives into water. The neck turn is a new development when she's upright as of today.

 

[Miss Lydia]

How often are you feeding her. The fact she has a good appetite makes me want to believe there is hope using the complex and E.

 

[Tales from Duckingham]

How often are you feeding her. The fact she has a good appetite makes me want to believe there is hope using the complex and E.

Up until two days ago she ate at will and often chose to do so when the others were resting. They were in the smaller brooder (55gal tote). She's gotten worse since moving to the larger 5' kiddie pool. If I see she's stuck I help her several times a day and hold her up while she eats and drinks. She does well in the tub so I'll try to give her more water therapy later today.

I just rigged up a narrow tupperware "nest" where she can stand and have vitamin water in front of her or lie down but not flop around to give her some relief. Her little wings are starting to get pink from all the flapping to get up.

I'll keep up the vitamin routine and assisted feedings. If you feel I should increase or alter what I'm giving her please let me know. I really value the experience of everyone who has chimed in so thank you.

 

[Isaac 0]

If she were my duckling, I would continue to offer supportive care, which would include offering feed/water often, checking up on her to make sure she hasn't fallen into a position where she can't get back up and sticking to the daily vitamin regime. If I didn't see improvement within a week I would consider euthanasia, that will be your choice, unless you see an avian vet it'll be very hard for us to give you an exact cause of why she is having seizures as it can be caused by many things, with ducklings, Neurological damage, Toxin ingestion, Bacterial Infection, and Vitamin deficiency (Specifically E and Thiamine) seem to be the most prevalent.

 

[Tales from Duckingham]

If she were my duckling, I would continue to offer supportive care, which would include offering feed/water often, checking up on her to make sure she hasn't fallen into a position where she can't get back up and sticking to the daily vitamin regime. If I didn't see improvement within a week I would consider euthanasia, that will be your choice, unless you see an avian vet it'll be very hard for us to give you an exact cause of why she is having seizures as it can be caused by many things, with ducklings, Neurological damage, Toxin ingestion, Bacterial Infection, and Vitamin deficiency (Specifically E and Thiamine) seem to be the most prevalent.

If it were bacterial infection, do you know of a treatment? She's been in a very controlled environment so I highly doubt toxic ingestion. She's worse today and I will continue the vitamins but if there is something I'm missing if it were bacterial. Thanks so much for your help thus far - I really do appreciate it.

 

[Isaac 0]

"“ Seizures in waterfowl typically consist of the bird flapping around uncontrollably, leg paddling, loss of coordination, stiffened body, or twitching of the leg. This can last from several minutes to possibly an hour depending on what’s affecting the bird, this can be caused by any disorder that causes a sudden electrical discharge in the nervous system. Seizures in ducks are most commonly caused by a vitamin deficiency in either thiamine(B1) or vitamin E, Neurological Damage which happened during incubation or after, an infectious disease such as Duck Viral Hepatitis one along with Aspergillosis and West Nile Virus. If your bird has been experiencing seizures it should be taken to an avian vet as soon as possible to find out the underlying cause of the seizures.

If you are unable to, the bird should be placed in a warm/dry/quiet location, and ensure there is nothing in the cage/pen that the bird may be able to hurt itself on, lining the pen with soft towels to prevent injury may be advised. The owner must do a total evaluation of the bird and its past history. A few questions should be considered, did this happen overnight, has the bird had trauma to the head in the past, Is the bird being fed a correct nutritional diet, did the parent stock appear healthy, has the bird been in contact with anything toxic or recently been in contact with other birds, are other flock members showing symptoms? If your bird has been exposed to other fowl recently, or other flock members are starting to show symptoms, a Viral Infectious Disease or Toxin Ingestion would most likely be the cause. If the bird is crested (Tuff on the head), and had trauma to the head recently, neurological damage would be the likely cause. If the bird is being fed a diet low in thiamine or foods containing thiamine inhibitors, a thiamine deficiency would most likely be the cause.

If you believe your bird has an infectious disease it should be taken to a vet IMMEDIATELY, very little care can be done at home, this is serious, DVH mortality rates are often 95% if left untreated. Always consult a vet if possible, but if toxin ingestion is thought to be the cause the bird should either be taken to a vet for an antitoxin or the owner should perform a toxin flush, using either activated charcoal, molasses, or Epsom salt. Refer to this link for dosages-

A bird that is thought to be nutritionally derived should be started on BOTH vitamin E and Thiamine (B1) since it’s hard to differentiate which one would be the cause. Very little can be done for neurological damage, euthanasia may be advised.

Along with providing a safe pen, birds should be offered food and water very often.

-Isaac “"

 

[Isaac 0]

I wrote that a while back, hopefully, you find it helpful.

 

[Isaac 0]

IMO, I believe your duckling has severe neurological damage.