Duckling won't stand, walks poorly

[Duck Hill]

UPDATE: Cinnamon has now been really sick for four days. Yesterday she looked to have about reached the end, and I couldn't take it so I went to the vet. She said that neurological symptoms indicated that it was not just a niacin deficiency. She said the two most likely culprits were botulism and hardware disease.

Hardware disease causes neurological symptoms because the stomach acid leaches toxic metals. Treatment for hardware disease includes surgery or tubing the bird with lots of water and holding it upside down, hoping the hardware comes out the front end with the water, gravity helping. After that she would have used Calcium EDTA to help with the toxic metals in the bird. However, according to an X-ray Cinnamon did not appear to have hardware disease.

Botulism is treatable with antibiotics, the vet suggested Penicillin. She also said that the same symptoms could be due to West Nile Virus or other untreatable exotic diseases. So the Penicillin might help or might not, but it wouldn't hurt to try.

After her exam and as Cinnamon was waiting for her Penicillin shot, she began acting really strange. I went and called a vet tech. He consulted with the vet and he took her out of the room to put her on oxygen. The vet came back a few minutes later and told me that she had been about to go into a seizure, but that she had given the duck Valium and that this had relaxed her. Then we gave her the antibiotics. After that she improved a bit, resting comfortably rather than trying to get into a seizure.

I obtained Valerian at the health food store, they said it was a bit like Valium. Today, 24 hours after we started the antibiotics: Cinnamon is eating like a horse, which is a definite improvement. However, her neurological symptoms continue and have not improved. Every few hours she gets worse and I give her a couple of drops of Valerian in about 5cc of water and it helps. We're still hoping and fighting this thing. But I thought that Botulism resolved itself rather fast and this is slow, so maybe this isn't Botulism. Anyone know how long West Nile or other things ducks can get take to either resolve or turn for the worse? It has been about 5 days now since her symptoms started.

Kathy, thanks for the tubing videos. I really like the big one for the chicken. Now I just have to find out where to get one!

 

[casportpony]

UPDATE: Cinnamon has now been really sick for four days. Yesterday she looked to have about reached the end, and I couldn't take it so I went to the vet. She said that neurological symptoms indicated that it was not just a niacin deficiency. She said the two most likely culprits were botulism and hardware disease.

Hardware disease causes neurological symptoms because the stomach acid leaches toxic metals. Treatment for hardware disease includes surgery or tubing the bird with lots of water and holding it upside down, hoping the hardware comes out the front end with the water, gravity helping. After that she would have used Calcium EDTA to help with the toxic metals in the bird. However, according to an X-ray Cinnamon did not appear to have hardware disease.

Botulism is treatable with antibiotics, the vet suggested Penicillin. She also said that the same symptoms could be due to West Nile Virus or other untreatable exotic diseases. So the Penicillin might help or might not, but it wouldn't hurt to try.

After her exam and as Cinnamon was waiting for her Penicillin shot, she began acting really strange. I went and called a vet tech. He consulted with the vet and he took her out of the room to put her on oxygen. The vet came back a few minutes later and told me that she had been about to go into a seizure, but that she had given the duck Valium and that this had relaxed her. Then we gave her the antibiotics. After that she improved a bit, resting comfortably rather than trying to get into a seizure.

I obtained Valerian at the health food store, they said it was a bit like Valium. Today, 24 hours after we started the antibiotics: Cinnamon is eating like a horse, which is a definite improvement. However, her neurological symptoms continue and have not improved. Every few hours she gets worse and I give her a couple of drops of Valerian in about 5cc of water and it helps. We're still hoping and fighting this thing. But I thought that Botulism resolved itself rather fast and this is slow, so maybe this isn't Botulism. Anyone know how long West Nile or other things ducks can get take to either resolve or turn for the worse? It has been about 5 days now since her symptoms started.

Kathy, thanks for the tubing videos. I really like the big one for the chicken. Now I just have to find out where to get one!

Your vet can sell you a tube and syringe.

-Kathy

 

[casportpony]

Ask the vet for a size 18 french catheter tube.

If they won't sell you one, go to Petsmart or Petco and buy 16" of aquarium air line. You will have to modify the end with a lighter before using if or the sharp edges could slice her esophagus and/or crop. Make sense?

-Kathy

 

[Duck Hill]

Kathy - I get your tube idea and I can find tubing. What I can't figure out is where to get the giant syringe thing. I'm looking for a baster type thing but most don't have a tip that will fit tubing. Will keep looking.

Cinnamon is hanging in there. Today she complained a lot and seemed to get lots of neurological symptoms each time I took her out of her dark container. I had to take her out of the bath, she couldn't stand it (where she enjoyed it yesterday). On the other hand, she seemed to do a bit better than yesterday as long as I kept her in the container. Strange. So I don't know if she's better or worse. The only illness I can find that has photosensitivity doesn't match any of her other symptoms. Or is it the handling? Anyway, I didn't take her out much. She seems content in there.

 

[casportpony]

Kathy - I get your tube idea and I can find tubing. What I can't figure out is where to get the giant syringe thing. I'm looking for a baster type thing but most don't have a tip that will fit tubing. Will keep looking.

Cinnamon is hanging in there. Today she complained a lot and seemed to get lots of neurological symptoms each time I took her out of her dark container. I had to take her out of the bath, she couldn't stand it (where she enjoyed it yesterday). On the other hand, she seemed to do a bit better than yesterday as long as I kept her in the container. Strange. So I don't know if she's better or worse. The only illness I can find that has photosensitivity doesn't match any of her other symptoms. Or is it the handling? Anyway, I didn't take her out much. She seems content in there.

Tractor Supply sells 60 ml syringes.

-kathy

 

[Duck Hill]

UPDATE: Cinnamon did a bit better in the bath today. She walked a bit forward as well as backwards, and did tread water for some time. This made her tired and out of breath, due to no exercise for so many days! After about half an hour, she did show some neurological symptoms due to being tired. However, given that yesterday she couldn't even stay in the bath, this is a major improvement. I continue to feed her with the medicine dropper as otherwise she eats way too little and becomes dehydrated and starved. At this point it looks like she is improving very slowly. No other ducks in the flock are showing any symptoms, even though they were with her for the first three or four days of her illness.

Kathy - my Tractor Supply didn't have that syringe. I will call another location or order it online.

Anyone have any idea as to what illness it may be? The vet thought maybe Botulism when she gave me the penicillin, and it does seem to help, maybe, but the recovery is very slow and this is not typical of Botulism. The duck has no nasal discharge at all and her lungs were clear at the vet. What else could it be? I'd like to know so I can prevent a recurrence and protect the rest of the flock.

 

[casportpony]

UPDATE: Cinnamon did a bit better in the bath today. She walked a bit forward as well as backwards, and did tread water for some time. This made her tired and out of breath, due to no exercise for so many days! After about half an hour, she did show some neurological symptoms due to being tired. However, given that yesterday she couldn't even stay in the bath, this is a major improvement. I continue to feed her with the medicine dropper as otherwise she eats way too little and becomes dehydrated and starved. At this point it looks like she is improving very slowly. No other ducks in the flock are showing any symptoms, even though they were with her for the first three or four days of her illness.

Kathy - my Tractor Supply didn't have that syringe. I will call another location or order it online.

Anyone have any idea as to what illness it may be? The vet thought maybe Botulism when she gave me the penicillin, and it does seem to help, maybe, but the recovery is very slow and this is not typical of Botulism. The duck has no nasal discharge at all and her lungs were clear at the vet. What else could it be? I'd like to know so I can prevent a recurrence and protect the rest of the flock.

I don't think it's botulism. Can you post a picture of her poop?

-Kathy

 

[Duck Hill]

UPDATE: Cinnamon is continuing to make slow progress. She can now walk around a bit. This means that she is hunched over parallel to the ground (runner ducks are supposed to stand), neck tightly bent (like a resting duck facing forward), and she scoots several feet before plopping down to rest. Today, for the first time she scooted to the drinking area and drank. Before, she did not do so since reaching for the water always made her lose her balance. She even scooted over the door sill. She is able to swim for longer before getting those neck spasms that keep her neck stretched out and underwater. (Needless to say, she doesn't swim unless I'm there to watch her.) She has gained weight, now being 5th among the 10 ducklings in weight (she used to always be first, but dropped to 10th at one point.) So - definitely on the mend and doing slowly better. She has swum with the other ducklings and now spends time with them. No other duckling has gotten sick. It has now been 11 days that I have been feeding her and she still doesn't eat much on her own, though she has started showing a slight interest in things like watermelon and floating greens. I just wish I knew what it was so that I could prevent a recurrence.

 

[Amiga]

Did @Jera ever give us an update? It's been a couple of weeks, now. Hope all is well.

 

[Jera]

@Amiga My duck is doing better. Still struggles a bit with her right leg but moves it better and is moving around better. She is still on meds. She also seems very happy in our pond and can get out when she wants to be in the grass. I get four more ducklings in the mail tomorrow morning