Ducks attacked by dog

[Miss Lydia]

Hi guys. Mrs duck is doing really well. Her wounds seem to be healing, she's preening herself and starting to do things she used to do before the attack (honk at me and nip at my fingers). Now we can get closer to her we have discovered a clear fracture on the foot she holds up. It's on the middle toe and today we are going to splint it using a duck shoe that I've researched heavily. I think its a clean break so fingers crossed it heals well.
She is finding it hard to take the medicines, she struggles when we have to administer them but she has taken them all and luckily its just once a day.
She seems to have moments of panic and quickened breathing, but after being left alone she comes back to normal. I think this is to be expected for a while, she's been through the loss of her man and an attack.
I am confident she will be okay, provided her foot heals and her wounds continue to come together nicely.
Today I'm going to buy a travel cot to keep her in, it will give her more room to move around once she's splinted.
This has been one of the hardest and most worrying thing I've ever done, but she's worth it.
Any tips on splinting would be fab, I've downloaded a vets guide to it but if anyone with experience doing it for real has any advice that would be cool.

Thanks for the support guys, it's really nice to be able to write this all down to people who understand, almost therapeutic

So relieved to hear she is on the mend. I wish I could help on the splinting but I have never had to do it so can't help, I'm sure you'll do a good job though. just a bit of practice. It really does help to have someone to talk to and know that we care and feel the same about our ducks etc. Have you seen the dog owner anymore? or the dog? I sure hope not. Do you plan to get Mrs Duck another friend when she is back to normal? I don't know what meds you are administering but i find if i have to give any I use a tiny piece of bread if it's a pill I cut it into and smoosh the bread around it and mine take it and have no idea they've taken any meds, works for liquid too. Thanks so much for update. Don't know if this will help but here is some info. you have to scroll down a bit to get to shoes..
https://sites.google.com/a/poultrypedia.com/poultrypedia/poultry-podiatry

 

[CCRabbetts]

Hi,

My 9 month old babies were attacked today by a dog that got into our garden from a hole in the neighbours fence. My drake runner was so badly injured (could see his neck bone) we took him to the vet hospital to be put down. My lovely lady Pekin has wounds on her back and tummy and other places, not down to the bone but still nasty. She was sat in the pond so I took her out and wrapped her in a towel and waited until the car came to take her to the vet. She was trying to nibble at things, was responsive to me and tried to walk but could only stand on one leg. We got her in surgery within an hour of her being attacked and they have given her antibiotics and cleaned the wounds. Basically only time will tell at this point if the wounds will heal and if she gets infected. I am bringing her home in an hour and a half. I have a disinfected box ready for her, disinfected water and food bowl and towels and a heat lamp. I will sit with her for the next 48 hours, keep talking to her etc.

My question to you guys, have any of you been through this? How bad was it? Any tips?

My drake died trying to save her, he was a good duck and I will miss him dearly.

I love how much you care, but I am so sorry this happened. Basically you just have to fortify and protect against all predators including dogs.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

We had a similar experience in which my big black swedish drake (Clyde) was attacked. His entire back was ripped up with all the feathering gone and most of the skin and underlying muscle tissue ripped away and gone. I honestly didn't think he was going to make it, the best I could tell it had at least been a few hours since the attack when we found him huddled up under a shrub - he was cold and nearly unresponsive, but we had to try. His wounds were cleaned up, he was put on a course of antibiotics and we spent the next two weeks changing bandages (wrapping a duck in vet wrap is an adventure to say the least) and tending his wounds and, amazingly he did heal and went on to live another three years before he passed away peacefully in his sleep. In our case, Clyde was not an extremely friendly/social duck so for us it was important to keep him quiet, calm and away from a lot of "hands on" attention which would only have stressed him out more rather than helped him heal (we had only had him about six months at that point and he was a full grown adult who had not bee socialized as he was part of a free range farm flock, not a pet) - so we were really just there to provide necessary wound care and let him heal.

 

[Miss Lydia]

We had a similar experience in which my big black swedish drake (Clyde) was attacked. His entire back was ripped up with all the feathering gone and most of the skin and underlying muscle tissue ripped away and gone. I honestly didn't think he was going to make it, the best I could tell it had at least been a few hours since the attack when we found him huddled up under a shrub - he was cold and nearly unresponsive, but we had to try. His wounds were cleaned up, he was put on a course of antibiotics and we spent the next two weeks changing bandages (wrapping a duck in vet wrap is an adventure to say the least) and tending his wounds and, amazingly he did heal and went on to live another three years before he passed away peacefully in his sleep. In our case, Clyde was not an extremely friendly/social duck so for us it was important to keep him quiet, calm and away from a lot of "hands on" attention which would only have stressed him out more rather than helped him heal (we had only had him about six months at that point and he was a full grown adult who had not bee socialized as he was part of a free range farm flock, not a pet) - so we were really just there to provide necessary wound care and let him heal.

It is amazing how the can recover from such awful attacks. Thanks for sharing and

 

[Pweetyhonks]

Just a couple of pictures of the injury and her popping her head out in the morning. Transferring her to a travel cot this afternoon so she has more room to move once her foot is splinted.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Just a couple of pictures of the injury and her popping her head out in the morning. Transferring her to a travel cot this afternoon so she has more room to move once her foot is splinted.

Bless her heart, your doing an awesome job too.

 

[nayeli]

I think it would be beneficial to get her another mate after she heals up... You don't want one too soon though because he could hurt her.

 

[Pweetyhonks]

Yea, we will definitely get her another mate as soon as she's better. At the moment she is always around people so hopefully shes not so lonely. We are also in the process of making her the safest space we can in the garden. She wont have as much room as before, but it's still a nice big area with a lovely pond that she and her new friend can be safe in.

I just put a splint on her foot, it was really difficult and I think I'm going to have to rearrange it tomorrow (she's had enough stress for today) but for the moment shes sitting with it in a proper position now and earlier it looked like she was trying to put some weight on it. I will have to get the vet to take a look on Monday to make sure I've set it right.

She's still quite perky and earlier gave me a nip on the nose which she always used to do affectionately when I came near her.

 

[nayeli]

I have heard mirrors are good too, so she feels less lonely when she sees her reflection. I just got ducks but my female freaked out when she couldn't see the male (there was hay obstructing her view).

 

[Miss Lydia]

Yea, we will definitely get her another mate as soon as she's better. At the moment she is always around people so hopefully shes not so lonely. We are also in the process of making her the safest space we can in the garden. She wont have as much room as before, but it's still a nice big area with a lovely pond that she and her new friend can be safe in.

I just put a splint on her foot, it was really difficult and I think I'm going to have to rearrange it tomorrow (she's had enough stress for today) but for the moment shes sitting with it in a proper position now and earlier it looked like she was trying to put some weight on it. I will have to get the vet to take a look on Monday to make sure I've set it right.

She's still quite perky and earlier gave me a nip on the nose which she always used to do affectionately when I came near her.

Sounds so good to hear she is perky. Also good news that your going to fix her and soon to be mate a safer area. You know we can never let our guard down when it comes to our birds, seems there is always something wanting them. I had a hawk problem and one finally got one of my bantam hens my half acre is just too big to cover over top so I am trying reflector predator tape. So far I see them up high but they don't come close. I am still always on the look out though. Good to hear about her foot too. Hopefully it will heal in place properly