EMERGENCY: Very Sick Duck, Rapid Deterioration

[Gresh]

I have a 2-yr old female Pekin duck who is rapidly deteriorating. A few days ago, my sister noticed her completely collapse in the yard, like her legs had gone limp, and try to move herself across the yard with her wings. We thought maybe she had been hit by our goat (who gets cranky when the ducks move to close to her on her line and sometimes butts at them), but then the duck literally, after a minute or two, got up and walked away like nothing ever happened. And the goat was nowhere nearby.

A day or two later, this phenomenon began to repeat itself more often. Her wings started to twitch, too. She would be walking along and then, suddenly, you could see her legs shaking like they were about to go limp and she would collapse to the ground.

Today, it got worse than ever. Now her neck is having problems. Two times today her neck and legs have simultaneously gone limp for a minute or two, after which she gets up, fairly normally, and walks away. Today my sister also noticed that her eye had a yellowish, bubbling puss coming out at the corner. It is obvious that something is very wrong.

She still eats and drinks, but not with much vigor. She preens, but she is obviously having trouble with that as her neck is not functioning properly.

Is it botulism? Something else? Should I rush her to my local avian vet the next chance I get, or is there any hope for her at all?

Please respond ASAP...at the rate she's deteriorating, I'm afraid she won't be around this weekend if I don't do something fast.

God bless,
~Gresh~

 

[casportpony]

@Gresh, go to the vet!


-Kathy

 

[Gresh]

Just made an appointment! Thanks for your quick response. I'm praying she makes it until then...the nearest opening they had was this Wednesday at 12:15...

I will be separating her from the flock tonight. Don't want the other duck or my chickens to get botulism, too. I can arrange it so that she can still see her duck companion so she won't feel lonely and depressed.

Any suggestions as to how to keep her comfortable until the appointment?

 

[casportpony]

Just made an appointment! Thanks for your quick response. I'm praying she makes it until then...the nearest opening they had was this Wednesday at 12:15...

I will be separating her from the flock tonight. Don't want the other duck or my chickens to get botulism, too. I can arrange it so that she can still see her duck companion so she won't feel lonely and depressed.

Any suggestions as to how to keep her comfortable until the appointment?

You might find some useful info here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...mergency-and-supportive-care-updated-1-3-2016

-Kathy

 

[Gresh]

Update!

I took my duck to the vet and the vet prescribed an antibiotic. Even after the first dosage, the duck is doing considerably better. To my knowledge, she has not had one "attack" today, and she is walking around normally with our other duck (the vet thought that isolation was too late and therefore that the two would be happier together than separated).

The vet also thought maybe it was something other than botulism. She wasn't sure without doing bloodwork, but she said that ducks can get their nervous systems attacked by a variety of diseases, not just botulism.

Thanks to casportpony, for replying to my frantic post.

 

[casportpony]

Update!

I took my duck to the vet and the vet prescribed an antibiotic. Even after the first dosage, the duck is doing considerably better. To my knowledge, she has not had one "attack" today, and she is walking around normally with our other duck (the vet thought that isolation was too late and therefore that the two would be happier together than separated).

The vet also thought maybe it was something other than botulism. She wasn't sure without doing bloodwork, but she said that ducks can get their nervous systems attacked by a variety of diseases, not just botulism.

Thanks to casportpony, for replying to my frantic post.

Glad she is better. Curiously, what antibiotic is she on?

-Kathy

 

[Gresh]

Hi Kathy,

My vet put her on Enrofloxacin 22.7mg flavored tablets.

She is continuing to do well. Today we let her outside the animal pen to wander around the yard like she used to do. She acts strong and healthy and there are no more signs of weakness in her limbs or neck.

 

[casportpony]

Thanks for the update, glad she's doing well! The antibiotic he gave her is a darn good one.

-Kathy