Foamy Eye

[c-rae-m]

Several of our park muscovies have foamy looking eyes. I looked it up and it said It could be caused by a respiratory infection. I bought VetRX and have been treating the ones with issues. Is there anything better to use. It says the stuff works for ducks with respiratory. The ones having issues are large males who aren't fond of being caught so I am just treating them by putting the medicine on a small piece of bread and tossing it to them. There is no way I can put it down their throats or on their beaks and under their wings like the directions say. I normally don't give them bread unless it is to get medicine down them. (Sorry - felt I needed a disclaimer for that). If it becomes necessary I will catch them and get them to the vet but just wanted to try the least traumatizing way first. If there is something better I can get please let me know.

 

[SolarDuck]

It can be very hard to treat a duck without physical contact. When it comes to park Muscovy ducks, they are all either pets of people that flew away or were dumped, or descendants of the pets that flew away or were dumped. They aren't naturally in the wild unless you are in southern Texas. That being said, the local wildlife would be better off without them and if you do take them in to help them they will not be missed. Could you post some pictures of their eyes?? @Isaac 0 might be able to help with what product you can use for treatment but he will probably need a good picture of the eyes to tell you.

I am also someone who keeps a close eye on my local park Muscovy and all 4 of my ducks were rescues from a park. I think if you can take them in, it would make treatment of them much easier. However, if you take them in they will be your responsibility and you can't just bring them back when they are better, you will need to keep them or find a good home for them, as releasing an invasive species back into the wild is illegal.

 

[c-rae-m]

It seems to be getting better- the first picture was before I started treating them. The other pics it seems like it is starting to clear up a bit or they just dunked their heads and cleaned their eyes out before I took the pic.

 

[Isaac 0]

Multiple birds being affected suggest something more serious, and sinister than merely irritation in the eye due to debris, or trauma due to fighting. My concerns would be that of a bacterial, or viral disease affecting their upper respiratory system, but an environmental problem such as toxic pond waste could potentially be a culprit. In my opinion, if the birds are acting fine, besides the eye, leave them be and hopefully, it resolves itself. Capturing them, and bringing them to a vet will likely be challenging and stressful for the birds.

 

[DukesDucks]

One of my 2 drakes (Muscovy) gets foamy eye occasionally. It comes and goes. None of the other 10 in flock have ever had it. I have never treated it because it has always cleared up on its own. Should I be concerned?

 

[Isaac 0]

One of my 2 drakes (Muscovy) gets foamy eye occasionally. It comes and goes. None of the other 10 in flock have ever had it. I have never treated it because it has always cleared up on its own. Should I be concerned?

It is not uncommon to have just one bird showing foamy eye, but if there are multiple birds producing ocular discharge there is likely a problem. With your drake, it's likely he's getting pecked in the eye, or is getting debris stuck in it every once and a while. When you see foamy eye, flush it with some saline, and wipe the eye with a damp compress.

 

[DukesDucks]

Thanks for the advice. The funniest time with him was when he got a twig stuck through his nostrils. I had to stop laughing long enough to help.