I rescued a Muscovy hen today. She has had severly frostbitten feet for 6+ weeks and had been living out in below freezing weather with lots of snow in an open carport. She was barely walking and using her wings to propel herself around. I brought her home and put her in a warm bath. She loved it! As I was drying her off her left foot fell off. Bled a little. I put triple antibiotic ointment on her and bandaged it up. Her other foot is dark and pretty stiff too. I think she may lose it too. I am keeping her in a Rubbermaid tote until I can get a kennel for her. She is eating waterfowl pellets and mealworms and drinking. Is there something else I should do for her? I do have Terra-Vet 10 tetracycline hydrochloride powder. Should I give her some? I will keep her in the house until she is fully healed and give her daily warm baths before I introduce her to my duck pair. Thank you for any help/suggestions.
Her foot fell off?? Like the whole foot? Oh my goodness, I would have freaked out. Can you post pics of the other foot? There are several very knowledgeable members here who are pretty good with advice for injuries and such, but it's always good to have a pic to see what you're dealing with.
There is a website called 'Ducks and Clucks'. Find it on Facebook. It's a rescue organization run by a woman named Tiffany. She has dealt with all kinds of sad situations, and will be able to give you some advice. I feel sure she has kept and cared for ducks with one leg before. I would start looking for waterfowl/wild bird rescue in your area as well, they may be able to help. I think probably a trip to a veterinarian is in order, they can help with meds and a quality of life assessment. This is so sad, poor little girl. It breaks my heart. I'm so glad you rescued her. I wish you the very best of luck, and please let us know how it goes.
