gapeworm?

[JungESungSung]

Hey everyone! I became a first time duck mom a few weeks ago. I was given two healthy ducklings to care for.
A few days ago I noticed that Oz -my little brown guy- was breathing rapidly. This morning Francis also was breathing rapidly as well as sneezing. He also has a runny nose. A relative thinks they may have gapeworm. I've noticed some yawning from the two, but I don't know the difference between a sleepy yawn and a sick yawn.

Their water dish is plenty deep and they haven't lost their appetite or their curiosity. I want my babies to be healthy, but I don't want to stress them with a trip to the vet if its not needed. Any advice would be much appreciated.

 

[Judy]

They may be hot; it is a way they cool themselves. Gapeworm is prety uncommon. If they have it, you can gently run a Q tip far back in their throat, and it will come beck with skinny, wiggly red worms on it.

 

[JungESungSung]

Great, thank you! I checked both the babies with a q-tip. I don't know how far down the neck the worms would live, but I didn't see anything. I've started them on some apple cider vinegar water to try and help them along.