I have a 4 wk old duckling, Ozzie, that has wry neck. Just to give a quick run down on everything; I'm sure some will ask. Normally he's keeping his head tilted sideways (right eye looking at ceiling), but when he gets excited or disoriented he starts twisting his neck even more to where he's almost looking upside down. He gets a little freaked when he does that so he freezes in that position & scoots backwards with no regard to what's around him or flips on his back. I help keep him stable when he eats and drinks (4-5x day), which he makes an absolute mess without his full control. And totally soaked by the end so then I have to help him preen under the heat lamp. I'm doing the Vit E, B Complex & Selenium. We've tried sooo many things but we can't get him to eat anything but his fav pureed sweet potatoes & his duckling crumble. Unfortunately, in my naivete I didn't realize his food didn't have Vit E and he won't eat greens no matter how we give them; from the stalk, diced or even baby food. And no fish or eggs, however given, for the Selenium. So hence the vitamins through a syringe (mixed with his fav sweet potato of course; he has no clue)
I've already talked to a vet. She said keep doing what I'm doing, but skip on the daily swims. I say swims lightly. As long as he can touch the floor he's good, if he can't & has to actually swim, he's outta there. As you can see, he definitely marchs to his own drum.
My question to y'all is this. The vet said skip on the "swims" since he loses control of his neck with excitement etc, but he's getting smelly. Apple cider vinegar water & electrolyte water (given when he's too busy messing around to bother eating as much) are not for cleanliness. Can/should I give him a bath with Dawn? I know it strips the natural oils, but there's no telling how long it's going to take for his wry neck to improve. And like I said, he doesn't like swimming anyway. Should I just let him have his daily water playtime for a few minutes & just hold him to keep his neck steady? That excitement will definitely send his neck spinning. Researching shows a lot of conflicting opinions about whether it's helpful or harmful with all the neck dipping they do. So I could use some opinions/advice.
Regular water play or occasional baths with Dawn?
FYI: The pics are showing what we did with some cheap sponges to help him sleep and walk around. But only when he's with me at all times. We cut a hole in the middle with 4 slits around it so it stabilizes but has some give so it doesn't restrict the neck movements. We used an eye dropper or syringe to wet just the inner ring of the hole, just a little to soften enough to gently put over the head and not rub the neck. We wring the water out as much as possible before we put it on so he doesn't stay wet there. We even made an extra "spongace" (as my son has started calling it; "neck sponge brace was too long") with a side cut that can by slipped on and off if he needs more support in certain positions. He walks better & falls asleep much quicker and longer with the sponge support. Just an idea to share.
I've already talked to a vet. She said keep doing what I'm doing, but skip on the daily swims. I say swims lightly. As long as he can touch the floor he's good, if he can't & has to actually swim, he's outta there. As you can see, he definitely marchs to his own drum.
My question to y'all is this. The vet said skip on the "swims" since he loses control of his neck with excitement etc, but he's getting smelly. Apple cider vinegar water & electrolyte water (given when he's too busy messing around to bother eating as much) are not for cleanliness. Can/should I give him a bath with Dawn? I know it strips the natural oils, but there's no telling how long it's going to take for his wry neck to improve. And like I said, he doesn't like swimming anyway. Should I just let him have his daily water playtime for a few minutes & just hold him to keep his neck steady? That excitement will definitely send his neck spinning. Researching shows a lot of conflicting opinions about whether it's helpful or harmful with all the neck dipping they do. So I could use some opinions/advice.
Regular water play or occasional baths with Dawn?
FYI: The pics are showing what we did with some cheap sponges to help him sleep and walk around. But only when he's with me at all times. We cut a hole in the middle with 4 slits around it so it stabilizes but has some give so it doesn't restrict the neck movements. We used an eye dropper or syringe to wet just the inner ring of the hole, just a little to soften enough to gently put over the head and not rub the neck. We wring the water out as much as possible before we put it on so he doesn't stay wet there. We even made an extra "spongace" (as my son has started calling it; "neck sponge brace was too long") with a side cut that can by slipped on and off if he needs more support in certain positions. He walks better & falls asleep much quicker and longer with the sponge support. Just an idea to share.
If he enjoys bath time and your right there with him why not give him enough warm water up to top of his legs. I don’t think I would wash him in dawn. That stuff strip the oils out of my hands.
