HELP — Acute Duck Sickness (Lethargic, Sleepy, Separating from flock, shivering)

[Galaxyfalcon]

Hello everyone, I posted earlier today here that I had an adult duck that had been really sleepy for a day or two. This afternoon things seem to have taken a turn for the worse, the duck is drinking a little bit but she's "hunched" even when sitting, sleepy/eyes closed, and completely lethargic, and now she's shivering/shaking slightly. None of the other ducks have symptoms and it doesn't seem consistent with Botulism.

I called a local vet who is willing to see her on short notice but I'm not sure how much they're willing to diagnose and they recommended putting her on supportive care, but I might still bring her in.

Should I be trying anything in terms of toxin flushes? She has a little bowl of electrolyte water next to her that she is sipping out of but I don't know what else to do. She was my first duck, only 2 1/2 years old, so I really don't want to lose her. I don't know what else to do for her. If I take her in to the vet, should I have them test for anything specific?

 

[Peas4Ducks]

I’m so sorry your duck is sick . It sounds like it could possibly be aspergillosis? Have conditions been extra damp lately?

 

[Galaxyfalcon]

I’m so sorry your duck is sick . It sounds like it could possibly be aspergillosis? Have conditions been extra damp lately?

They have been damp but we've been changing the bedding with fresh pine shavings and just added some fresh straw the other day. I took her to the vet an hour ago and told her to do whatever she needed to do to get a diagnosis, but I'm afraid the answer might be "don't know" and if the vet can't find anything wrong I'm not sure what I'll do.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Is she laying this time of year? If they do blood work that will tell quite a bit.

 

[Peas4Ducks]

Mystery illnesses are so hard. Please update the thread when you hear back from the vet—fingers crossed she’ll be able to figure out what’s going on and how to treat it.

 

[Galaxyfalcon]

Is she laying this time of year? If they do blood work that will tell quite a bit.

She stopped laying in early to mid fall so she hasn't laid for for a bit now...about the same as last year.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Let us know when you hear from the vet. I hope they can help her.

 

[KaleIAm]

I'm very sorry to hear about your duck. I hope you can get some answers at the vet. My vet always starts with bloodwork, a fecal, and x-rays - unless something is obvious to them. From there they usually recommend more specific testing if they haven't gotten answers.

 

[Galaxyfalcon]

Vet apparently had a long day, they closed at 5:30 but she called me just now a little past 8:30 to let me know she had gotten some x-rays done. Looks like little Herman has recently eaten something metal, so she has two foreign bodies in her system that look like needles (possibly staples?). She's getting some anti-inflammatory and antibiotic treatment and we'll be doing a follow-up exam next Tuesday to see if they've embedded, passed through, and consider if we need to do surgery or if she can live with it.

I feel awful for her, but the vet said it was good work noticing herself isolating and the change in behavior because a lot of folks wouldn't have acted so quickly, so we might have caught it early enough to save her (hopefully, please send prayers and good energy).

We're going to get a cold snap down into the negative degrees and the vet said she can't tolerate temps that low right now, so we'll be bringing her and one of her girls inside for a week or so for some warmth and TLC.

Thanks for the support everyone, I'll post an update when I know more. I genuinely appreciate all the support and advice. She's my first and oldest duck and the mom of our other ducks so she has a special place in our hearts here.

 

[KaleIAm]

Thanks for the update. I'm sending good wishes your way.