Help diagnosing ducklings please

[ScottE]

Hey all we have a number of 5 week old ducklings that have been doing good up until now.

This morning 3 of them where acting super lethargic, head back, little twitches unable to stand. One of them was even on it's back with laborered breathing. Weve gotten em inside warmed up and even tube fed them a little bit of active charcoal and water.

While tubing I noticed one of them had alot of swelling and mucus in its throat. It passed just minutes after tubing, I know I got the tube down the right pipe but even still with the mucus I may have aspirated it... :/

The other two are still quite ill but alive. All three had diarrhea and messy back ends but no blood in the poop and no extra weird discoloration of the poop.

I suspected hepatitis, but after cutting open the dead one the liver looked perfectly healthy no signs of discoloration or lesions.

I did notice that the gizzard was ROCK hard. Cutting into it was just normal feed and bits of grit nothing smelled off or rotten, but the muscle tissue wasn't at all pliable.

I'd love some help with diagnosing and treatment.

 

[casportpony]

Welcome to BYC!
Where do you live?

 

[ScottE]

Welcome to BYC!
Where do you live?

Woodinville wa.

 

[casportpony]

Contact this place about having a necropsy done.
https://waddl.vetmed.wsu.edu/search-tests/Panels/Test-Details?id=2026

 

[ScottE]

Well too late for that, is that the only way to determine what is wrong?

 

[casportpony]

Well too late for that, is that the only way to determine what is wrong?

You can make guesses and try treating with antibiotics and supportive care. You know how to tube, so you got that covered. Do you have any antibiotics?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

More information about how they were being kept and fed may help. Generally ducklings are quite hardy, but they do require some heat, a good flock raiser, or other suitable duck starter, and water containers deep enough to submerge their bills.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Sounds like hypothermia with a respiratory infection. I lost a runt duckling to that last year. If you have some Amoxicillin - you can buy Fish-Mox in the Internet or at good farm stores 50mg per lbs (i know lbs and ducklings…) just do some math, it is hard to overdose.
If they drink, put some glucose and some vitamin C into the water, ducklings have a sweet toothbill and glucose helps them to regain strength. If they start to eat again, feed them something light like a banana before going back to regular food.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

@ScottE How are the ducklings doing today?

 

[ScottE]

Looks like 2 of them made it through they aren't back to 100% but they are up and eating and drinking again.

We kept em inside and tube fed them some molasses water every 4 hours by late last night they where capable of standing on their own.

I'm guessing just really bad flu/cold? I'd be surprised if it was hypothermia but they are at that weird stage where their adult feathers are just starting to come in and it was a little damp yeaterday.

Makea me feel bad about the one we lost, I'm not sure if I didn't get the tube down far enough, or if he was so far gone it didn't matter what we did.