HELP! Duck eye inflammation

[Duckie doodle]

Hello
pekin drake, I gave him a bathe like 15 minutes ago and when I got him out if tub his eye became red, he kept closing it and wouldn't open it. It also is very watery and he is blinking alot. Idk what could have got into it other then the dawn dish soap. What can i do to flush the eye??

 

[sylviethecochin]

Are you saying his eye wasn't irritated before the bath? It's not infected, then; it's inflamed.

You can rinse his eye using clean water or water with just a pinch of salt in it. If you give him a tub of water (no soap) he'll likely do it himself, without fuss. Ducks like to use water to clean out their eyes and noses, which is why you probably shouldn't give baths with soap without making sure they can't get their heads into the water.

 

[Duckie doodle]

Thank you and yes it is inflammed, my bad.

 

[Duckie doodle]

Update: the eye is much better. Thank you for the help.

 

[Miss Lydia]

When you wash waterfowl in dawn dish soap you are washing all the natural oils off their feathers. Maybe he had something gross on his feathers that you were wanting off. But once the oils are gone from his feathers he isn't water proof. And will have to start all over again getting them that way.

 

[Duckie doodle]

I didn't know that.... I feel bad now .

 

[Miss Lydia]

It's okay he'll begin preening and spread the oils over his feathers again. But that is why they use dawn for cleaning birds that have been in oil spills because it removes oils. If it was in winter that you had given him his bath in dawn then you'd have to keep him inside till his feathers were again water proof but since it's summer I doubt he'll get a chill.