HELP! Duck is losing claws...

[Kedreeva]

All righty, I will check back later! Make sure you take a pic of his healthy toes as well, for comparison.

 

[ducklover15]

Sadly this is the best picture I could get. All of the others I took were blurry... But if this isn't good enough I can try again.

 

[Kedreeva]

Hard to tell by the photo, but at least the rest of the foot looks all right- not scaled or bumpy with mites or anything, at least not on the leg/foot. Unfortunately that rules out scaly mites, which are fairly easy to treat for.

I can't tell if there's any claw left on the damaged digit (can see the back claw is healing nicely), but if there's NOT claw on that front digit, if all that red is skin, it looks inflamed/infected. Are you able to keep him separated from the other birds and keep him on dry, clean ground for a few days? Keeping that wound dry and clean is most important. I am not sure what caused this, but if it happens again I would recommend taking him to a vet if you can. Check your yard for places where he might have snagged a toe, and keep cleaning and applying neosporin.

 

[Red Maple Farms]

Quote:
Looks like a snagged toenail to me. I had a couple male muscovies that I had penned up in a cage made of chicken wire. The lesser male was climbing the walls trying to get out, and lost a toenail in the chicken wire. It never did grow back.

 

[Baybrio]

Maybe its a fungal infection. If it is I don't think neosporin will help (but it shouldn't hurt either). I don't know how to treat that on a duck. To me the skin on the actual foot looks fine.

I would start with a call to my dogs vet. If they had no idea they might be able to refer you to someone with an answer.

 

[katharinad]

To me it looks like it is healing nicely. Perhaps you have an accident prone duck. One of my ducks back claw looked like yours and it is slowly growing back. I think my duck hurt itself on the deck between the wood planks. None of my other ducks managed that, so I think it was just a freak accident. With all accidents infections are a concern, but yours looks fine. I don't see any inflammation or swelling. Fungal infections usually spread to all birds, so I would exclude that. Parasites are still possible, but you should be able to see them if they are present. I personally would leave it as is and wait at this point.

Like to add that I would not wrap this foot nor would I put some shoe on it. Air is your best friend when it comes to healing. Wrapping traps moisture, which will make all kind of stuff grow. Wrapping should be done only when necessary. I had several things going with my pets over the years, and my vets promote open healing whenever possible. This of course depends on not having an infection or open wound going. One of my dogs had shoulder and later knee surgery. Both legs were only wrapped for one day after that it was open air, even with staples. We also had to make sure that no licking was involved, but she was a very good dog.

 

[Red Maple Farms]

Quote:
Diver's suits and kayaking gear are often made from neoprene, which I believe the duck shoes are also. The neoprene easily becomes home for bacteria and fungal growth due to retaining heat and moisture and blocking out air circulation. I agree with katharinad that it is healthier to do without any foot wrap or shoes.

 

[ducklover15]

I'll keep his feet clean and open then.

I really don't want this getting any worse.

He is my major accident prone duck. I found him stuck on his back under the kiddy pool platform about a week ago...I've never seen anything like it. Hopefully he's just prone to getting his claws stuck...

 

[ducklover15]

He stopped limping!!! =] His claws don't look like they're growing back anytime soon...but his walk is normal again!

 

[love_a_duck]

Quote:

so glad to hear that ducklover. and keep an eye on this accident prone duck!