HELP: Limberneck, Gapeworm or Something Else?

[Mharris20]

I have a Swedish female duck about 6 months old. Five days ago she stopped keeping up with her companion and I did not think much of it as it has been pretty hot and thought she just wanted to stay in the shade. Four days ago she was having trouble moving and our flock had started to bully her. I thought she was just injured and separated her from our mixed chicken/duck flock so she could recover in peace. She could not stand or walk and was acting fatigued but still had full range of motion with her neck and was drinking fine but had little interest in eating. Three days ago I noticed she has not eaten any of the food I left for her and hardly drank any water. In the afternoon I noticed flies started swarming her so I brought her inside. I was incredibly concerned because when I picked her up I had hold her head up because she could not lift it on her own. I managed to get her to drink some water with electrolytes and probiotics but thought she was down for the count. To my surprise she was still alive when I woke up. I got some feed wet and she was eager to eat and drink in the morning. She seems to have energy because she moves her tail feathers and will kind of flap her wings a little and move her head around but she can’t move her left leg at all and can barely move her right leg. Because of the paralysis I was certain that she had botulism and I thought that because she made it through the last two days that she would be ok and would just need help recovering. Today I’m puzzled because although she still can’t move most of her body she appears to be very alert and is energetic (shaking her tail feathers moving her wings a little more and she even moved her right leg a bit when I was giving her a bath) but now she is shaking her head constantly. She keeps opening her mouth for a second at a time but I don’t hear her having a hard time breathing. Now thinking back I noticed she was shaking he head the previous days but I thought that was her just trying to move/get up and now I’m worried about gapeworm, but I obviously don’t think she has both. There is a chicken that I got at the same time as this duck who has hiccups but she does not extend her throat or shake her head, so I’m not totally convinced she has gapeworm either. No one else in the flock is experiencing any other symptoms. I tentatively plan on treating her for gapeworm tomorrow after I can make it to the store to be safe. I’m just not entirely sure it’s the right call because I don’t want to stress her or her body while she is trying to recover from something else. It’s very hard to get her bill open and my husband is out of town. I know this is a long post, just trying to be thorough. Is gapeworm treatment gentle enough that I could treat her anyways and not worry she won’t be able to handle it (if she has something else)? Any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

[Magnolia Ducks]

Doesn't sound like gapeworm to me. But maybe others will chime in. Maybe a video would help us.

 

[Mharris20]

She is not quite as energetic this morning and not shaking her head as much. She only drank a little but I got her to eat some eggs.

 

[Mharris20]

Doesn't sound like gapeworm to me. But maybe others will chime in. Maybe a video would help us.

A video is a good idea, thank you!

 

[Trisseh]

What is the swelling on the right side of her neck, under her chin? That area doesn’t look right to me, but it may just be the angle... is there a scab there or is it just gunk stuck to her feathers? she does appear quite weak and possibly showing neurological signs. Vitamin E and selenium would be a good addition. I also wouldn’t necessarily rule out botulism either, at this point, although it doesn’t seem likely as none of the other birds are having issues.

The other question I have for you is if she has started laying yet. Reproductive issues are always a possibility with females, and depending on what the problem is, can cause other issues elsewhere in the body.

 

[Mharris20]

What is the swelling on the right side of her neck, under her chin? That area doesn’t look right to me, but it may just be the angle... is there a scab there or is it just gunk stuck to her feathers? she does appear quite weak and possibly showing neurological signs. Vitamin E and selenium would be a good addition. I also wouldn’t necessarily rule out botulism either, at this point, although it doesn’t seem likely as none of the other birds are having issues.

The other question I have for you is if she has started laying yet. Reproductive issues are always a possibility with females, and depending on what the problem is, can cause other issues elsewhere in the body.

It is a scab. At first I thought it was something stuck to her feathers but realized it was a scab when I was giving her a bath. Is there anything I can do to help that heal? As for the other question, she layed her first egg just a little over a week ago.

 

[Trisseh]

It is a scab. At first I thought it was something stuck to her feathers but realized it was a scab when I was giving her a bath. Is there anything I can do to help that heal? As for the other question, she layed her first egg just a little over a week ago.

Hmmm... it may be completely unrelated or it may be an indication of an injury. I would check over the rest of her head/neck closely - that may be partly why the flies were so interested in her too. Is she swollen around that scab? That may be why she’s tossing her head and extending her neck in that manner, although it also may have nothing to do with it. Too many variables.
I would also take a gentle feel of her abdomen and examine her vent area in case she’s having some issues there. Was the egg she laid normal, or was it soft shelled?

 

[Mharris20]

Hmmm... it may be completely unrelated or it may be an indication of an injury. I would check over the rest of her head/neck closely - that may be partly why the flies were so interested in her too. Is she swollen around that scab? That may be why she’s tossing her head and extending her neck in that manner, although it also may have nothing to do with it. Too many variables.
I would also take a gentle feel of her abdomen and examine her vent area in case she’s having some issues there. Was the egg she laid normal, or was it soft shelled?

This was the first time feeling around on a duck abdomen as I have not had a sick one before so I’m not entirely sure what is normal. I felt two lumps just above her vent. I did not feel any like an egg. Her vent looked clean, not swollen or anything. I combed through her feathers and could not find any injury other than her face. It’s hard to tell if the face is swollen because the scab is puffing up the feathers a bit. I will try to clean it up and investigate further. Her poo was green for a few days and is starting to be brown again, I’m hoping that’s a good sign. She made a sound when I picked her up, which is the first sound she has made in days. It is still a challenge to get her to eat or drink.

 

[HalfWayUpAMountain]

I am glad your poorly ducky made it through the night - so good work with your intervention!

Until something becomes clear in terms of cause, I would stick with the electrolytes and eggs, perhaps adding some honey to her water if her appetite drops off. I do like to add in an AC+E vit and a b complex just for good measure.

I am keeping everything crossed that she recovers.

 

[Mharris20]

I am glad your poorly ducky made it through the night - so good work with your intervention!

Until something becomes clear in terms of cause, I would stick with the electrolytes and eggs, perhaps adding some honey to her water if her appetite drops off. I do like to add in an AC+E vit and a b complex just for good measure.

I am keeping everything crossed that she recovers.

Thank you for the suggestion, I added some vitamins to her water and successfully got her to eat. That seemed to of perked her up enough and now she is eating a little on her own. Progress!!!