Help Needed in Aftermath of Attack

[CelticOaksFarm]

glad he let you help clean him and ate even a bite of food. Hope you have a merry Christmas

 

[Aaron45765]

I can relate to this, my drake recently got attacked by my dog. Some advice: only stitch if absolutely necessary. But I agree with the others, keep him warm and give him some nutrients.

 

[Pyxis]

I can relate to this, my drake recently got attacked by my dog. Some advice: only stitch if absolutely necessary. But I agree with the others, keep him warm and give him some nutrients.

Thanks! It's good to know your drake made it. Mine is still going strong. I think the lack of company is disheartening him so I hope the addition of new females will perk him up. Luckily I haven't found any deep wounds. Tomorrow he gets live mealworms for Christmas.

 

[beardiemom]

We had a drake that lost his scalp to a hawk. It was freaky looking at that skull, but my husband just kept cleaning it and keeping him separate from the others. Three or four nights in a dog crate, then in a protective area. After about a month, the skin has grown over and he is back with his buddies. He was quite fanatical about cleaning himself and dunking his head in water or swimming in the pool.

 

[Miss Lydia]

It's amazing to me what they can live through. Glad to hear ya'lls stories about your ducks pulling through..

 

[Pyxis]

Well, Crackers went to the vet today. He was such a good boy and so well behaved they loved him. He's on an antibiotic now and they made it fruit flavored for him at no extra charge. The vet told me to soak the attack area in epsom salt soak so I did and that finally got the feathers loose enough for me to pull them up. It smelled horrible under there. I found three puncture wounds and got them cleaned out and slathered with bacitracin. The area around them was all swelled so I'm sure infection was setting in. All the more reason to be glad I took him to the vet. He also has a bad head tilt and a tremor now. I'm hoping it's just because the wounds hurt or the swelling is causing it but the vet told me it's possible that it's permanent neurological damage. I'm hoping not but even if it is, well, maybe I'll have a house drake.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Well, Crackers went to the vet today. He was such a good boy and so well behaved they loved him. He's on an antibiotic now and they made it fruit flavored for him at no extra charge. The vet told me to soak the attack area in epsom salt soak so I did and that finally got the feathers loose enough for me to pull them up. It smelled horrible under there. I found three puncture wounds and got them cleaned out and slathered with bacitracin. The area around them was all swelled so I'm sure infection was setting in. All the more reason to be glad I took him to the vet. He also has a bad head tilt and a tremor now. I'm hoping it's just because the wounds hurt or the swelling is causing it but the vet told me it's possible that it's permanent neurological damage. I'm hoping not but even if it is, well, maybe I'll have a house drake.

Sounds like you may have gotten him to the vet in the nick of time, Hoping with the antibiotic and TLC from you he'll pull through this. If you can get him some kind of probiotic [some feed stores carry it in a powder form]and mix with his feed with warm water poured over top to make a mash, it will help with tummy issues from taking the antibiotic. I hope you'll see a change for the better in a couple days now, keep us updated please.

 

[duckluck]

Does he just sit in the box like that or was that just for the picture?

 

[FenDruadin]

Don't know if it will help now, but the talk about neosporin and bacitracin got me thinking there may be a better way, one that doesn't dry it out or gum it up so the wound can't breathe (which ointments can do). It's what we do for ourselves in our family, and it's quite simple, but I've never tested it on ducks, so take it with a grain of (ahem) salt. If it were me, I'd fill the tub with warm water and salt, to approximately the saltiness of sea water. This won't harm him--many ducks live on salt water--and salt is powerfully antibiotic. Plus, it will soak in in places that an ointment can't go.

We've found a salt water soak to be the MOST effective antibiotic treatment possible for our own wounds, even effective after infection has already set in. Not that we ever get infections any more--because now that we know, we automatically soak wounds in salt, and infection never has a chance. I suspect the same is true for ducks and other warm blooded animals.

Let me know if you try it, and what your results are. It certainly won't hurt him, and may be incredibly healing. Just make sure he isn't covered in bacitracin already when you do it, as the bacitracin will block out the salt water.

Sorry to hear about your losses. You must be heartbroken. Poor little drake. The other thing to keep in mind is that ducks are powerfully social animals, and he will do best with company. Give him as much as you can. And it may not hurt to go ahead and introduce a new (gentle) hen or two as soon as he is well enough to go outside. Alone, many ducks will pine themselves to death.

Good luck & keep us updated!

 

[Pyxis]

The duck in the box isn't my boy, so I'm not sure, duckluck. My drake is up and walking around, so that's good.

And he did get an epsom salt soak as per the vet's advice. The wounds look much better today - not sure if it was the salt or the bacitracin or both but whatever it was it's working, thank goodness.