Help, not sure what else I can do to help my severly injured ducks! :(

[LuvLexi]

My 2 jumbo white pekin ducks usually run around our back yard and today something attacked them with in a 30 min frame of our dogs being inside. I'm assuming it was a coyote because of the damage and how large the wounds are! They were attacked pretty badly, I will attach pictures. I have them put away in their coop that I usually lock them in at night with the heating lamp which I hope will keep them warm enough through the night. It feels pretty cold in there even with the heat lamp on. At 8:30 pm it was already 35 degrees outside. I tried to get them so they could be in a warmer place for the night and they did not want to come out of their coop so I left them in there. I put food and water with vitamins, electrolytes, and antibiotics in it inside their coop. They are walking, the bleeding looks like it has stopped on one with the lesser injuries, the one with more injuries im not so sure that the bleeding has stopped. I believe they are eating/drinking a little bit, I found each one of them by their bowls at least once when I check on them.

http://tinypic.com/r/2u4sifk/7

http://tinypic.com/r/eq3why/7

http://tinypic.com/r/eiqnph/7
This one's neck looks pretty severed on the other side, all of the feathers are gone for sure but you cant see it in this picture.

http://tinypic.com/r/jaxpqo/7

http://tinypic.com/r/24fmg0n/7

http://tinypic.com/r/2yxrp5t/7

http://tinypic.com/r/23kuqdu/7

http://tinypic.com/r/219t1ft/7

Any other suggestions on what to do? Should I try to bring them in tomorrow so they are in a warmer place?

 

[duckyfromoz]

That looks pretty nasty. I guess having a closer look would tell the story as it could be a lot worse or not as bad as it looks just from the photos.

You didnt mention what antibiotics you are using- I know out here anything strong enough to fight an infection in a wound like that isnt available unless dispensed by a vet. It is very likely that they have picked up bacteria from the mouth of the animal who caused the wound- and getting the right antibiotic is important. If you cant get them to a vet for a proper assesment- and for the wounds to be cleaned- you should give them plenty of fresh clean water to swim in and try to clean out the wounds as good as you are able with saline if possible. Applying some antiseptic cream could help too. Keeping the wounds clean is very important- which would mean cleaning out all the bedding in the coop and keeping it fresh and dry.

 

[LuvLexi]

Okay, thanks! I will have to check into this stuff further. I am having a hard time finding Vets that take ducks! Super frustrating. I plan on keeping them in a tub with fresh bedding! The wounds are defiantly ALOT NASTIER AND WORSE then they look in the picture. The teeth tore through the tissue and you can see muscle I am pretty sure from what I saw. It makes me sick to my stomach just looking at it from a bit of a distance so I haven't gotten the closest look at it. I will need to find someone who can stomach the wounds to help me. It is okay to wash out wounds that deep? And just saline to rinse it out or? What should I use when rinsing to disinfect the wounds? Should I bandage them? The wounds are just so bad I am afraid to touch them

 

[duckyfromoz]

Without seeing them for myself- I am really not in a position to really say what is the best way to treat them. Getting them to any vet would give them the best chance of a good recovery if they are as bad as you say. Also not knowing what products you have available would make it hard for me to suggest a particular product to use for cleaning the wounds. If you have something in your own first aid kit at home that you can dilute and use as a disinfectant rinse it with until you can get something more specific from a vet.

They may still go into shock- even if it has been a while since the attack- so keep a close eye on them.

So sorry you have had this happen to your birds- and I hope they pull through for you. Its horrible to have to deal with something of this nature and I hope you get through it Ok yourself too.

 

[destinduck]

everything duckyfromoz said is great advice,

 

[shelleyd2008]

Just make sure the neosporin doesn't have pain reliever in it, anything with 'caine' is toxic to birds.

I would clean the wounds pretty good with clean water and bring them in the house. Put them in a rubbermaid tote on a towel so they can't get their injuries dirty. If you have blue-kote or wound-kote put that directly on the wounds.

I don't think you should have anitbiotics in their water, it's hard to say what the meds you put in there are used to treat.

If the wounds are as deep as you say I would wrap them in something, or at least try. Knowing ducks, they'll probably take any bandage off though. Make sure to tell the vet that these birds have large wounds that need suturing and maybe he or she will make an exception.

 

[LuvLexi]

Thanks for the advice everyone! I will be looking into all of this tomorrow! I will for sure be bringing them inside and putting them in a tote thing! I wanted to tonight but I couldnt get them out of their house!

 

[rainplace]

LuvLexi, You can do this because it needs to be done. I know you think you can't deal with this on your own, and I thought much the same thing earlier this year, but when it comes down to it, when there wasn't anyone else to help, I put on my big girl panties and did what had to be done. You can too. And besides, you have the people here to help you through it.

With that said, we can't be much help without knowing what medicines you have available, and what sort of wounds they are suffering from. Hopefully by now you have them inside and are able to post better pictures of the wounds. I'm heading off to work soon, but I'll check back in when I get home. However, there are a lot of people here during the day that can help you through this.

 

[katharinad]

You need to see a vet with injuries like that. Call your zoo or local fish and wild life for a rehaber. Those can lead you to a vet that can help. You can also look for a vet that handles farm animal or exotic animals. Reality is any vet can treat the wounds, they may not be certain about the antibiotics or course of treatment.

 

[rainplace]

Yes, if possible see a vet. We also know it's not always possible though. Hopefully you are either at a vet right now or trying to take care of it yourself. Please let us know how it's going and if there's anything we can do.