Help Please!!! DUCK EXPERT NEEDED!

[PekinDuckLove]

Hi all-
I have two pekin ducks. They are about 4 months old or so, but pretty large. Anyway over the past weekend we put the ducks in the shed on saturday night, and went to let them out sunday morning and i noticed that they didn't come straight out like usual. Didn't think anything of it. Later on that day i walked down and realized they were still in the shed. So i approached them and my one pekin duck was trying to hop away but was having issues even standing. I picked him up and investigated the area and i did not see anything suspicious. I am not a vet or anything obviously but to my eye, i saw nothing. It was kind of limp but he still had movement to it.

Anyway, i took them out and put them in the pool. he was super excited about it and was hopping around and even bearing some weight (very little weight) on the leg/foot.

But when he was tired of being in the pool. he would just fall out of it basically and lay there on the ground pruning hiself. I did a little research the following day and went to the store and got niacin and brewers yeast and gave them some in their water...etc.

Yesterday i noticed a little improvement. When i got home from work i went to fill the pool water up with fresh water and they got so excited. Duck 1 ran out and duck 2 (the injured one) hopped out and fell out of the shed cause he was so excited to get to the water. So i ran over and picked him up and put him in the water and he was happy as can be.

He is eating like a pig still and drinking and acting totally fine. He will prop himself up with his legs but clearly favor the left but the walking is very very hard for him.

Any input? I don't want to put him down or anything and i don't have the money to take him to the vet like that. I don't see any point in putting him down if he isn't acting sick ya know?

Any input? Would you guys just give him some time? Maybe it's just a sprain?

Thanks!

 

[Amiga]

Don't even think of putting him down at this point! Lameness is not uncommon, certainly among Pekins.

Without vet care, we are hampered in diagnosis, but this forum is for duck people to help each other with ideas and experience, and you take the course of action you feel you are willing to take.

So.

Keep up with the niacin. Keep up with the swims. In fact, I would want to get both ducks into lukewarm water at least twice a day. I would get Epsom salts (I think they are inexpensive and you can usually get them and the grocery store and I have always seen them in drugstores).

Do not let the ducks eat or drink Epsom salts it is a serious laxative !!

Make a compress. Dissolve a few tablespoons (small handful) of salts into a cup of warm water. Soak a clean rag or paper towels in the solution. Wrap the rag or towels around the foot and leg. Hold still (this is the hard part) for as long as you both can stand it. Even five minutes is good.

I would aim to do that three times a day. Epsom salts is amazing to me. I use it on myself from time to time. Look it up.

Please tell us how it's going.

Welcome to the Duck Forum!!

Another thought - boy and girl, boy and boy, girl and girl? If there are drakes involved, someone could be overmating.

 

[PekinDuckLove]

Thank you so much for the reply.

I just don't have the heart to have my husband put him down when he seems totally like himself minus the inability to walk right now.

I am honestly not sure at all if they are boy/girl, boy/boy or girl/girl. Any idea how i could tell?

How would over mating cause this?

 

[Amiga]

Drakes will mount - well - anyone, really, depending on the drake. And that can actually harm the other animal, if it is done roughly or too often.

So if you have an aggressive drake, he could be hurting the other duck's back and legs and neck and backside.

Here is a link to the sounds that males and females make. http://www.majesticwaterfowl.org/artquacks.htm