Help with beaten up/ infested Pekin duck!

[HollyDuckFarmer]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/231156/wound-with-maggots-and-bad-smell

 

[Blackberry Hill]

I realized there were a few things that I left out from my earlier post. Put the two together:

There are hundreds of different fly species. Some are attracted to just fruit, others to manure or dead organic material. But if you have a fly strike that started out from flies attracted to a dirty bottom the resultant wounds will attract other flies who seek blood. No matter the species; the result is the same. (Unless you are dealing with bot flies which is a whole other catagory.)

If you are looking for the eggs they resemble a clutch of miniature white rice that will be stuck to fur or feathers. Carefully clip them away with scissors.

Fly strike is a very serious situation that causes harmful tissue damage and can be fatal due to the resultant infection. Also, the metabolic processes of the maggot releases toxins in the wound.

You may find it helpful to clip fur or feathers away from the wound to aid in tracking down the maggots and to more easily care for the wound. After you have used tweezers to remove the maggots, a bulb syringe or a syringe for injections (but without the needle) would be helpful in flushing the wound. But if they are unavailable pouring hydrogen peroxide into the wound to flush it several times will work. Pat the wound dry with a clean paper towel or gauze before applying the antibiotic ointment.

When you dry the wound after flushing, you may see a few maggots that worked their way to the surface. Remove them. Sometimes maggots will burrow or be in a pocket created under the surface. Insects breathe thru a spiracle in their side so, yes, they need oxygen and will come to the surface periodically. When they encounter the bag balm, Neosporin or other antibiotic ointment or cream it will plug the spiracle and they will suffocate.

Please do not think you can apply ointment to a large infestation and be done. The aforementioned toxins and infection will kill the animal.

There is also a need to consider that there are fly strikes that have gone unnoticed long enough to cause enough damage that putting the animal down is necessary unless you can go to a Vet for care. These situations would include invasion of the eye, ear canal, urogenital tract or anus (or in birds, the cloaca aka vent) or wounds with excessive bleeding.

You may wonder how this situation is dealt with in animals that are too large to be brought inside such as cattle or horses. In the same manner except after the ointment or salve is applied, the surrounding area is sprayed with a special protectant. My favorite is Furazolidone which is amazing. Unfortunately, it's off the over the counter market.

I want to add that I take very good care of my animals and personally have only had a few cases of fly strike. It happens. The important thing is to take care of it right.

Unfortunately, I have treated hundreds of cases of fly strike between volunteering at the humane shelter & working for a vet in high school then working with two more vets while I was in college. On top of 4 yrs of Biology, I did 3 yrs of Vet Medicine and finished w a Master's in BioChem then worked for 19 yrs in research and, in addition, for the last 9 yrs I have been the fall back Vet for a local clinic. I do not cover cats at all; seriously allergic to cats but I could write a book on maggots. I just do not think anyone would buy it.

BTW: that one link above said to use turpentine oil.... no. That would burn like fire and cause significant damage on it's own. I did not evaluate any of the other methods listed here.

Instead I put the time into giving you a method that is tried & true by a Vet that you can do at home with just a few inexpensive supplies.

I have listed the following so that this thread may more easily come up in the future for someone searching for help: Myiasis, Fly Strike, Maggot Infestation, Flyblown or Blowfly.

In conclusion, I know this is a VERY distasteful topic but sticking your head in the sand won't make it go away. It came as no surprise to me since I grew up on a farm but to the surbanite new to having a few chickens or ducks, it could be distressing. I understand. But knowing what it is and how to deal with it goes a long way toward being able to cope with it. So, I took the time to write this up in hopes of helping animals that depend us to care for them.

 

[delisha]

Turpentine oil is made from the resin of certain pine trees. It is used as medicine.

Don’t confuse turpentine oil with gum turpentine, which is the resin and could burn.

Turpentine oil is applied to the skin for joint pain, muscle pain, nerve pain, and toothaches. It work great on fowl for wounds.

People sometimes breathe in (inhale) the vapors of turpentine oil to reduce the chest congestion that goes along with some lung disease.

In foods and beverages, distilled turpentine oil is used as a flavoring.

In manufacturing, turpentine oil is used in soap and cosmetics.

Instead of taping sweet maples to make maple syrup they *catface* firs and pines and collect the sap, that sap is called.Oleo and it is made into... turpentine with the same process that is used in making syrup. Not as tasty as maple syrup though.


.

 

[Blackberry Hill]

RE: Turpentine OIL ---

Technically, it is not a medicine because it in itself has no properties to affect or treat the course of disease or infection, etc. It is only meant to be used on INTACT, UNBROKEN skin. It can be rubbed on skin and subsequent flushing gives a certain pain relief for mild muscle or joint pain. It could be used for toothache. It could be rubbed on the chest or upper lip and when inhaled it may alleviate conjestion --- very similar to Vick's Vapor Rub.

It should NOT be used in an open wound.

 

[Miss Lydia]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/231156/wound-with-maggots-and-bad-smell

Awesome thread H. thanks for finding it.

 

[delisha]

RE: Turpentine OIL ---

Technically, it is not a medicine because it in itself has no properties to affect or treat the course of disease or infection, etc. It is only meant to be used on INTACT, UNBROKEN skin. It can be rubbed on skin and subsequent flushing gives a certain pain relief for mild muscle or joint pain. It could be used for toothache. It could be rubbed on the chest or upper lip and when inhaled it may alleviate conjestion --- very similar to Vick's Vapor Rub.

It should NOT be used in an open wound. Those are just the facts. Do a search on the internet. You can trust WebMD. I would bet they won't list it for anything other than what I have.

Look at it this way, a good day for any of us is a day that we learned something.

I hope everyone does go to webMD..including you. Conformation is a good tool. Since part of my post came directly from there and the Natural MD resource library.

 

[HollyDuckFarmer]

Delisha-- I saw the page, Thank You for posting. I've learned from you! (& must admit that I was guilty of confusing turpentine oil and gum turpentine)

Steve GA -- how is your duck today?

 

[Miss Lydia]

Delisha-- I saw the page, Thank You for posting. I've learned from you! (& must admit that I was guilty of confusing turpentine oil and gum turpentine)

Steve GA -- how is your duck today?

I went too and appreciate the link have it bookmarked along with the one Holly posted. I did not know there was difference in the turpentine either.

 

[Blackberry Hill]

I just read everything that I could find at WebMD on turpentine oil. It does NOT say it can be used in wounds. They list it as a "skin irritant" and "unsafe".

 

[Haunted55]

If someone were to try and market Aspirin today.....they would never be able to even see the market, let alone get it there. Aspirin couldn't pass the testing required to be labeled 'safe' for human usage. But it's there on most every grocery, drug and convience store shelf. People use this stuff everyday and have had few if any problems. The stuff has been around for over 100 years and still being used today and yet, as I said it couldn't even come close to passing the testing needed to market a drug today. Sometimes the things that work aren't always going to have a ready explanation or endorsement from research or medical establishments. Too many chances for frivolous lawsuits for them to do that.