Well--Judy made it through surgery!!!!
She is up and moving around, eating and drinking.. The Doc said we will probably be able to bring her home tomorrow as long as all goes well.
We've been working on finishing up their new enclosure. We ran out of wire and wood (again!), Chris is back at Lowes grabbing some more.. We will get the top done today along with a door for their Dog Igloo, the bottom section that will go under the ground we will do tomorrow.. and that will be it!!
I'm so glad we are out of the woods, and that Judy will be alright--she is a tough girl!
As far as all the posts about an animals worth, and what should be done in this instance... An animals worth is gauged by how meaningful they are to me. At first, these ducks were just ducks to me. They did not mean a whole lot. But, after finding them the way I did, seeing how the 2 had been ripped apart and left half eaten.. then finding Judy duck with her bone protruding through the skin.. with the wing just hanging on.. and several spots on her body where something had grabbed her and ripped out her feathers... her worth to me changed.. in that moment.. she had been grabbed by something and partially torn apart, but she fought and re-gained her freedom from whatever had her... Her worth continued to change when I had to pick her up, carry her into my home, place her in my bathtub. Clean her wounds gently, get out any debris, and wrap her wing to her body.. she was so calm during the whole process, limp and exhausted..
She changed something in my heart in that bathroom..then that same night, I sat out there with her and her sister and got them both to drink water out of a syringe for over a half an hour.. did the same thing the next morning.. And to see her, in the morning.. hopping around.. getting away from me out of my grasp.. was just amazing.. that she had gained that energy back and her vibrancy..
Yeah, at first she was just a duck.. but now she is family. I love her, and her sister. She is worth every penny we paid to get her the care she needed.
And yes, I considered amputating her wing myself. My husband and I could have done it, but, when we both started to Love her, we decided to give her the best care we could.
So, this is our story up until now..
I have read every post on here, and refuse to get caught up in a battle over what is right and what is wrong when it comes to care and personal worth. I know what I feel, and everyone is allowed to have a differing opinion.
I do feel that I've gained some much needed support from certain people on here, and for that I'm very grateful. To the rest, you are free to share your opinions on my threads.. I'm happy to read what you say, take it with a grain of salt and let it go.. In the end, I will continue to do what I think is right for my birds..
Once we get her home.. I will try to take some pictures to share.. of the 2 girls, of the enclosure.. I think I have a few before pictures as well.