Injured duck. I need help!!

[allyyy]

I have 5 ducks, originally I had 7. I lost one to a dog attack, one got his leg caught and I had to put him down. So, because I've been heartbroken by the loss of the other 2 I am pretty protective of the remainder. Yesterday my 17week old Saint Bernard pup grabbed one and severely injured her. She has no feathers on her back anymore and it is raw skin, red and has a few gashes in it. I have her inside in a huge tub on towels with food and water. It happened yesterday evening. I've cleaned her wounds with a syringe and water. She hasn't drank water or eaten anything. She's starting to "honk" (talk) a little. She stands on her feet and walks a little (before u put her in the bin) any suggestions??

 

[Pyxis]

You've done good keeping the wounds clean, but dogs' mouths are not the cleanest so you really need to get something antibacterial on the wounds just in case. I would start with bathing her in water with epsom salt in it, and that will help clean the wounds and draw out any infection she may have. This is what my vet had me do when my drake was attacked by a mink. After she's cleaned, put neosporin with no painkiller on the wounds and bandage them up to keep them clean.

You may also want to put some vitamins in her water to help give her a boost. And, ducks are really social, and she may be missing her friends. Bringing one or two in for a visit and feeding and watering them all together might encourage her to eat.


Good luck with her! I'm sending good thoughts

 

[allyyy]

Oh great!! Thanks so much for responding!!! I never thought to bring in her friends. Great idea. I love her (all of them actually) so much!! Thanks! Ill keep you posted!

 

[allyyy]

I have another question you may know... Will her feathers ever come back??

 

[Pyxis]

After a while they should, once the skin heals up. You'll be able to tell because she'll be covered in tiny pin feathers. She may have some bald spots where the skin was really damaged though.

 

[Amiga]

Veterycin is another product that you might want to consider. It is a good antimicrobial. Pyxis gave you good advice.

She is probably in shock. That will keep her calm, but depress her appetite. Keep offering fresh food and water, keep the wounds clean, keep her away from flies, they will lay eggs in the wound.

Think ahead a little about an oral antibiotic - sometimes these injuries lead to systemic infections. Just watch closely, and keep her wounds clean.

You may want to trim the feathers away from around the edges of the wound, to keep them from getting stuck in blood and fluid.

Poultry Nutri-Drench has a few vitamins and some calories in it, if you want to try that for a boost, also.

Don't let her drink Epsom salts water - it is a laxative. You may already know that, but . . . don't want to add misery to her condition.

 

[Deleted member 94844]

I know I sound like a lobbyist, but medicinal honey is also great for dressing wounds... more effective against staph than topical antibiotics and 100% natural. I'm gonna go buy some stock in a New Zealand honey farm now.

 

[Deleted member 94844]

Our dog clipped my favorite duck on the bill the other day... thank god he didn't get a bite in or it would have been a very bad day for both. Nibbler escaped the incident relatively unscathed, just a slight bruise on the surface. I am still reeling from what could have happened. It just goes to show that you CANNOT trust dogs, cats, etc. with ducks unsupervised. Fortunately, we were right next to the dog when it happened and intervened in time.

I sincerely hope your duck recovers... please keep an eye on young Cujo there!

 

[leanback]

Good for you Allyyy,

 

[allyyy]

Thanks everyone! I appreciate all the feedback! I've bathed her in the epson salt and I brought in my calm, sweet runner for some company. They're sleeping really close and she did start eating when the runner came in. What a relief! I feel like she'll be ok! As for my Big Joe, I have never let the birds roam when he was outside not because I thought anything would happen I just never did. I didn't even think about it when I let him out. And you're right you truly can't trust dogs and cats when it comes to the birds. Anyway, I'll have to figure something out with that guy for sure! Thanks again for getting back to me. Also, a lot of websites and such are talking about that honey, I'm getting some tomorrow.