Kiwi is sick

[quackingdom]

Please help...Kiwi seems to be sick. Kiwi is a 3-year-old female Muscovy duck.

On either Friday or Saturday, I noticed that she seemed to be favoring her right leg and laying down a lot. I didn't see anything wrong with the leg, so I thought it was nothing unusual. Every once in a while, one of our ducks starts limping for no apparent reason. They're always fine after a couple days.

But on Sunday she seemed to be favoring the opposite leg, her left. (I didn't notice this, but that's what my sister said.)

I'm not sure which one it is today since I didn't make her walk, but I think it was her right again.

She lays down most of the time, but when she does stand, she does seem to put weight on both legs. Her limp is mild.

She's also listless. She seems to be trying to act normal, as I saw her preening a little this morning and having a short conversation with other ducks last night, but other than that, she stays laying down in one spot all day long and doesn't move.

I don't think she's eating and drinking as much as usual, either. No one has witnessed her eat over the past three days, although that doesn't mean she hasn't.

I've only seen two small poops so far, but they both looked fairly normal. I'm not sure though. Her vent seems a little dirtier than normal.

Her feathers are looking more ragged than usual and her wings are a little droopy.



Her weight seems normal. Her eyes and nares are clear. Nothing unusual about them. No respiratory problems. None of the other ducks seem to be acting odd. Nothing has changed recently that I know of. Well, we got a new rooster, but as far as I know she hasn't had any contact with him. Oh, and also there have been some wild Muscovies around. They spent hours and hours at our place last year, then disappeared to molt, and recently reappeared. I don't think this is a contagious disease though, so I don't think that's relevant.

As far as I know, she hasn't laid any eggs this year. Many of the ducks are laying again, especially the younger ones, but quite a few haven't started up yet. So nothing odd there either.


I separated her and put her in a dog crate this morning. I also gave her water with electrolytes, cat's claw, and garlic. I've dipped her bill in it multiple times. She has taken a few sips, but doesn't really seem interested. I also gave her a spoonful of yogurt with a papaya seed (since I thought worms were a possibility). I offered her normal food and she took one bit and refused to take another. I'm planning to try to get her to eat some more papaya and seeds, as well as some ACV.

Worms are the only thing I can think of, but I haven't seen any in her poop. What else could cause symptoms like this? Any other treatment ideas?

We have no access to a vet.

 

[chickens really]

Egg bound? Do you provide oyster shell in a separate dish?

 

[Miss Lydia]

Look at her vent is she swelled any?gently feel her tummy does she feel like she has fluid or is her tummy hard? Can you put her in a nice warm tub of water and let her float for a while and observe her vent area if she is egg bound the vent may pulse like she is having contraction. Trying to lay an egg. Do you have any calcium on hand to give her if needed?

 

[quackingdom]

I doubt it's egg binding. We've had an egg bound chicken before and it was nothing like this. Besides, it's been three or four days since this started, and I thought they would die from egg binding after a day or two because of not being able to poop?

I didn't notice any swelling. I can feel her and try bathing her anyway.

We do have calcium. I used to throw crushed up eggshells into the yard. They used to eat them all the time, but now they ignore eggshells if I give it to them. They eat layer feed, and they free range.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Since they free range could she have gotten into anything toxic? I know it sounds strange since there are others and seems they would all be affected but maybe we can narrow it down by elimination? In the duck sticky’s there is a link to flushes you can use if you think it’s s toxin

 

[quackingdom]

Hmm, I suppose that's a possibility. I don't know how it would cause lameness though. I'll consider doing a flush if the things we are already giving her (yogurt, ACV, cat's claw, garlic, papaya) don't help.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I hope you see improvement real soon!

 

[quackingdom]

Kiwi seems to have improved slightly. She had enough energy to peck and hiss at our little hand-raised gosling (who was sticking his silly bill into the cage trying to steal some of her medicine ), and she seems to have a better appetite. She also tried to walk out of the crate, and she resisted me trying to make her drink her garlic/cat's claw concoction, which she didn't do yesterday.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Great news!!

 

[quackingdom]

Ok...I don't think Kiwi is sick after all.

1. Her appetite is fine. The reason she wasn't eating when we noticed something was wrong was because she didn't want to walk.
2. She has plenty of energy. She flapped me in the face while I carried her to the pond, and then she had a vigorous bath. (I thought a bath would be good for her. Her belly was dirty from sitting in poop, and her feathers were dry and ragged. It was also stiflingly hot.)
3. My sister and I thought about it, and we decided she must have made a mistake in thinking Kiwi switched which leg she favored. It was her right all along.

She CAN walk. The limp really isn't that bad. She just doesn't want to. She lays in the same place all day long (in fact, I noticed that the way she lays is kind of lopsided too...she is kind of tipped to the left side and has her right foot slightly out).

I don't see any actual injuries, or swelling, or signs of bumblefoot, or anything.

Do ducks get arthritis? Or anything like that? Joint pain? Maybe it could still be an injury?

I can only imagine that it must be painful, since she is CAPABLE of walking but just doesn't, not even for food. Any natural painkillers? White willow bark perhaps (very similar to aspirin)?