Labored Duck Breathing

[Miss Lydia]

Hopefuly the Oxine Ah will help. I use it everyday on the chickens roosts and spray the bedding after cleaning where my ducks have slept. I have also misted them while they are on the roost Haven't had to use nebulizer thank goodness. Just remember you don't need the citric acid for treating just the oxine

 

[KaleIAm]

This is the most amazing info ever - THANK YOU. I love it that I may be able to treat her with a nebulized treatment instead of an antifungal that may not even work. I already ordered the oxine and I’m borrowing a nebulizer machine from a friend.

Thx for the video. My duck is making more of a wheezing sound than a high-pitched squeak.
I’m trying to get my (people) MD friend to prescribe Itraconozole which is also used in humans. At the very least, for now I will try the 3X/daily nebulized treatment with Oxine AH. Thank you for providing info on the plastic bin and neb set up. Funny that I am a pediatric RN who gives respiratory treatments to kids all the time but never to a duck. It’s worth a shot! We’ve had chickens for 12 years but we are new to ducks, since the pandemic - so this is new territory for us.

My avian vet sold me the nebulizer machine, and I was surprised that it was the exact same thing I've used to give kids their treatments with! The only difference is that can't hook it up to a little duck mask.

One thing to note is that my vet told me not to put anything inside the box but the duck. So, no towels, bedding, substrate, or comfort stuffy. She said it will absorb the medication and make treatment less effective.

Good luck! Keep us updated, please.

 

[brendalwelch]

My avian vet sold me the nebulizer machine, and I was surprised that it was the exact same thing I've used to give kids their treatments with! The only difference is that can't hook it up to a little duck mask.

One thing to note is that my vet told me not to put anything inside the box but the duck. So, no towels, bedding, substrate, or comfort stuffy. She said it will absorb the medication and make treatment less effective.

Good luck! Keep us updated, please.

Cookie is definitely improving! She completed a five day course of Safe-Guard and just finished a week on Baytril. It took several days but her quack is back and she is no longer wheezing/panting. She still has a mild tail bob with mild chest retractions. The Oxine AH finally arrived yesterday so will start that this weekend to continue to help her! Soooo happy she’s feeling better! Thanks for all your help/advice.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Wonderful news!!

 

[KaleIAm]

Yay! I'm so happy to hear it!

 

[brendalwelch]

Cookie was improving but once we started the 2-3x daily Oxine AH fogging, she stopped improving. Today is Day 7 of Oxine AH and she looks worse with a moderate tail bob, retractions and panting. I thought this would cure her but it's not doing the trick. She's also continuing with Baytril. I read for Oxine AH that it won't work if her body has "walled off" the fungus. My instinct says that it's a foreign body in her respiratory tract, either her nose or her trachea. I don't feel anything in her neck but with the chip bark in her yard, it could be a small piece. Does anyone have any experience with vets and identifying and removing foreign bodies w/o too much expense, trauma to the bird and successful outcomes?

 

[Miss Lydia]

I'm sorry I don't. Finding a good avian vet is important because many or most reg vets know nothing about treating poultry.
What country are you in?
I'm sorry the Oxine ah isn't helping I sure was hoping it would.

 

[brendalwelch]

We are in the USA (California)… how about you?
I was sure the oxine was going to help as well. Sadly, she passed away last night in her duck house. I knew she was not doing well. I did find an avian vet about half an hour from our house but too late. I’m probably going to do an autopsy so I can try to figure out what happened. Poor girl. I’m glad she didn’t suffer any longer. The fact that her duck sister and the rest of the chicken flock have no symptoms makes me wonder if it’s in an obstruction.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I am very sorry! You tried very hard to help her.
I am in Western NC.
I use the Oxine ah to spray my birds bedding after I clean the coops and spray the roosts my chickens sleep on so it’s not a waste of money. Just wish it had help your duck. Let us know what you find out about the necropsy.

 

[brendalwelch]

The necropsy showed *no* foreign body obstruction in her airway nor any sign of gapeworm in her trachea. I didn’t go any further into her chest cavity/lungs because I didn’t really know what was what to that extent, but assuming that it was a fungal infection that walled itself off before I was able to start the Oxine AH neb treatments. RIP, Cookie.