Limping duck....need advice

[Parson's Wife]

I have a duck that is limping, she hobbles. She is a lovely Pekin duck. There are 3 males and 1 female, haven't had the heart to get rid of 2 of them.
anyway, no sign of cut or swollen area. No discolorations, I have no clue.
any ideas? I read that ducks have very fragile legs, but shouldn't I see a sign of some kind of problem?
Any advice would be appreciated!
She was limping yesterday, seems worse today by far. She has been laying for the past two weeks....no egg yesterday...I'm sure because she is hurting.

 

[LilRalphieRoosmama]

My duck was limping this summer. I let her go for a while, hoping she would heal (thinking sprain) but she got so bad that she couldn't walk. I took her to the vet and he prescribed Metcam. It's a medication for dogs with arthritis I believe, but the dosage is .16 ml every other day for 5 doses. By the fifth dose you could never tell she had a problem. My drake started limping a week or so ago and I was able to catch him and get two doses in him. Cured him right up.

Edited to add: my ducks are heavy breeds and weigh 6-8 lbs so the dosage varies by weight. I also don't have the syringe handy so come to think of it - I'm not sure if it's ml or cc's. Your vet would know, but Metcam is what they need.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Awww, poor lil' duck. They waddle so much anyway, it seems all the more pronounced when they have a limp. I've heard they can have leg problems if they have a niacin deficiency, especially when they're young. Sometimes it helps to keep them more confined for a while, and squeeze a few drops of baby vitamins like Poly-vi-sol withOUT iron down their quack holes. How long has she been limping? Sometimes I'll see one of my young ducks limping and she recovers with little to no intervention. I hope your duck gets well soon.

 

[Parson's Wife]

Thank you for the advice. I have been so concerned.

 

[rainplace]

She could have just sprained/strained it also. My runner duck Crackers did that, it seems like she got worse and worse, then stayed at "worse" for quite a while before she healed up. Swimming is good for them. If she's the only female I would separate her out or she can keep hurting herself trying to get away from the boys.

 

[ChickieBooBoo]

I have a Moscovy and he seems to be limping and his legs cant seem to support him now. he just kinda crawls around. Any ideas?

 

[Dances with Ducks]

Parson's Wife and ChickieBooBoo I just have to ask what they eat. A lot of times leg problems have to do with diet.

 

[Parson's Wife]

found this. thought it might be helpful to others.....
the important part of the topic is the niacin

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=3272633#p3272633