Limping Duck

[nolamimi504]

First, Merry Christmas to all. My Cayuga, Midnight had a slight limp yesterday. This morning it’s much worse. I can’t call a vet since it’s the holiday and I’m not even sure if our regular vet for the dog sees ducks. I’m almost positive he hurt his leg getting out of the small pool in the duck house. Getting into the pool is easy as it’s placed n a hole n the house but because of his size, I’m pretty sure he has trouble getting out; my husband is going to add some bricks as steps today to the inside pool for him to get out easier. As the other 3 ducks run around the yard, my poor Midnight tries to keep up but doesn’t have much luck and ends up just sitting down. Midnight is very large, the biggest of our 4 ducks and none of the other ducks mess with him, as he’s made it clear he’s the Alpha. Should we bring Midnight inside until his leg heals? Or is it ok keeping him with the other ducks? How can I get an accurate weight for him? And would it b ok to give infant Motrin to him for the pain? The only other ibuprofen I have are the pills, which are 200mg, I think. I can only hope someone will be reading today, I’m truly concerned about him.

 

[hayley3]

First, Merry Christmas to all. My Cayuga, Midnight had a slight limp yesterday. This morning it’s much worse. I can’t call a vet since it’s the holiday and I’m not even sure if our regular vet for the dog sees ducks. I’m almost positive he hurt his leg getting out of the small pool in the duck house. Getting into the pool is easy as it’s placed n a hole n the house but because of his size, I’m pretty sure he has trouble getting out; my husband is going to add some bricks as steps today to the inside pool for him to get out easier. As the other 3 ducks run around the yard, my poor Midnight tries to keep up but doesn’t have much luck and ends up just sitting down. Midnight is very large, the biggest of our 4 ducks and none of the other ducks mess with him, as he’s made it clear he’s the Alpha. Should we bring Midnight inside until his leg heals? Or is it ok keeping him with the other ducks? How can I get an accurate weight for him? And would it b ok to give infant Motrin to him for the pain? The only other ibuprofen I have are the pills, which are 200mg, I think. I can only hope someone will be reading today, I’m truly concerned about him.

I would fix it so he can't walk much..leave him outside but fix it so he is unable to move around, otherwise you might have to take him inside.
Have you examined his feet carefully looking for swelling or redness, and see none?
I don't think you should give him Motrin.
@Isaac 0

 

[Isaac 0]

Larger breeds can often develop strains and sprains in their legs, either from tripping over things, getting it caught in objects, or from fighting, etc. If you note your bird's limp developed over a short span of time, and perhaps are seeing some inflammation, or warmness in a leg, that would further support such a theory. As a precautionary measure, be sure to check the bottom of his foot pads for signs of pododermatitis, as well as feel/bend the joints for abnormalities.

Fixing any predisposing environmental factors that may make him more likely to develop any limp in the first place is crucial for treatment, and further prevention; in your case, it sounds as if the pool being too high may have been the issue. As a basic treatment, until you see the vet, I would try to limit the bird's movement by confining him into his own pen area, that's soft padded. In addition, administering some B vitamins for leg health, and soaking the leg in cool Epsom salt may prove useful.

In regards to the Ibuprofen you have, unless he's limping bad, I would likely just continue with the treatment suggested above; pain medications are indicated in some cases, but due to the pain masking behavior of NSAIDS it may cause the bird walk on the leg too promptly, and reinjure it again. Happy Holidays.

 

[Callender Girl]

More often than not, when my runner ducks turn up limping a bit, it's because one of them tripped and/or strained its leg. Let's hope there's nothing seriously wrong with Midnight.

 

[nolamimi504]

I would fix it so he can't walk much..leave him outside but fix it so he is unable to move around, otherwise you might have to take him inside.
Have you examined his feet carefully looking for swelling or redness, and see none?
I don't think you should give him Motrin.
@Isaac 0

I did check and there’s no warmth or swelling, due to his legs being black I can’t see if there’s any redness. I wrapped it in the tape that doesn’t stick to skin or anything so he’s not moving it much and he hasn’t been walking on it outside, rather my husband or I pick him up and carry him to the other ducks, the other ducks have kinda been hanging around wherever he lays, until they go into the pool, then we pick him up and put him in; there’s a ramp for them to get in the pool and steps to get out but he just can’t seem to get up it and when I wasn’t looking and he got out earlier he always steps down from the top of the ramp and he kinda just fell and laid down. I took him inside to examine his foot and leg better and put him in the tub for a little while but unless his BFF/GF is with him, he won’t eat or swim, which is why I asked about him being inside. I was inquiring about the Motrin for when I put them in their house for the night.

 

[nolamimi504]

Larger breeds can often develop strains and sprains in their legs, either from tripping over things, getting it caught in objects, or from fighting, etc. If you note your bird's limp developed over a short span of time, and perhaps are seeing some inflammation, or warmness in a leg, that would further support such a theory. As a precautionary measure, be sure to check the bottom of his foot pads for signs of pododermatitis, as well as feel/bend the joints for abnormalities.

Fixing any predisposing environmental factors that may make him more likely to develop any limp in the first place is crucial for treatment, and further prevention; in your case, it sounds as if the pool being too high may have been the issue. As a basic treatment, until you see the vet, I would try to limit the bird's movement by confining him into his own pen area, that's soft padded. In addition, administering some B vitamins for leg health, and soaking the leg in cool Epsom salt may prove useful.

In regards to the Ibuprofen you have, unless he's limping bad, I would likely just continue with the treatment suggested above; pain medications are indicated in some cases, but due to the pain masking behavior of NSAIDS it may cause the bird walk on the leg too promptly, and reinjure it again. Happy Holidays.

 

[nolamimi504]

Thank you. Yes, my husband has fixed the issue with their in-house pool by adding steps so he can get out more easily. Now, B vitamins are those vitamins for birds or people vitamins. I can’t get an appointment till Wednesday to bring him into the farm animal vet, prior to that is considered an emergency and will cost almost twice as much, which my husband and I agree if it gets worse we will bring him in for an emergency appointment. I’ve corrected the massive holes my ducks have made enjoying mud along the back sidewalk by placing 2x4 boards alongside of it.

 

[nolamimi504]

Thank you all for getting back to me so quickly on such an important family holiday.

 

[Isaac 0]

Thank you. Yes, my husband has fixed the issue with their in-house pool by adding steps so he can get out more easily. Now, B vitamins are those vitamins for birds or people vitamins. I can’t get an appointment till Wednesday to bring him into the farm animal vet, prior to that is considered an emergency and will cost almost twice as much, which my husband and I agree if it gets worse we will bring him in for an emergency appointment. I’ve corrected the massive holes my ducks have made enjoying mud along the back sidewalk by placing 2x4 boards alongside of it.

B vitamins used in humans can be used for birds; just ensure the tablets are plain, and not flush-free, as the latter tend not to work. If you are going to administer any NSAID, I would suggest using aspirin, as that is safer than Ibprofoen-based products such as Motrin. The aspirin dose for birds is one 325mg tablet in 250ml of water.

 

[nolamimi504]

I want to start by saying thank you to everyone for your responses. Later the next day I remembered my brother-in-law’s step-daughter was attending school for veterinary medicine; I gave her a call and she came right over. She suggested non-stick tape and taping the leg he was limping on for a few days, which is what I did. I keep a nicely stocked first-aid kit and had some. She said the Motrin was ok but only if we felt it was necessary and only at night when he’s going in his house. She said to keep him as immobile as possible. I placed a couple of soft blankets in the corner of the yard and he pretty much laid there for a couple days. The other ducks actually went and hung out with him majority of the day. When the other ducks went into the pool, he would squawk in his corner so me or my husband would place him in the pool and take him out. We removed the bandage yesterday and he barely had a limp; today his limp is gone.
Rundown
12/24 Noticed Midnight had a slight limp
12/25 Midnight’s limp had gotten much worse, he would just lay down. Made appointment with the farm vet for 12/30, earliest we could get seen without having to pay double price for an emergency visit. Bandage placed on Midnight’s leg, only the leg, none of the foot (recommendation by family vet tech).
12/25-12/27 Midnight’s mobility was very limited. We would carry him to the pool, his house, etc.
12/27 Removed Midnight’s bandage to see if the limp had improved and it had.
12/28 began running around with the other ducks and can easily catch up...limp is practically gone. We’re still placing him n the pool so he doesn’t injure himself again.