Limping Duck

[Finny]

I noticed one of my ducks was limping last night and he was still limping this morning. I looked at the top of his foot and his leg this morning and did not see anything out of the ordinary. I am going to try to get a look at the bottom of his food when I get back home this afternoon. It might be bumblefoot but I have to look at his foot to be certian. I heard that soaking the foot in salt water helps with bumblefoot. Is this true? Should I quarantine him from the other ducks until he gets better?

Thanks!

 

[Finny]

Does this look like bumblefoot?

 

[Finny]

So I was able to look at both his feet and the bottoms both look the same, so I am thinking it is not bumblefoot since he is only favoring his one foot. I am thinking it may be more of an ankle problem because he can put pressure on the front part of his foot, but he just can't lean back on his "heel". Any idea on what may have happened and how to help him? Any advice is greatly appreciated.

 

[Amiga]

Could be a pull, a strain or a bruise. My approach at this point would be Epsom salt compresses and Traumeel, or compresses of cooled St. John's wort tea or comfrey tea of a comfrey-St. John's wort tea combo.

 

[gander007]

Yes separate him/her from the flock and give him some rest and you might look for a sliver as him might have steeped in a sticker also that is so common with my ducks here and I almost never see it ....

 

[Finny]

Thank you both very much! I separated him and I bought epsom salt. What would be the best way to use this as a comress without my duck freaking out and hurting himself even more? Would water therapy help him at all? I looked at his foot for a solid ten minutes yesterday and I saw nothing out of the ordinary, but I will certainly look again for any slivers. Thanks again!

 

[HollyDuckFarmer]

Make a solution of warm water + Epsom Salts, I'd eyeball it and go 1 cup water + 2-3Tablespoons of ESalts. Mix that up in a bowl really well , get a good scrap rag , towel, or even an old sock. Get your stuff all ready before you begin. Hold your duck, wet the rag, apply the compress.

 

[Starfire669]

I have a small black duck with a similar injury. She was force mated by a much larger drake. The drake has been re-homed and she is in my nursery as she adopted some week old Cayuga ducklings, (she is a mallard crested). She limps as you described, on the front but can't put her whole foot down flat. However she has already improved as she was using her wing as a foot to scoot around at first. (it has been 10 days since she was injured.) I believe she pulled/tore the muscles at her hip joint when the drake forced her down and climbed on top of her. I have been soaking her whole leg in Epsom salt, and giving her swim therapy. She is also kept away from her remaining sister ducks as the largest girl has taken over drake duties.

I got the flock of ducks already together from a lady who brought the ducks and sime chickens together from someone who was moving, and then decided she wasn't a duck lady. She is a first time chicken/duck owner and she didn't see/understand the social dynamics of the group. All she could tell me was the black crested was a loner (figured out why pretty fast with the larger white crested Pekin females and the Pekin drake picking on her) and that her crest had gotten plucked while she had them. I purchased the Cayuga ducklings as companions for her, and also as breeders as I will not allow the cresteds to breed.

If anyone has suggestions for pulled/torn hip muscles please let me know. No avian vets near me, and the regular vets won't waste their time in poultry. An exotic parrot, oh my yes. A duck, nope.

 

[Finny]

I am glad to hear that she is getting better! I will try the water therapy and salt.

 

[Starfire669]

I am glad to hear that she is getting better! I will try the water therapy and salt.

If your duck has a splinter in its foot the Epsom salt might help the splinter to come out. However Epsom salt is a laxative so do not let the duck drink the water. I usually soak Ebony, my injured girl, in a bucket just large enough for soaking, then move her to the swimming pool for swim therapy. I do this with her twice a day. To make her swim I throw greens in the pool and she has to paddle to get to them. I think she enjoys her swim therapy as she is a little pig and give me a duck smiley face when she sees the greens, lol.