My duck has Green Poop... should I go to the vet? (PICS)

[graypes]

I'm so sorry you can't get him into an avian specialist.

thanks for the reply! I know I’m pretty bummed the only one in state is closed for the weekend
BUT!!!!
Luckily I had a moment of brain function where I remembered that my bird vet back in St. Louis has seen most of my ducks so I called the office and THANK GOD theyre open. Since I can’t go in, I told them all his symptoms and asked for antifungal and antidiarrheal advice

I saw another post on here from last year with someone who had the exact same issue and lost the first duck and treated the next sick duck with flagyl and then the rest of the flock with panacur. I’m gonna find that post again and solicit some advice. Poor Booby. He’s so tough I just hope he can pull through, I’ve never lost any of my ducks before.

 

[casportpony]

What antibiotics did the vet give you?

 

[graypes]

What antibiotics did the vet give you?

They gave me clovamox yesterday, BUT i just went back to the emergency hospital and someone who knew a bit more about birds is there and said she wanted to switch him to doxycycline because clovamox isnt strong enough for something like chlamydia if he has that. Now, i dont think theyre doing tests for chlamydia bc yesterday i was told they didnt have the equipment to test bird blood (i dont know why it would be different but hey, im not a doctor)
My vet from home told me to ask for a fecal float to rule out parasites or coccidae (or something like that) so they are doing that now

The vet at emergency hospital told me as soon as she gave booby fluids and prepared to tube feed, he start eating on his own. I don’t know if he actually is eating or doing that thing where he pathetically skims his food and doesnt actually make a dent.

Does anyone know where i can buy tube feed supplies on a saturday? The medical supply stores are weirdly closed

 

[casportpony]

Is the emergency vet open? They should be able to sell you a tube and syringe.

 

[KaleIAm]

They gave me clovamox yesterday, BUT i just went back to the emergency hospital and someone who knew a bit more about birds is there and said she wanted to switch him to doxycycline because clovamox isnt strong enough for something like chlamydia if he has that. Now, i dont think theyre doing tests for chlamydia bc yesterday i was told they didnt have the equipment to test bird blood (i dont know why it would be different but hey, im not a doctor)
My vet from home told me to ask for a fecal float to rule out parasites or coccidae (or something like that) so they are doing that now

The vet at emergency hospital told me as soon as she gave booby fluids and prepared to tube feed, he start eating on his own. I don’t know if he actually is eating or doing that thing where he pathetically skims his food and doesnt actually make a dent.

Does anyone know where i can buy tube feed supplies on a saturday? The medical supply stores are weirdly closed

The emergency vet should be able to sell you the catheter tube and syringe. Mine did. They also taught me how to tube feed.

You might be able to ask them to give him a full meal, if he was only nibbling.

A lab accustomed to dealing with bird blood will be able to notice things like avian Chlamydia, where a lab who deals with dog and cat blood will likely not.

 

[graypes]

@KaleIAm @casportpony
Thank you guys so much!! Now waiting to hear back from the vet. I’ll ask about the tube and syringes!

 

[graypes]

So it took awhile but Booby got back from vet. Fecal float was clear so they prescribed doxycycline for booby and said theyd write a script for the rest of the flock too if needed!
When we got home I waited a bit to give him his doxycycline just so the 12 hour cycle would work out ti where I am awake.

The emergency vet should be able to sell you the catheter tube and syringe. Mine did. They also taught me how to tube feed.

You might be able to ask them to give him a full meal, if he was only nibbling.

A lab accustomed to dealing with bird blood will be able to notice things like avian Chlamydia, where a lab who deals with dog and cat blood will likely not.

The vet decided not to tube feed bc she saw him taking an interest in his food, which is a good instinct. however when I picked him up and was told he finished his food, I realized he had actually just spilled it all in the straw bedding of his to-go box
I tried several times to feed him by hand before i decided to face my worst fear: tube feeding. @casportpony’s guide to tube feeding was awesome and it was actually a lot easier than i expected (with two people)
I gave him his doxy along with the first 60mL of food and probiotics slurry but it probably only had about 1/4 cup of food in it maybe less.
Does anyone know how often I should tube feed and how much? should I be doing more than just the single syringe that I did in each round of feeding? I know my ducks typically consume around .75-1 cup of feed each day (nit ibcluding treats and grazing) so how much and how often should i feed?

 

[casportpony]

Congrats on tubing!

How much does he weigh?

 

[KaleIAm]

When I tube fed my duck my vet calculated how much to give her based on her weight. I think she weighed about 3.5-4lbs and they had me give her 70mls, but I just drew up a 60 cc syringe as far as it could go. They had me feed her 2 times daily at first, but she was still losing weight so they had me feed 3 times a day. When I did that she maintained her weight. I recommend getting a gram scale if you don't have one. I got one for babies. Some people use kitchen type scales but my duck didn't want to stand on it.

I was feeding Emeriad IC omnivore, which I purchased from my vet. So it might be different with Kaytee. Casportpony has more experience than I do, so definitely follow hers or your vet's recommendation.

 

[helgaruss69]

Hi! So my 2.5 month old runner drake, Booby, has green poop. noticed it a few hours ago while they were out in the yard, so I went back to check the coop, and sure enough there it was. So this problem has been going on at least 24hrs, and besides the grass they likely graze on when in the yard, I haven't given them any treats besides mealworms. He eats purina all flock.

Besides the green poop, I think he's been kind of lethargic today, BUT on the other hand the other drake was bullying him a bit as I only put one pool out today because another duck has bumble foot so I'm trying to control ground moisture (impossible feat and not the best way to go about it, but hey I was trying) SO Booby coulda just been tired.

One of his coop mates/sisters (I have the drakes and their 'harems' separated at night) is sneezing although I haven't noticed him sneezing yet. The only reason I mention this is because I have moved north for the summer and at our cottage LAST summer, booby's parent's got a viral respiratory infection, so maybe its the same thing?

ANYWAYS, there luckily is a 24hr vet an hour away, although they do not specialize in "exotics" as they were quick to tell me.

The only reason I am pausing is because I am notorious for bringing my ducks to the doctor for the smallest things and then get charged $200+ for a $10 tube of OTC ointment and some words of advice. While I am a big believer in better safe than sorry, I am trying to be a bit more practical with my veterinary expenses, so any advice is welcome.

They encouraged me to bring him now (9pm) but I think maybe I should wait it out and reevaluate the situation tomorrow around 7 am??? But who knows maybe he'll get worse and I'll need to leave ASAP I don't know...


WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, THE POO:

View attachment 2723279View attachment 2723281
THE CULPRIT:
View attachment 2723282

It could just be from eating grass. My nephew freaked out and thought his ducks were pooping blood. I reminded him that they had been eating watermelon, I don't know if I would worry yet. Before you take Booby to the vet check the vet out with other duck owners, many around me don't have a clue.