My duck was attacked by fox and had esophagus damage

[Mindy417]

Is any one have the experience of duck surviving from esophagus damage from fox attack?

 

[nuthatched]

Pictures? We might be able to assist bit we need to know what we're dealing with.

 

[Mindy417]

Thx for your reply. I actually took her to VET after the attack. The doctor said her esophagus is damaged and cannot put together. Even they are put together, there will be leakage and cause infections. She will die in a day or two. Not sure if it is really fatal and no chance to survive at all?

 

[nuthatched]

Thx for your reply. I actually took her to VET after the attack. The doctor said her esophagus is damaged and cannot put together. Even they are put together, there will be leakage and cause infections. She will die in a day or two. Not sure if it is really fatal and no chance to survive at all?

Not much of one, sadly, if the vet says it won't work, you might need to put her down.

 

[ruthhope]

So sad.

I am assuming the fox got her neck and the esphagus has puncture wounds throught he neck from the foxes teeth.

Hard to know anything different from what hte vet said -- the duck needs fluids/electrolytes/glucose to survive while not eating and if they leak it will be very difficult for your duck.

But she will not last very long if you are unable to get fluids/electroytes/glucose in to her.

 

[ruthhope]

If she is drinking, I suggest getting pediatric oral rehydration solution -- electrolytes and glucose in packets, and make up with boiled and cooled water, as per the instrucitons on the packet

Give the rehydration solution to your duck to drink instead of water and keep her quiet and calm. Ducks are amazing creatures int erms of will to live. Let us know how she is doing

 

[Mindy417]

Thanks so much for all your advices and showing care for my baby duck.
The attack happened on Friday around 4-5am. I heard the noise from backyard and found the cage door was open and two of my babies are there hiding at the corner the backyard and another two are missing. I had one white chick, one brown chick, a Pekin duck and a Muscovy duck. The pekin duck is the one had esophagus injury. She’s 6 months old and just started to lay eggs. I’ve loaded the pic,that’s the one she took in the VET.She had a few wounds around neck, Fox took the flesh from her neck area and left a hole like tennis ball size. The doctor said the fatal one is the cutoff of esophagus, he suggested to put her to sleep.He didn’t allow us to take her home as she’s suffering. After the euthanasia, I buried her in my backyard.I am so sad and still cannot face the truth that she’s left. I even doubt the decision I made to put her to sleep. These days I am always thinking that I should have just treated her myself or taken her to another VET for second opinion. Also I wish I could see this forum earlier so I can learn experience from you guys. Whenever I am thinking of her, I am full of regret and cannot helping bursting into tears. I am just not get used to the life without her. She used to play with me and accompanied me when I was working from home. She’s becoming part of my life.

 

[Mindy417]

If she is drinking, I suggest getting pediatric oral rehydration solution -- electrolytes and glucose in packets, and make up with boiled and cooled water, as per the instrucitons on the packet

Give the rehydration solution to your duck to drink instead of water and keep her quiet and calm. Ducks are amazing creatures int erms of will to live. Let us know how she is doing

She can hardly drink or eat. She just get some water to moist the mouth. But she can walk a bit and always lay down to rest. She’s becoming very weak and her head is down at the VET. Just cannot get her out of my mind.

 

[nuthatched]

Thanks so much for all your advices and showing care for my baby duck.
The attack happened on Friday around 4-5am. I heard the noise from backyard and found the cage door was open and two of my babies are there hiding at the corner the backyard and another two are missing. I had one white chick, one brown chick, a Pekin duck and a Muscovy duck. The pekin duck is the one had esophagus injury. She’s 6 months old and just started to lay eggs. I’ve loaded the pic,that’s the one she took in the VET.She had a few wounds around neck, Fox took the flesh from her neck area and left a hole like tennis ball size. The doctor said the fatal one is the cutoff of esophagus, he suggested to put her to sleep.He didn’t allow us to take her home as she’s suffering. After the euthanasia, I buried her in my backyard.I am so sad and still cannot face the truth that she’s left. I even doubt the decision I made to put her to sleep. These days I am always thinking that I should have just treated her myself or taken her to another VET for second opinion. Also I wish I could see this forum earlier so I can learn experience from you guys. Whenever I am thinking of her, I am full of regret and cannot helping bursting into tears. I am just not get used to the life without her. She used to play with me and accompanied me when I was working from home. She’s becoming part of my life.
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You made the right decision, it would have been a very difficult injury to survive from.

 

[ruthhope]

Thanks so much for all your advices and showing care for my baby duck.
The attack happened on Friday around 4-5am. I heard the noise from backyard and found the cage door was open and two of my babies are there hiding at the corner the backyard and another two are missing. I had one white chick, one brown chick, a Pekin duck and a Muscovy duck. The pekin duck is the one had esophagus injury. She’s 6 months old and just started to lay eggs. I’ve loaded the pic,that’s the one she took in the VET.She had a few wounds around neck, Fox took the flesh from her neck area and left a hole like tennis ball size. The doctor said the fatal one is the cutoff of esophagus, he suggested to put her to sleep.He didn’t allow us to take her home as she’s suffering. After the euthanasia, I buried her in my backyard.I am so sad and still cannot face the truth that she’s left. I even doubt the decision I made to put her to sleep. These days I am always thinking that I should have just treated her myself or taken her to another VET for second opinion. Also I wish I could see this forum earlier so I can learn experience from you guys. Whenever I am thinking of her, I am full of regret and cannot helping bursting into tears. I am just not get used to the life without her. She used to play with me and accompanied me when I was working from home. She’s becoming part of my life.
View attachment 3172469

I am sure that the vet advised in her best interests, Mindy417. I hadn't understood from your initial post that the vet had euthanized her.

I firmly believe that you did the right thing accepting the vet's advice rather than letting her suffer, if she was going to die. I am glad you were able to bring her home and bury her.

A sad story: ducks are so vulnerable to predators and there are many folks on this forum who have lived through sadness like yours. I suggest you see what you can do now to further predator proof your coop. I got frightened by all the stories of raccoons breaking into coops this year So before raising the tarp at the side which is down in winter but raised in warmer months, I added a layer of hardware clother 3 feet deep along the side of the coop, over and attached to the metal reinforced ladders and chicken wire. My coop bolt is raccoon proof but I worry that my son's 2 bolts are not. I already added metal reinforced ladders to his coop; my next project there will be to install a raccoon proof clasp on the door, and then add 2 foot deep hardware cloth down the sides -- his coop is a different design to min and the sides are only 2 feet deep.
Determined foxes and raccoons [and I believe fishers] can get through many coop defenses. They will even bury under the coop to get in. We had that happen at my son's but fortunately he has hardware cloth under his coop