My Muscovy duckling was diagnosed with scoliosis. I’m lost in regards to what to do for him. 😢 Any advice would be a blessing! ❤️

[AmyA248]

Good afternoon,

So, what we initially thought was wry neck in my duckling is actually scoliosis, and a severe case at that.
Little Franklin is now 19 days old and since day 1 I have been treating him for wry neck, obviously there was no improvement but I’m sure the vitamins kept him strong and healthy.
I called a veterinarian clinic that has an Avian specialist, and for just an office visit it costs $290.00, which doesn’t include x-rays or anything else that he may need.
Personally, I find that cost appalling, as I can’t imagine how many innocent animals are suffering because their owners could never afford those costs!
I’ve scoured the internet looking for answers and anything I could do to help him, but there isn’t much out there.
His spine is shaped like a backwards “S” so he is always to the left.
His neck can be held straight and when we hold him he’ll fall asleep when we gently rub his neck and put it out straight, but something is pulling him to the left.
The curve is just above his wings, so we tried a soft brace to keep him from going to the left. While it was on his neck was straight even though he hated it. I left it on though out one day and night, but when I took it off he went right back.
He hangs his head and cannot pick it up more then an inch or so from the ground. He has to lay down a lot because something must be pulling, but I don’t think he’s in pain because when we straighten it out he’s completely relaxed.
I’m truly at a loss on how to help him and it breaks my heart to see him like that.
So my question is this,, has anyone ever experienced scoliosis in a duckling or duck?
What did you do?
How is your ducks quality of life?
Did you do any physical therapy?
Was he/she picked on by the rest of the flock?

Any answers or advice would be such a blessing!

Thank you,
Amy

 

[Stravager]

It might have been a poor hatch or a genetic issue. I don't know that there's a lot you can do to fix it, since physical therapy for birds outside of their wings or legs is not well documented. Unless the bird was having troubles eating, drinking, or swimming he should have the capability to live a reasonable life but if he starts having those issues then you might have to rehome him or cull him yourself, sad to say.
I hope someone else on the site has better advice.

 

[AshleyHanson]

Hello!

We just had our sweet duck Milo (female golden duck) pass at 1.5 years old. She was diagnosed with Scoliosis when she was about a month and a half old.

We took her to the vet every 6 months for x-rays to maintain her progress.

What the vet prescribed for us was an anti-inflammatory pain medication for her as needed, (an oral med) and she got warm water baths in the bath tub on days she struggled walking or seemed in pain.

We would also bring her into the house in a rabbit cage on nights where she was too cold.

With Scoliosis the duck can't bend to clean them self properly or water proof their feathers so it's incredibly important to take them inside or towel them off and check for rot under their feathers. This way you can avoid any infections which will be more difficult for your duck to fight.

Our duck was very happy and loved her friends and there wasn't an issue with her being picked on in our flock however we do have an only female flock with no drakes.

She was happy until the day she passed away but she wasn't walking very well and we knew it was getting close to time to put her down. She passed away a few days before we were going to take her in. Surrounded by her duck friends incredibly happy, you might have thought she was sleeping.

She had a very good life but it did involve expensive vet appointments and medication and warm baths and nights in the house.

It's heartbreaking, I'm sorry you're going through this.

 

[AmyA248]

Hello!

We just had our sweet duck Milo (female golden duck) pass at 1.5 years old. She was diagnosed with Scoliosis when she was about a month and a half old.

We took her to the vet every 6 months for x-rays to maintain her progress.

What the vet prescribed for us was an anti-inflammatory pain medication for her as needed, (an oral med) and she got warm water baths in the bath tub on days she struggled walking or seemed in pain.

We would also bring her into the house in a rabbit cage on nights where she was too cold.

With Scoliosis the duck can't bend to clean them self properly or water proof their feathers so it's incredibly important to take them inside or towel them off and check for rot under their feathers. This way you can avoid any infections which will be more difficult for your duck to fight.

Our duck was very happy and loved her friends and there wasn't an issue with her being picked on in our flock however we do have an only female flock with no drakes.

She was happy until the day she passed away but she wasn't walking very well and we knew it was getting close to time to put her down. She passed away a few days before we were going to take her in. Surrounded by her duck friends incredibly happy, you might have thought she was sleeping.

She had a very good life but it did involve expensive vet appointments and medication and warm baths and nights in the house.

It's heartbreaking, I'm sorry you're going through this.

Hi!

Thank you so much for your reply. What a beautiful story!

Franklin is now about 3 months old and has acclimated to the flock. He/she (I still can’t tell) has a very close sibling who never leaves his side and always allows him to rest his head on her back.
Of course he’s on the bottom of the “pecking order” and it makes me very sad. He is always the last allowed to eat and use the pool, so I take him and his sister out by themselves to enjoy the pool without being chased out.
He is still so friendly and loves being held. He is quite large now and I should be able to tell soon if he’s a male or female. To be honest I’m starting to think he may be a “she.”
May I ask what a “sugar bath” is? I want to do everything possible to make his life easier.
I honestly never thought to check under his wings, and I’m going to do that right away!
What do you suggest I use to clean him with? Can I use diluted Dawn dish detergent?
I’m honestly so happy that you replied to me because I didn’t realize that since he cannot move properly he cannot clean himself or spread the oils throughout his feathers.
You mentioned that you had to give your duck pain medication, how were you able to tell when she was in pain?
That’s really what I fear most, that he is in pain and can’t communicate it.
I try to watch him carefully to see if I can tell any differences in his behavior from day to day, but I haven’t seen anything notable.
To me, it appears as though he’s always in pain due to the way he looks and it upsets us terribly.
He eats and drinks fine and enjoys his treats. But,, the other day I had to run outside and pull our drake off him! He had Franklin pinned in the corner and completely covered him with his body as if he was trying to smother him!!!
I was so scared and upset that I told my husband that we have to rehome that drake! We call him the “devil duck” because he terrorizes our entire flock, mounts the females to the point that they bleed due to his sharp talons, chases our younger ducks and bites us constantly.
He especially targets Franklin, I was told it is instinct to try eliminate a disabled member of the flock, but I’m fearful he will eventually kill him!
My husband made a separate coop just for our young females and Franklin, and it’s working out great. I feel so much more relaxed now that I know he can’t be attacked.

Anyway, sorry for being so long winded! Lol!
Thank you so very much for sharing your story, it gives me hope that he will be ok!
I’m going to try to convince my husband that he needs to go to the vet again now that he is older, I’d feel so much better if we had some pain medication and possibly some anti fungal spray or ointment for under his wings to prevent the chance of infection.

Kindly,
Amy

 

[AshleyHanson]

Hi!

Thank you so much for your reply. What a beautiful story!

Franklin is now about 3 months old and has acclimated to the flock. He/she (I still can’t tell) has a very close sibling who never leaves his side and always allows him to rest his head on her back.
Of course he’s on the bottom of the “pecking order” and it makes me very sad. He is always the last allowed to eat and use the pool, so I take him and his sister out by themselves to enjoy the pool without being chased out.
He is still so friendly and loves being held. He is quite large now and I should be able to tell soon if he’s a male or female. To be honest I’m starting to think he may be a “she.”
May I ask what a “sugar bath” is? I want to do everything possible to make his life easier.
I honestly never thought to check under his wings, and I’m going to do that right away!
What do you suggest I use to clean him with? Can I use diluted Dawn dish detergent?
I’m honestly so happy that you replied to me because I didn’t realize that since he cannot move properly he cannot clean himself or spread the oils throughout his feathers.
You mentioned that you had to give your duck pain medication, how were you able to tell when she was in pain?
That’s really what I fear most, that he is in pain and can’t communicate it.
I try to watch him carefully to see if I can tell any differences in his behavior from day to day, but I haven’t seen anything notable.
To me, it appears as though he’s always in pain due to the way he looks and it upsets us terribly.
He eats and drinks fine and enjoys his treats. But,, the other day I had to run outside and pull our drake off him! He had Franklin pinned in the corner and completely covered him with his body as if he was trying to smother him!!!
I was so scared and upset that I told my husband that we have to rehome that drake! We call him the “devil duck” because he terrorizes our entire flock, mounts the females to the point that they bleed due to his sharp talons, chases our younger ducks and bites us constantly.
He especially targets Franklin, I was told it is instinct to try eliminate a disabled member of the flock, but I’m fearful he will eventually kill him!
My husband made a separate coop just for our young females and Franklin, and it’s working out great. I feel so much more relaxed now that I know he can’t be attacked.

Anyway, sorry for being so long winded! Lol!
Thank you so very much for sharing your story, it gives me hope that he will be ok!
I’m going to try to convince my husband that he needs to go to the vet again now that he is older, I’d feel so much better if we had some pain medication and possibly some anti fungal spray or ointment for under his wings to prevent the chance of infection.

Kindly,
Amy

Hey Amy!

I'll answer your questions as best as I can, Milo had scoliosis in her back, so it was lower than her neck.

Whenever Milo wouldn't want to move or get a treat or if we walked near her and she started grunting, that was our cue to medicate her. We also would preemptively medicate her on days where it was icy and really cold because our vet said that would be hard on her joints. (Some of those days we just brought her inside and kept her warm).

We never used soap to clean Milo, we just poured warm water down her back in the bath tub and then would towel dry her or she really loved the hair dryer! We would set it on warm and low and blow it at her across the bathroom, she would move closer and further by herself to dry herself.

A "sugar bath" is most definitely a typo from me haha. There are epsom salt baths that you can do with Franklin but you have to be super careful so he doesn't drink it. It's supposed to help with swelling, we never tried with Milo she loved to play in the water way too much and would definitely drink it.

We don't have a drake and actually our vet told us we would need to be sure to never have one with Milo because he would definitely try to kill her, also if a drake flew into our yard and decided to try to mount Milo, the pressure on her Scoliosis would really hurt or even kill her. I agree with your plan to keep the drake separate from the Suzie's.

If it helps at all, we used an over the counter spray called Veteramycin (it's pretty common at feed stores in the poultry section) for any scrapes or hot spots for Milo and the anti-inflammatory pain medication was called Meloxidyl (Meloxicam) and was prescribed by the vet.

Please let me know any questions you have, I'll do my best to answer with our experience! I know how scary it feels to have no control in the situation.

All the best,
Ash

 

[AmyA248]

Hey Amy!

I'll answer your questions as best as I can, Milo had scoliosis in her back, so it was lower than her neck.

Whenever Milo wouldn't want to move or get a treat or if we walked near her and she started grunting, that was our cue to medicate her. We also would preemptively medicate her on days where it was icy and really cold because our vet said that would be hard on her joints. (Some of those days we just brought her inside and kept her warm).

We never used soap to clean Milo, we just poured warm water down her back in the bath tub and then would towel dry her or she really loved the hair dryer! We would set it on warm and low and blow it at her across the bathroom, she would move closer and further by herself to dry herself.

A "sugar bath" is most definitely a typo from me haha. There are epsom salt baths that you can do with Franklin but you have to be super careful so he doesn't drink it. It's supposed to help with swelling, we never tried with Milo she loved to play in the water way too much and would definitely drink it.

We don't have a drake and actually our vet told us we would need to be sure to never have one with Milo because he would definitely try to kill her, also if a drake flew into our yard and decided to try to mount Milo, the pressure on her Scoliosis would really hurt or even kill her. I agree with your plan to keep the drake separate from the Suzie's.

If it helps at all, we used an over the counter spray called Veteramycin (it's pretty common at feed stores in the poultry section) for any scrapes or hot spots for Milo and the anti-inflammatory pain medication was called Meloxidyl (Meloxicam) and was prescribed by the vet.

Please let me know any questions you have, I'll do my best to answer with our experience! I know how scary it feels to have no control in the situation.

All the best,
Ash

Hi Ashley,

I appreciate your help and advice so much! You are the first person I’ve spoken to that has had a duck with scoliosis and you’ve been incredibly supportive and kind.
When Franklin hatched I was told to cull him right away because he was so crooked. I simply couldn’t do it. I know that they are “just ducks” to some people, but we truly love and care for our ducks very much, so I decided to try everything I possibly could.
At first we believed it was wry neck and treated him with all the vitamins that were recommended, but he just got worse, so we drove over an hour to an Avian vet.
He was only about 15 days at the time, but we were assured it was scoliosis and we’re told that he would need extra care throughout his lifetime and he would probably be better off if we put him down and offered no pain meds or anti inflammatory meds. (He wasn’t a very empathetic vet)
Every time I watch him walk across the yard it actually hurts my heart because he can’t communicate, but I truly believe he knows that he’s loved because he sit right by my chair and gently pecks at my legs and will sit on my lap for as long as I let him.

He can get in and out of his pool without a problem, I guess he taught himself to jump before we made a ramp.
But my main concern is that he tires very easily and must put his head down, and I am going to definitely find a different vet that will give him medication that I believe he will need when the weather gets colder.
He is still quite young, about 4 months now. I can’t remember exactly without looking at the calendar. But I know he and his 2 siblings are not full grown yet.

I am also VERY concerned about our 2 drakes. We do the best we can to keep them separated and they have different foraging times, swim times, etc. and it definitely makes things more difficult for us.
We also have hawks that watch our flock for their chance to get one. We lost a beautiful female due to a hawk attack last year and I only walked away for 3 minutes to get my daughter’s bike!
The hawk must have been watching closely for his opportunity because we never leave them alone in the yard and our German Shepherd instinctually protects and herds the ducks, he stays with them and they seem to love our dog and vice versa.

Oh, and I did notice that the wing Franklin cannot clean by himself was quite dirty underneath, so I’m going to go to Truck and Tractor Supply and see what I can find to clean that area and make sure he doesn’t get an infection. I had no idea, nor did I even think about that issue until you told me and I’m so thankful that you did!!

* Pics are Franklin and his siblings (I don’t know what to call eggs that hatch together. Lol!) & our wonderful dog Brock who adores the ducks.

Have a blessed day,
Amy

 

[AshleyHanson]

Hi Ashley,

I appreciate your help and advice so much! You are the first person I’ve spoken to that has had a duck with scoliosis and you’ve been incredibly supportive and kind.
When Franklin hatched I was told to cull him right away because he was so crooked. I simply couldn’t do it. I know that they are “just ducks” to some people, but we truly love and care for our ducks very much, so I decided to try everything I possibly could.
At first we believed it was wry neck and treated him with all the vitamins that were recommended, but he just got worse, so we drove over an hour to an Avian vet.
He was only about 15 days at the time, but we were assured it was scoliosis and we’re told that he would need extra care throughout his lifetime and he would probably be better off if we put him down and offered no pain meds or anti inflammatory meds. (He wasn’t a very empathetic vet)
Every time I watch him walk across the yard it actually hurts my heart because he can’t communicate, but I truly believe he knows that he’s loved because he sit right by my chair and gently pecks at my legs and will sit on my lap for as long as I let him.

He can get in and out of his pool without a problem, I guess he taught himself to jump before we made a ramp.
But my main concern is that he tires very easily and must put his head down, and I am going to definitely find a different vet that will give him medication that I believe he will need when the weather gets colder.
He is still quite young, about 4 months now. I can’t remember exactly without looking at the calendar. But I know he and his 2 siblings are not full grown yet.

I am also VERY concerned about our 2 drakes. We do the best we can to keep them separated and they have different foraging times, swim times, etc. and it definitely makes things more difficult for us.
We also have hawks that watch our flock for their chance to get one. We lost a beautiful female due to a hawk attack last year and I only walked away for 3 minutes to get my daughter’s bike!
The hawk must have been watching closely for his opportunity because we never leave them alone in the yard and our German Shepherd instinctually protects and herds the ducks, he stays with them and they seem to love our dog and vice versa.

Oh, and I did notice that the wing Franklin cannot clean by himself was quite dirty underneath, so I’m going to go to Truck and Tractor Supply and see what I can find to clean that area and make sure he doesn’t get an infection. I had no idea, nor did I even think about that issue until you told me and I’m so thankful that you did!!

* Pics are Franklin and his siblings (I don’t know what to call eggs that hatch together. Lol!) & our wonderful dog Brock who adores the ducks.

Have a blessed day,
Amy

It's a unique experience to have a duck with Scoliosis for sure!

When Milo was young, she was in considerably less pain than when she got older. We really only started to see her scoliosis be really bad after she turned about a year old.

We don't have as many hawks but raccoons have been a really big problems for us, we got guard geese instead of a dog

I highly recommend Vetricyn! I included a picture, and some pictures of Milo! Her scoliosis was in her back so she always stood kind of crooked. She was a good duck.

You're doing everything you can for Franklin and I think he/she knows that, we always hoped Milo did

 

[JacinLarkwell]

don’t know what to call eggs that hatch together.

Hatchmates amd clutch mates are both commonly used. Some people do use siblings though. I tend to since they're usually at least half siblings