Need help with survivor of hawk attack

[Tesumph]

If you haven't already GET THOSE FLY EGGS OFF NOW! Pluck feathers if you have to, this could go from bad to impossible very quickly. Maggots can hatch in as little as 8 hours! If you don't, you will have to pluck out maggots when they bury into the wound, and given the number of eggs, ohboy not good. I will keep your duckie in my prayers. Good on you getting him to the vet and being a good mommy!

Agreed. Plucking feathers is no fun at all but digging out maggots is even worse.
Still can’t believe the vet didn’t do anything about the fly eggs.. was that what the ivermectin was for or was it unrelated?

 

[BarredRockMom]

Try popping those little maggots into a bit of Apple Cider Vinegar and see how long it takes them to die. Same with aabit of Betadine.
If you can't get the feathers off of the area where you see & suspect the maggots are, or are hesitant to pull them out for fear if causing him even more discomfort, here's something to consider.

(I have absolutely zero experience with ducks, so somebody else please weigh in & tell me if this is feasible) Here's what I would do: I'd get a syringe (no needle of course), draw up some ACV & squirt that onto his skin all over, starting with the area by the would. He'd be a vinegar feather-soaked duck, and it might take a while. Ya might even consider using this same method with Betadine on the area(s) away from his wound since, as a previous poster mentioned, maggots don't live thru that either.

Man, I hope he's doing ok, poor guy.

 

[Miss Lydia]

If ACV works that is awesome. I wormed my birds and yesterday was sitting out with them looked down and there was poop with a round worm wiggling yea nasty, so I got the acv since I had it on hand and poured a little on the poop and that worm totally disappeared ,disintegrated.

 

[BarredRockMom]

And though I agree that the Vet should have done something about the maggots, at least you got some medication & they did SOMEthing for him. It appears that you'll have to do the rest. But everyone here will help you however we can.

(When I had a hen with flystrike, I picked them off myself with tweezers, dropped them into a shot glass of isopropyl alcohol, used a Betadine solution to bathe her, debrided her wound & didn't trust myself enough to be sure that she was ok. So I took her to a "supposed" Vet with Avian experience who told me they'd recommend euthanizing her, because they couldn't tell how bad it really was & "well, she is just a chicken."

And yes, it got ugly from there. I figured that if I was paying for a piece of their mind, then they could have a piece of mine, too. Never again.)

 

[Tesumph]

And though I agree that the Vet should have done something about the maggots, at least you got some medication & they did SOMEthing for him. It appears that you'll have to do the rest. But everyone here will help you however we can.

(When I had a hen with flystrike, I picked them off myself with tweezers, dropped them into a shot glass of isopropyl alcohol, used a Betadine solution to bathe her, debrided her wound & didn't trust myself enough to be sure that she was ok. So I took her to a "supposed" Vet with Avian experience who told me they'd recommend euthanizing her, because they couldn't tell how bad it really was & "well, she is just a chicken."

And yes, it got ugly from there. I figured that if I was paying for a piece of their mind, then they could have a piece of mine, too. Never again.)

What a shame. And I agree, at least they did something. Still, fly eggs + open wound should equal red flags in any vets mind.

The betadine or acv flush to try and kill remaining maggots is definitely worth a shot.

 

[KittyIsQuackers]

Agreed. Plucking feathers is no fun at all but digging out maggots is even worse.
Still can’t believe the vet didn’t do anything about the fly eggs.. was that what the ivermectin was for or was it unrelated?

Yeah, although the vet gave Dragon the Ivemectin as an anti-parasitic.

Try popping those little maggots into a bit of Apple Cider Vinegar and see how long it takes them to die. Same with aabit of Betadine.
If you can't get the feathers off of the area where you see & suspect the maggots are, or are hesitant to pull them out for fear if causing him even more discomfort, here's something to consider.

(I have absolutely zero experience with ducks, so somebody else please weigh in & tell me if this is feasible) Here's what I would do: I'd get a syringe (no needle of course), draw up some ACV & squirt that onto his skin all over, starting with the area by the would. He'd be a vinegar feather-soaked duck, and it might take a while. Ya might even consider using this same method with Betadine on the area(s) away from his wound since, as a previous poster mentioned, maggots don't live thru that either.

Man, I hope he's doing ok, poor guy.

The maggots aren’t in a specific place. The best way to describe where the maggots are is this: imagine someone sprinkling sprinkles on a lumpy surface—they would be all over the small area, most would be piled under where the shaker is, but are still somehow everywhere. At the edges, sometimes at the tops of wrinkles, even... Though they aren’t usually under the folds.



Edit: Alright! I got some permethrin on him, and I think he’s gonna be fine, concerning the eggs

 

[KittyIsQuackers]

I just soaked his feathers in 50/50 ACV/water and am letting him be for the night.I

Thanks for all the help so far!

 

[Miss Lydia]

How is he today?

 

[KittyIsQuackers]

How is he today?

He’s doing amazing. I put him in the duck coop this morning and when I tried to take him out, he squawked angrily. It’s so cute, how much he loves his flock. I’m not sure about the eggs, but he was trying to hide and he seemed in great spirit, even better than yesterday, so I left him so socialize with the other ducks for another hour.

There's a kiddy pool in the coop yard and he preened really well and has washed all the blood off. His wound looks very good!

In a few minutes I will be spraying ACV/water again.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Awesome

Just check and make sure the eggs are gone.