Niacin deficiency?

[Miss Lydia]

It's amazing how fast a niacin def can show up and it can be going on long before we notice it. I'm so thankful you were able to help get them back to healthy ducks.
They may need to stay on niacin their whole lives, which means Nutritional yeast can be used. Once completely over this. My ducklings are on liquid B complex in their water and Nutritional yeast on their feed, and my adults get NY every day on their feed.
Now when you get time how about some pictures of their whole bodies and not just their feet? LOL And Congrats on getting them through this.

 

[NewAtThis8]

It's amazing how fast a niacin def can show up and it can be going on long before we notice it. I'm so thankful you were able to help get them back to healthy ducks.
They may need to stay on niacin their whole lives, which means Nutritional yeast can be used. Once completely over this. My ducklings are on liquid B complex in their water and Nutritional yeast on their feed, and my adults get NY every day on their feed.
Now when you get time how about some pictures of their whole bodies and not just their feet? LOL And Congrats on getting them through this.

Thank you again! I do have them on nutritional yeast with their food too- forgot to mention that!
So their routine is:
Kalmbach goose/duck food - 45mg niacin/lb
Nutritional yeast- mixed in with their food- i eyeball it, i pour half the bag into their feeder with their food whenever I refill it
1/3 to 1/2 of a 500mg niacin capsule on top of a bowl of their food in the morning
Liquid b complex in their water at all times

What I stopped doing about 2-3 weeks before he started limping was the b complex, a few days missed of the niacin (Labor Day vacation) and I think they weren’t going to their feeder for their food and instead were either not eating much during this molt or were eating the chickens food.

I’m back to their old routine and I think that’s where we’ll stay! Vet said if they’re getting more niacin than needed it isn’t really harmful as if comes out as waste.

Here’s a recent photo! Maybe I’ll update this thread with their Halloween costumes when I get them dressed up in a few weeks too

Stan is wings out on the right, Heimlich is the one on the left.

 

[Miss Lydia]

What a great picture. Sure sounds like you have a good plan going forward. Your boys look great too.

 

[NewAtThis8]

Well not the update I wanted to make but where we are at- he made an almost full recovery and then today he’s back to limping quite a bit and falling over when he’s standing for too long. I checked for new bumbles and haven’t seen anything or any swelling and our niacin / food routine hasn’t changed- so I’m not super sure why he’d be back sliding after improvement if it was niacin. I will take him back to the vet if I have to- but it seems they’re not really doing much for him that I haven’t done at home. If it’s any type of joint infection due to the bumblefoot, even though it seemed minor and resolved fully, would there be any other signs and symptoms besides a limp? Swelling or heat, or anything with him like lethargy/lack of appetite/etc? Because I’ve seen none of that. What would a next step be? X-ray? I’m willing to do anything for him, I’m just feeling so hopeless and hoping this isn’t his life. Was hoping for a good decade with these big guys… and I want him to thrive

 

[NewAtThis8]

Could he have arthritis at this age already based on his size and breed and this is just what it is? I worry about the winter- it’ll be all of our first. Here’s a picture of his leg- looks normal to me but could it be swollen at this joint?

 

[Miss Lydia]

Usually, there is redness heat and swelling if joint-related. I'm sorry he has regressed.

My Muscovy has arthritis he is 12 yrs old and he injured his leg fighting my gander a few yrs ago A friend told me about Cosquin with MSM and said her vet rec it for her pekin who was having issues walking. My drake has not limped since he has been on the Cosequin. If you decide to try it make sure the Cosequion has MSM in it also.
This is the one I use for my drake I sprinkle about half a tablespoon over a small amount of dog food[dry] and add just enough warm water so it is fully absorbed before I give it to him.

Are you using liquid B complex for the niacin? it is really the best there is for leg issues.

 

[NewAtThis8]

Usually, there is redness heat and swelling if joint-related. I'm sorry he has regressed.

My Muscovy has arthritis he is 12 yrs old and he injured his leg fighting my gander a few yrs ago A friend told me about Cosquin with MSM and said her vet rec it for her pekin who was having issues walking. My drake has not limped since he has been on the Cosequin. If you decide to try it make sure the Cosequion has MSM in it also.
This is the one I use for my drake I sprinkle about half a tablespoon over a small amount of dog food[dry] and add just enough warm water so it is fully absorbed before I give it to him.

Are you using liquid B complex for the niacin? it is really the best there is for leg issues. View attachment 3653342

We went back to the vet Wednesday and he said he felt some heat with swelling in actually, both legs. He tried to X-ray but he was very uncooperative so he’s treating it as a joint infection and if not better or improved in 2 weeks, we’ll sedate and do X-ray/fluid aspirate to test what type of infection if any… it’s a lot but I’ll do anything. He’s back on an anti inflammatory and the antibiotic is on its way to me as it had to get compounded due to his weight (if filled at the vet it’d be a teaspoon of liquid for him so compounded it’s just .6ml.). Antibiotic is Trimethoprim/Sulfamethoxazole. I just don’t really know how he could’ve gotten an infection if his bumble foot wasn’t bad, it was on the OTHER foot, and he hasn’t had any noticeable puncture or wound for entry. I think the supplement referenced is a great idea for maintenance in addition to the niacin- he is still on liquid B and we will likely be giving that his whole life based on his history. I worry that he’ll struggle with arthritis early because of the issues he currently has, and am still a little puzzled and wondering if arthritis and not an infection can cause some of the same symptoms. He’s been on the anti inflammatory since Wednesday night after the vet and he’s definitely improved from just that.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Improvement sounds great. And he may struggle with arthritis since many Pekins have leg problems. Weight and just the fact they are Pekins. Poor babies were meant for slaughter at 12 weeks and were not produced as pets but so many of us fall in love with them and want them to live and have happy lives. Hopefully, any excess heat and swelling will also go down once he has this in his system really well. And if he responds well to the anti-inflammatory meds that may tell you what your dealing with more so than infection.

 

[NewAtThis8]

Here with an update! We’ve been treating Stan with his antibiotic for ~6 weeks for assumed joint infection in his left leg. He just started showing signs of improvement there this week- joints felt less swollen and warm. We brought him in for a re check yesterday and since there’s still swelling and limited movement they suggested xray and the radiologist called the vet today with her report. Stan’s bone looks normal in terms of wear from the infection. She (radiologist) saw some swelling, recommended keeping on antibiotics til gone since they’re working. His legs are deformed from his niacin deficiency early in life. He ALSO has a healed FRACTURE in his right leg (he’s been limping / has swelling on the left). So I’m wondering if that was why he was limping initially, she says looks like it was 6-8+ weeks ago. I can’t even imagine what could have caused it so now I’m worried about him tripping and falling and fracturing either leg again. He’s never been dropped or fell from any height but he HAS jumped out of his pool, and has tripped and fallen a lot when he couldn’t lift his bag leg over an obstacle in his way like the ramp to their coop or other things in the hard. Said with his deformities and the past fracture he’ll likely develop arthritis early, to keep him on a pain management (meloxicam, which worries me for long term use and how it’ll affect his organs) and check frequently for bumblefoot. So, my worry now is how do I keep him safe from future infection as I’m not sure how it started (he didn’t seem to have bumblefoot or any other entry where infection would set in but then again, I missed the fracture!!), how do I keep him safe from fracture, and how do I manage his pain and mobility without risking internal organ damage.

 

[NewAtThis8]

My poor guy