Not an emergency but advice is appreciated

[Stipenvlerk]

So far so good. Use the pain killer and if the vet didn't give antibiotics, pray he doesn't have a deep infection.

Give the stitches 5 days to heal and then she can swim. Let her swim for 5 minutes initially. If all goes well increase the time slowly to 15 minutes twice a day but she must be supervised while swimming.

I let injured birds swim in my bath, so that they cannot get out. I have a long, deep narrow plastic box that I use as a brooder. I put that in the bath for ducklings to swim in, but for it to be deep enough for adult duck injured legs to swim, I would be fearful an adult duck would try and get out. The injured leg will dangle down at first so it will need to be deep water

Keep up your good work!

Once the abdomen has healed and she will lie on it, you can rig up a frame with sling across it--from old cloth or towel. Cut 2 holes for the legs to hang down and a split at the back for the poop to drop down. That will resolve the poop situation

I made a lightweight ducky walking frame with wheels from an old laundry sorting hamper -- I even used the hamper fabric the make the sling. But you need not make the first frame with wheels. Just make it firm and with enough clearance for the legs to hang down. My first ducky walking frame, made out of HDPE pipe and angles, and old castor wheels was robust but too heavy for a pekin to move around.

You will have to dry your girl after bathing. Although she is feisty, she may get used to being handled and then you won't have to blot her feathers on a towel, but you can blow dry them with a hair dryer. My last duck in the walking frame was a pekin-- my PingyWingy. He stopped walking and i gave him hydro therapy for 6 months. He was a biter and fighter initially, but quickly accepted the handling and loved the blow dries: he lay propoed against me on his back while having a tummy rub and blow dry (i will look for a photo of him having a blow dry to show you.). He didn't learn to walk again as it turned out to be a pelvic tumor that stopped him walking, but he sat in his walker infromt of the insect screen in my rear porch and continued to be boss duck with my flock. As soon as he called, they came running and hung around the outside of the screen most of the day. He had a great life and never lost faith in himself as being boss duck, right to the end. I have no regrets in not having him euthanased.

Thank you for your extensive answer. I got het some medication too. So hopefully she will recover without an infection. Tomorrow I’ll try to make her more mobile.

The wound looks really good. I was unsure about the timeframe between sutures and a bath. Didn’t know hoe long water would be able to get in.

And such a lovely story about your Pekin duck. Thank you for taking care of him so well.

I post a new update and pictures tomorrow

Untill she can bath herself, I wash and blowdry her manually . She became 1 fluffy duck

Again, thank you!

 

[Stipenvlerk]

@ruthhope Today I made her a prototype of a wheelchair. It’s 2 big wheels in the front and a small in the back. In a styrofoam plate. there is 1 hole where the good leg goes through. She finds it really comfortable to stand up with less strength than normally and eats and drinks, although still very little, more than before. It also makes her really sleepy .

She doesn’t walk with it yet.
Tomorrow we are going to have the first swim.

 

[ruthhope]

She's doing so well, and so are you! Thank you for caring for her precious life!!

I am not averse to euthanasia when it hastens an inevitable and distressing death. But I am so glad you were sensitive to this girl's will to live. I love your wheelchair. She looks good sitting there. I am sure she finds it tiring after being so ill and eating so little. We give Rooster Booster Poultry Cell to sick and convaleacent ducks in the USA. It is a mixture of vitamins and minerals. Do you have access to anything like that?

My flock are happy to be home after 24hrs in their carriers with only offers of water not food. I know they do OK like that for a day traveling every now and then, but I was worried about the cold in the bed of my truck. It was 24F (-4.5C) when I left at 7pm. Fortunately, I was driving due south and it did not get colder than that all night. I had them all bundled up with lots of big towels and a very big rug in layers over the carriers and down the two outsides. That was all wrapped in a tarp that was doubled over to trap air to insulate. I didn't want to open them up for water overnight as that would let their warm air out, and they don't normally have food and water from 5pm to 8am at this time of year. I had a thermometer inside the tarp air pocket that I could check, and it didn't drop below 30f (-0.5C) so I think it was much warmer inside the carriers. Ducks are really gritty birds!!

 

[Stipenvlerk]

She's doing so well, and so are you! Thank you for caring for her precious life!!

I am not averse to euthanasia when it hastens an inevitable and distressing death. But I am so glad you were sensitive to this girl's will to live. I love your wheelchair. She looks good sitting there. I am sure she finds it tiring after being so ill and eating so little. We give Rooster Booster Poultry Cell to sick and convaleacent ducks in the USA. It is a mixture of vitamins and minerals. Do you have access to anything like that?

My flock are happy to be home after 24hrs in their carriers with only offers of water not food. I know they do OK like that for a day traveling every now and then, but I was worried about the cold in the bed of my truck. It was 24F (-4.5C) when I left at 7pm. Fortunately, I was driving due south and it did not get colder than that all night. I had them all bundled up with lots of big towels and a very big rug in layers over the carriers and down the two outsides. That was all wrapped in a tarp that was doubled over to trap air to insulate. I didn't want to open them up for water overnight as that would let their warm air out, and they don't normally have food and water from 5pm to 8am at this time of year. I had a thermometer inside the tarp air pocket that I could check, and it didn't drop below 30f (-0.5C) so I think it was much warmer inside the carriers. Ducks are really gritty birds!!

Wow you traveled with your animals? . That gives traveling an extra dimension

Yes we have something similar to rooster booster here.. I’ve just ordered it . It only comes in quite big bottles so the last one was well over its date.

 

[ruthhope]

Wow you traveled with your animals? . That gives traveling an extra dimension

Yes we have something similar to rooster booster here.. I’ve just ordered it . It only comes in quite big bottles so the last one was well over its date.

Yes, Rooster Booster comes in half litres but it's worth it.
I take the date as a 'sell by' or even 'best by' not an 'expires by' date.

As for traveling with ducks, it's easy enough for 24 hours. For longer than that, I would need to stop for a couple of days to give them fresh air, running around, and swimming in a kiddie pool, before packing them back in their carriers and traveling over night. I have a friend who will look after my fkock if I am away for a week -- even a week with 2 weekends -- but I cannot expect her to have to drive down to my house twice a day. My neighbor will help out for an occasional evening, but I cannot over burden them. So when I am away for 2 months, the flock comes with me. I do sometimes wish I lived in a neighborhood of duck keepers! Alas, I don't know of one other duck keeper close by so that we could care for each others flocks. There are just backyard chicken keepers!

 

[Stipenvlerk]

Awww, you are too good for your ducks I don't take mine with me.

This morning I've let the injured duck swim for a short while. Although she enjoyed it in the moment, I'm thinking it was too early as she almost had to recover from it all day. she had her tail down until recently. It's evening here now. And she just start to eat a little again. So that's one day of nutrition lost for a little peddle in the water. I think I keep her dry tomorrow. Food is more important than a bath now. Maybe the skin on her tummy hurts from the swimming movement. Or her leg does. Who knows...

The good news is, she is still alive. Although I hope she will start to eat more soon.

 

[ruthhope]

First exercise is always tiring. Good to focus on nutrition as her needs are much higher than normal until she is completely healed.

Please keep us updated. I am traveling to the UK Tuesday arriving Wednesday, but I will check my email on my phone while traveling. [I am not taking my ducks on this trip!!]

 

[Stipenvlerk]

First exercise is always tiring. Good to focus on nutrition as her needs are much higher than normal until she is completely healed.

Please keep us updated. I am traveling to the UK Tuesday arriving Wednesday, but I will check my email on my phone while traveling. [I am not taking my ducks on this trip!!]

Hop over to Holland! the duck is still going strong today she had a swim again. Went ok this time. I’ve started duck physiotherapy because her leg grows together i think (in a really weird way) but the foot is completely stiff… you can see the foot in the picture

 

[ruthhope]

Hop over to Holland! the duck is still going strong today she had a swim again. Went ok this time. I’ve started duck physiotherapy because her leg grows together i think (in a really weird way) but the foot is completely stiff… you can see the foot in the picture

View attachment 4006314

You may have to make a little prosthetic to strap the foot flat in a functional position. But the tendons may have contracted by the injury. So see if you can open the foot out flat or not. If you can try cutting a duck foot shape out in cardboard and then strapping the foot on to it. I you cannot open the foot out flat, you might have to strap it where it will open to, and each day see if you can flatten it a little more and strap it in that position so it doesn't get worse, and try gently each day to stretch the tendons further and strap until it comes flat. If the tendons have shortened, it could take weeks of gently stretching the foot and tendons and holding them with strapping, until you get the foot back to normal. Sometimes, to aid the process of flattening, it is helpful to put a little ball of cloth or other small rubber ball inside the foot inside the strapping

I have seen too many ducks that have been in car accidents and survived, become un releasable because the foot contracts and they can't walk. My friend has a make and a female muscovy with such deformed feet and they are permanently in her care now.

 

[ruthhope]

Hop over to Holland! the duck is still going strong today she had a swim again. Went ok this time. I’ve started duck physiotherapy because her leg grows together i think (in a really weird way) but the foot is completely stiff… you can see the foot in the picture

View attachment 4006314

How is your injured duck doing? Have you had any luck with physio for the stiff foot?

Please give us a progress update