Pekin duck lame leg

[Kellyeandjosh]

I rescued a 1 year old pekin duck. She lived with chickens before (had issues with walking and thought she was a chicken). The rooster pecked her to the point she was sitting in her own mess. I got her and have had her nearly 3 weeks. I have gotten everything healed except her leg. She will limp and use her wing as a crutch. I have tried water therapy. She lets me pick her up. Once she’s in the pool I have to remove her as she can’t get out herself. Any ideas of what I could do to help her? I have checked with numerous vets and they will not see her. (The pictures of her beak are to show how bad he had pecked her)

 

[Isaac 0]

Welcome to BYC - Could you provide some information in regards to the physical findings on the leg?

Is there any swelling?
Is there any scabbing/discoloration/ or visible lesions?
When you bend the joints do you hear cracking, or popping in the leg?

Do you know how long she has had a leg problem?
Is she able to use the leg at all, or does she mainly keep it outstretched during the day?

 

[Kellyeandjosh]

No swelling, no visible signs of injury, however I’m certain the rooster pecked it.

Welcome to BYC - Could you provide some information in regards to the physical findings on the leg?

Is there any swelling?
Is there any scabbing/discoloration/ or visible lesions?
When you bend the joints do you hear cracking, or popping in the leg?

Do you know how long she has had a leg problem?
Is she able to use the leg at all, or does she mainly keep it outstretched during the day?

there is no scabbing, no discoloration unless it’s been dragging behind her for quite some time then it looks like it’s poor blood flow. I’ll attempt to find a picture of that. I hear no popping. I would say she has been dragging it since I got her 3 weeks ago and about 1 week before I got her. She’s never walked right... she would step on her own feet when walking. It usually stretched out like the photo but she can pull it up sometimes into the coop.

 

[Isaac 0]

I find it likely she developed a musculoskeletal condition when she was young, more specifically a niacin deficiency which can cause the bird to walk pigeon-toed, and if not treated can lead to perosis, and irreversible damage to the leg. Leg problems are extremely common with Pekins due to their fast growth rate, and heavy size.

With a bird who has had a leg deformity for such a long period of time, the prognosis for recovery is low excluding surgical corrections.

There are ways to help the bird live with its condition, but it would still appear such treatment would not totally treat the problem. In your previous post, you mentioned you have been practicing water/hydrotherapy with the duck - that is a great way to help the duck relieve the weight of its body, reduce inflammation, and practice movement in the legs. Ensuring the duck gets in the water at least once a day would be great.

When out of the water, it would be preferred that the duck be on soft grounds as excessive pressure on hard grounds can lead to hock sores, which can eventually lead to bone infections or bumblefoot. Nutritionally therapy, focusing on niacin (B3) could show potential improvement in her condition. Products that can be used are mentioned in this post:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/niacin-deficiency-in-waterfowl.1367557/