Peking duck with balance problems!

[kmanndel]

We rescued a male Peking duck back in May after being found wondering the streets of a city for who knows how long without the proper food & water. His feathers were all scraggly looking due to lack of oil production so we gave him a bath with Dawn dish soap which did the trick plus medicated duck food with niacin since Peking ducks tend to have walking issues.
For the first month that we had him, he was walking around just fine with the rest of the ducks but he was always slower than the rest. Unfortunately a majority of our ducks were killed and he & another duck were all that remained. Ever since then, we’ve kept him & the other duck in a fenced in area and Lucky (the Peking duck) has had issues with his balance. When standing, he’d always have a foot out and balancing like a drunk person and then it turned into him using his wings for balance and most recently he’s not walking at all anymore. He can’t even groom himself properly after getting out of the pool so his feathers are getting all scraggly looking again. We tried giving him Aspirin for awhile in water in combination with Niacin. But nothing seems to help. We were thinking he has spine or brain issues but we really don’t know. We’re running out of ideas so please help me!

 

[kmanndel]

Damn autocorrect! *Pekin

 

[HopefulBeginnin]

I'm disappointed that you haven't had a reply with suggestions on this question. I am dealing with a similar issue with one I took in as a rescue (but mine suffered an accident before I took him in). How long has Lucky been getting worse with his balance and using his wings for balance? Did that happen after the loss of the rest of the flock? Were they attacked and is it possible that Lucky got injured in an attack? Is he still eating? Mine is not eating on his own. He was very dehydrated and thin when I took him in so I have been soaking his food (with extra water left in since ducks eat by filtering through water) and adding crushed ibuprofen to it and I have to actually hold the bowl in front of him and give him time to eat it. I do this twice a day. I also add some scrambled or boiled egg, bird seed since all my birds love the wild bird seed as a treat, and freeze dried meal worms. My guy has really bad squirty stinky stools, but I am noticing that they aren't quite so runny and are starting to get a little bit more thickness to them. And last night for the first time (I've had him a week now), he actually bathed in his shallow pool (I put him in it twice a day)...he dunked his head and cleared out his nares/nostrils and tried to preen his chest. Now to just get him eating on his own and using his legs (and his stools corrected). I have suspicion that his back/spine is injured. I ran across your post as I was searching the web for more information about back injuries in ducks. A vet visit is not possible. We named ours Dizzy since that is how he acts.

 

[MEEKSandPITTS]

I had a similar problem with one of my Pekins, walking like she was drunk and so on, I took her to the vet and turns out it was a spinal injury, the vet recommended water/swimming therapy, but what really helped her heal was to put blankets in a plastic container and put her in there to rest, so she couldn’t move around that much and just let her body heal and after a day or two of that she recovered nicely! I’m so sorry this is happening to your duck I hope this helps

 

[MEEKSandPITTS]

I had a similar problem with one of my Pekins, walking like she was drunk and so on, I took her to the vet and turns out it was a spinal injury, the vet recommended water/swimming therapy, but what really helped her heal was to put blankets in a plastic container and put her in there to rest, so she couldn’t move around that much and just let her body heal and after a day or two of that she recovered nicely! I’m so sorry this is happening to your duck I hope this helps

Just to make it more clear, I used a container with the lid off haha, and I dunked her food in water before feeding her because she had trouble eating

 

[HollowOfWisps]

-Have you checked for bumbles or heat in the legs?
Infections and injuries are best to always rule out first with a thorough exam. Even something like bumble foot if in advanced stages can make a duck lame.

-What brand of feed?
Many duck feeds only have the very bare minimum niacin required for ducks and pekins need much more niacin than other breeds.

-What brand of niacin and were you only giving it in water or via syringe or injection?
Adding niacin to water can be great for preventive measures, but once a duck is showing signs of a niacin deficiency it is always best to give dosage via syringe orally or injection otherwise it's hard for them to get the appropriate amount.

-Any vets around or possible?
Since your duck is showing signs of a possible spine injury or other serious issue along with not being able to walk I would highly recommend a veterinarian at this point.