PLEASE HELP MY DUCK ATE A BEER CAP

[laurenluckyriri]

I was cleaning out my duck coop with my mother in law and she must have thrown her beer cap on the ground and one of my ducks ate it! its 7 pm here and I dont know what to do! she's just a little muscovy, is she going to die? I read that if ducks eat metal it will probably result in death. I'm so upset!! Please help

 

[Amiga]

Tough spot

Metal is dangerous for ducks to eat. Did the beer cap go all the way down the throat? One concern is choking. You saw the duck eat it? Little Muscovy - adult or duckling?

A good vet would be best. Sometimes they pass things like this that they eat, sometimes they get stuck.

There are medicines called chelating substances, that can help prevent metal from getting into the bloodstream - really, a knowledgeable vet is needed.

@casportpony

@Orca5094

I saw one web page that said the caps are generally made from steel. That may be good news, as steel is not a very reactive metal. So the biggest concern is that the cap might cause a digestive blockage. Does the duck get grit?

There is a possibility that the cap will pass and she will be okay. I would watch her closely, pay attention to her poop - if she gets blocked, there won't be much coming out.

 

[laurenluckyriri]

Tough spot

Metal is dangerous for ducks to eat.  Did the beer cap go all the way down the throat?  One concern is choking.  You saw the duck eat it?  Little Muscovy - adult or duckling?

A good vet would be best.  Sometimes they pass things like this that they eat, sometimes they get stuck.

There are medicines called chelating substances, that can help prevent metal from getting into the bloodstream - really, a knowledgeable vet is needed.

@casportpony


@Orca5094


I saw one web page that said the caps are generally made from steel.  That may be good news, as steel is not a very reactive metal.  So the biggest concern is that the cap might cause a digestive blockage.  Does the duck get grit? 

There is a possibility that the cap will pass and she will be okay.  I would watch her closely, pay attention to her poop - if she gets blocked, there won't be much coming out.

I didn't really see her eat it but she was running with it in her mouth so we tried to chase her and then it was gone- it was a red cap and I couldn't find it anywhere and I assumed she ate it. Those little buggers scarf down things if you start to chase them to get it. She's the smallest one and she is about 4 months old so I have no idea how she would have swallowed it but I picked her up and felt her throat and she didn't choke or anything and I opened her bill and didn't see anything! I'm really hoping she didn't eat it but I'm almost positive she didn't drop it because we would have found it I think. I'm worried it will cut her inside!

 

[Amiga]

That is a risk, I wish I could tell you otherwise.

If her stool starts to look dark and tar-like, that could be a sign of bleeding. Something that is said to help heal internal bleeding (this is old, traditional folk medicine) is comfrey, I will let you look that up and decide if you want to try it. I give my ducks comfrey leaves for treats - it is often used for livestock feed as part of their diet.

But she may dodge the bullet, it may pass without harm. Prayers out. Please please keep us posted. I do not get to check the Duck Forum as much as I used to, so please PM me if you want to any time. I usually get notices on my email from PMs.

 

[casportpony]

I think that if she swallowed a bottle cap that you would be able to feel it in her esophagus or crop.

-Kathy

 

[Amiga]

I was wondering about that, Kathy, if gently feeling around the digestive tract would be a way to track it. Thanks for checking in!

 

[casportpony]

I was wondering about that, Kathy, if gently feeling around the digestive tract would be a way to track it. Thanks for checking in!

I can palpate pills in the crop after I've given them, and a bottle cap is so much bigger, so I'm thinking it would be fairly obvious.

-Kathy

 

[chickens really]

I bet she never swallowed it.....My Son threw a cap on the ground...My ducks played with it...I found it in the pool...They pick up rocks and carry them around...Little piles of rocks at my garage door, dog bones, string...They like silly things...
If it was swallowed? Surgery is an option to remove it...x-ray will show it....

Cheers!

 

[Orca5094]

Yes, do a super thorough search of the area for that bottle cap, she likely dropped it somewhere. If you still can't find it though, I would take her to a vet for an x-ray to be safe. Then you'll know for sure if it's in there or not, and they can help find the right course of action. Back when I was a bird keeper we had a duck who had swallowed some staples (left by some careless construction guys in her pen). We tried to remove them through endoscopy, but ended up having to open her up to remove them from her gizzard. It was a fairly simple procedure for our vet (I got to assist), and she made a full recovery.

 

[laurenluckyriri]

I think that if she swallowed a bottle cap that you would be able to feel it in her esophagus or crop.

-Kathy

thankfully you were right!! I found it this morning (they were running around with it again) but I couldn't last night which is what scared me, just did a sweep of their pen and didn't find anything else, THANK GOODNESS.