Please help!

[Miss Lydia]

If at all possible I'd get Veterycin spray for wounds and infections and also Terramycin eye ointment not just for Ritz although either or both might help but because they are both great products to have in our med kit. Some B Complex liquid vitamins just because Pekins grow so fast they can be deficient in niacin and it sure won't hurt to give it to Ritz and any other Pekins you have. Poultry Nutri Drench is another great product to have on hand it can be given straight and goes into the blood system with out having to go through the gut first so fast acting.
I agree Ritz is probably just a tad behind his other flock mates in growth but he looks good other than his eyes. The saline washes should help but make sure he has buckets of water so that he can keep his eyes washed out. Add a tablespoon of ACV to a gal of water for head washing it is also a good tonic for our birds and us too.

 

[QuackerMama]

Thank you so much for all of your help! I'll do what I can and hopefully Ritz will get better. Do you think it's alright to put him back with his brothers now, since he's probably not contagious? He's very lonely and I worry for his mental health.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Yes put him back. Please keep us updated on how he is doing.

and if I hadn't said that before.

 

[QuackerMama]

Thank You! I'm sure Ritz will be very happy to see his brothers again!

 

[QuackerMama]

Update on Ritz:

I put him back with his brothers and they all seem much happier now. We gave all three ducks extra vitamins in their peas this morning. Ritz and Graham are inseparable once again. I watched them take a bath together this morning and as I did I noticed that Ritz doesn't preen right. Instead of scratching the corner of his mouth for oil or using his preening gland on his tail, he scratches his chest and then preens with an empty bill. What does that mean? Why does he do that? He doesn't seem to realize that he isn't doing it right, and that could be why he's not completely waterproof.

Here's Ritz and Graham in the pool. Ritz is on the left. You can see that his back is wet. I did give him a bath in Dawn dish soap because I read that it would help with wet feather but it only helped for a day. Any ideas? :/

 

[Miss Lydia]

Dawn soap strip all oils off the feathers that is why they use in in bird rescues when they have been in oil spills don't ever us soap on their feathers.

If I use dawn soap to wash dishes my hands are so dry afterwards it's awful.

Best thing to do is just let Ritz figure it out hopefully he'll get the hang of it by watching his buds. So he doesn't rub his bill or head over his oil gland at all. And I see mine a lot preening their chest feathers.

 

[QuackerMama]

Just thought I'd post an update on Ritz and his brothers. Ritz has improved greatly since I've given him vitamins! He no longer has rings around either eyes, his duckling fuzz has gone, and he's just as big as Graham now. He's a very happy duck! He's preening correctly and bathing regularly. Thank you for your help in making sure Ritz is Okay!

 

[Miss Lydia]

awesome news that's so much for updating on Ritz can we have some pics?

 

[QuackerMama]

Ritz has actually almost become the leader of the pack now XD

Ritz is the middle duck in this photo.

He's the middle duck here too. They looove the puddles. Ritz actually does an adorable dance when he gets into a puddle and it's so cute

 

[Miss Lydia]

Aww they are beautiful.. Thanks so much for sharing them with us.