Pompom Duck has her eyes infected

[Aunt Angus]

I have seen several videos on YT where poultry "eggsperts" are claiming that birds can die if they are exposed to rapid temperature changes, like being moved from the bitter cold outside into the warm house or vice versa?
What do you think about that?
I want Iris to spend the night with the other ducks in the duck-house, she really enjoys quacking with them in the evening, but the forecast for tonight is -4° (25F), that is a big difference to what we have inside.

Idk. I might be hesitant to do that if she is already ill/stressed. It's a tough situation all the way around. I wish I was an "eggspert" so I could give you sound advice.

 

[Line]

Hi Friends,

Pompom Duck is battling with eye-infections since two weeks now: First she kept one eye closed, then the other, things got better but since last weekend she has both of her eyes infected and keeps them closed as much as she can, just dozing off the days.
When i hand out treats, she won't eat them i assume she can't find them fast enough before the others gobble them up, but in the evening she is viciously defending her place at the supper-bowl.
I have added a cup of vitamin-c infused rice to their diet since Sunday evening and Pompom has eaten a lot of it.
Finally, yesterday, i was able to sneak up to her while she was dozing at the rim of the pond and grab her.
I am deaf and full of scratches now, so she is still a strong birb. And she pooped me…
I cleaned the feathers around her eyes with a saline soaked piece of cotton and applied a generous amount of antibiotic cream around her eyes in the hope that some of it would end up in the eye, then release her back to the flock. Immediately she jumped into the pond and started to bathe of the pesky fat that the dumb humon has smeared in her face and refused to come out of the pond until dinner time. (Vitamin C rice again!)
Here she is, bobbing in the pond, actually swimming backwards. After about one minute i managed to zoom in more closely and you can see that she keeps her eyes closed as much as she can.

Update from today: Her eyes look better today, so maybe some of the antibiotics got to work

Hi! Eye infection is the most common trouble with ducks. Apart from that, they have a fabulous immune system and can survive incredible things. But their eyes are their Achilles' heel, and they definitely need to have access to fresh water that is deep enough for them to wash their head often. I find they sometimes have small injuries due to their sharp-pointed claws (I have muskovy ducks). Once the eye is infected, it is probably wise to keep on adding antibiotic cream for some days, until it goes away totally. If your duck is not hand tame, it means you will have to run her up several times, so you have to be more fit than her! Luckily, they normally don't last long in top speed.

 

[Canadian Wind]

Bring PomPom in with Iris? And put in ear plugs?

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Hi! Eye infection is the most common trouble with ducks. Apart from that, they have a fabulous immune system and can survive incredible things. But their eyes are their Achilles' heel, and they definitely need to have access to fresh water that is deep enough for them to wash their head often. I find they sometimes have small injuries due to their sharp-pointed claws (I have muskovy ducks). Once the eye is infected, it is probably wise to keep on adding antibiotic cream for some days, until it goes away totally. If your duck is not hand tame, it means you will have to run her up several times, so you have to be more fit than her! Luckily, they normally don't last long in top speed.

So far i have been lucky here, there were way more sprained hips and legs, punctured webbies and scratched heads and necks here than infected eyes. In fact that was the very first time when bacteria (i hope the vet is right!) have infested my duck's eyes.
Scratches around the eyes and even injuries are common with ducks during mating season, the drakeholes grab the feathers in the neck or on the head to hold in and if there are none left they use the eye-lids. Been there had Violeta duck for a couple of days living on my patio with multiple ointment treatments in and around her eyes, but something like this now is new here.
That happened not as the result of a mechanical injury, that was a pure bacterial infection that came out of nowhere.

Run up to a duck? 4getabouthat!!!

They are called Runner Ducks for a reason! And they have way more traction on the currently muddy ground and can change their direction instantaneously.

The only reasons why i can get a hold on Pompom and Iris Duck is that they won't see me coming in time. Once they have just one eye returned back to normal, i don;t stand a chance.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Bring PomPom in with Iris? And put in ear plugs?

I would never be able to remove those ear-plugs, they would be slammed into my ear-canals with the force of a jack-hammer!

And having two of them ganged up on me together?! - I doubt anyone would be able to survive that.

 

[Canadian Wind]

I would never be able to remove those ear-plugs, they would be slammed into my ear-canals with the force of a jack-hammer!

And having two of them ganged up on me together?! - I doubt anyone would be able to survive that.

Or, it might calm both of them down...

I wonder... All this unseasonal weather we've been having is bound to have woken bacteria that are normally not there right now.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Good news and not so good news:

• Biiiiiig noise outside in front of the patio: 20 Mallards and 47 Ducks demanded to be fed and in the middle of them all: PomPom Duck!
• And when i distributed the mixture of layer-pellets, BOSS, cracked corn and cat-food she walked up to one of the piles and stuffed herself. That is the first time in 1½ weeks that i see here eating outside the duck-house. Her vision is getting better day by day.
• Iris Duck: Today she pooped a lot. A LOT! - Green/white watery poop, i assume the doxycycline is killing off everything in her intestines.
• She ate only ~20 grams of cat-food today and turned her bill away from the food container, once quacked angry when the container followed her bill and wouldn't give up.
• But she drank almost a full glass of water - with a teaspoon of glucose added.
• And she is still strong as you could see on my scratched hands and neck.
• She is definitely able to see something on her right eye, she tries to pull away when my finger gets near the eye to apply the ointment.

 

[Aunt Angus]

Good news and not so good news:

• Biiiiiig noise outside in front of the patio: 20 Mallards and 47 Ducks demanded to be fed and in the middle of them all: PomPom Duck!
• And when i distributed the mixture of layer-pellets, BOSS, cracked corn and cat-food she walked up to one of the piles and stuffed herself. That is the first time in 1½ weeks that i see here eating outside the duck-house. Her vision is getting better day by day.
• Iris Duck: Today she pooped a lot. A LOT! - Green/white watery poop, i assume the doxycycline is killing off everything in her intestines.
• She ate only ~20 grams of cat-food today and turned her bill away from the food container, once quacked angry when the container followed her bill and wouldn't give up.
• But she drank almost a full glass of water - with a teaspoon of glucose added.
• And she is still strong as you could see on my scratched hands and neck.
• She is definitely able to see something on her right eye, she tries to pull away when my finger gets near the eye to apply the ointment.

I find that antibiotics upset their tummies and can cause diarrhea. I'm sure it will get better when she is off of them.

 

[Aunt Angus]

You can also offer a probiotic, like yogurt, maybe?

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Or, it might calm both of them down...

I wonder... All this unseasonal weather we've been having is bound to have woken bacteria that are normally not there right now.

They would fight each other if i set them down into the same laundry basket!
Pompom is a Puddle Duck and Iris is with the main flock…