Poorly duck :(

TattyJJ

In the Brooder
May 17, 2015
12
0
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Hi, hoping someone might be able to help....
One of my ducks this morning is really quite poorly.
Last night was totally fine and normal. But when I got up she wasn't walking right and quite lame, seemed to be choking and coughing a lot, is normally very noisy but not making a sound.
Over the course of a few hours she wasn't getting any better, by time got her to a vet she couldn't walk at all and just had her feet sticking out backwards. She was clearly very weak!
The vet wasn't a specialist in ducks but did the best he could, gave her a good check over. Said her breathing sounded fine and everything looked normal.
Gave her an antibiotic shot and an anti inflammatory/painkiller shot, and some more antibiotics for me to give her.
Since getting her home seems to have perked up a little bit but still not doing great.
She is drinking, offered her some peas (her fave) she took one, but appeared to choke on it and wouldn't take anything else.

Anyone got any ideas what might be up, and why she has got so much worse so quickly?

Thanks
 
Hi, hoping someone might be able to help....
One of my ducks this morning is really quite poorly.
Last night was totally fine and normal. But when I got up she wasn't walking right and quite lame, seemed to be choking and coughing a lot, is normally very noisy but not making a sound.
Over the course of a few hours she wasn't getting any better, by time got her to a vet she couldn't walk at all and just had her feet sticking out backwards. She was clearly very weak!
The vet wasn't a specialist in ducks but did the best he could, gave her a good check over. Said her breathing sounded fine and everything looked normal.
Gave her an antibiotic shot and an anti inflammatory/painkiller shot, and some more antibiotics for me to give her.
Since getting her home seems to have perked up a little bit but still not doing great.
She is drinking, offered her some peas (her fave) she took one, but appeared to choke on it and wouldn't take anything else.

Anyone got any ideas what might be up, and why she has got so much worse so quickly?

Thanks
@TattyJJ So sorry, they can hide things so well and then boom they are showing they are sick. Did the vet look down her throat for a blockage? did he do a fecal? where do you keep her? reason for asking there is a parasite called gape worm that lodges in the esophagus and can cause choking and they loose their voice. it can be treated with a safe wormer. to look for gape worms one has to take a qtip or cotton swab and gently roll it around in the throat what comes out are a red worms with 2 heads. pretty gross but they can kill our poultry. I lost a rooster to gape worms. It could be she just has something stuck in her throat too, does she drink water at all since you have noticed her acting this way and is she eating? feel along her neck gently and see if you can feel anything out of ordinary. What is her poop looking like?

@casportpony is a good one with wormers and hopefully can add something here.
 
Thanks for your reply.
The vet looked down her throat and said looked healthy and nothing out of the ordinary.
No idea what a fecal is??
She is drinking ok, if a little cautiously. She seemed to be perking up a little, has got out of the coop on her own and moving around a little, very wobbly on her feet though. Literally just took some peas and sweet corn and meal worms from me.
He poo looks watery with lots of white?
I have another duck too, she seems totally fine and acting normal!
The both have free raign of the garden with a paddling pool and a chicken coop where they lay.
I can get them a wormer tomorrow, but I'd have thought they both would have it?
 
Thanks for your reply.
The vet looked down her throat and said looked healthy and nothing out of the ordinary.
No idea what a fecal is??
She is drinking ok, if a little cautiously. She seemed to be perking up a little, has got out of the coop on her own and moving around a little, very wobbly on her feet though. Literally just took some peas and sweet corn and meal worms from me.
He poo looks watery with lots of white?
I have another duck too, she seems totally fine and acting normal!
The both have free raign of the garden with a paddling pool and a chicken coop where they lay.
I can get them a wormer tomorrow, but I'd have thought they both would have it?
@TattyJJ It may not be gape but anytime there is trouble swallowing or having trouble eating or drinking sends up a red flag. A fecal is where the vet will look at her poop under a microscope for parasites. Before just randomly worming I'd ask the vet and see which wormer they recommend.Or if you can bring in some poop and they will take a look at it for parasites. If it was parasites it could just mean your other duck doesn't have the same load as this one that is sick. Hopefully it is just something she ate that is throwing her off for a few days. What about eating could she have eaten anything in your garden that could have made her sick?
Does she lay eggs? When did she lay last? She could have some kind of infection and hopefully the antibiotics will take care of it if thats it. Please keep us updated on her.
 
Ahh ok, no he didn't do a fecal. If things don't improve I'll have that done.
She normally lays every day in the morning. Did yesterday, but nothing today. Though she occasionally skips a day so I don't think that's a huge problem?
There is nothing in the garden that could make her sick that I'm aware of.
But she does love to make mud and dig a lot. So it's quite possible she found something. Plus I understand gapeworm can come from slugs or worms they find....
Problem I have now is its late Saturday and being Sunday tomorrow there is no way I'll get her to a vet without a triple figure fee...
I haven't wormed them since I got them early in the year, so in fairness it probably needs doing anyway.
I'm hoping I can find a feed supplier that is open on a Sunday and sells wormer.
I've also read that some apple cider vinegar in the water can help.
 
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Ahh ok, no he didn't do a fecal. If things don't improve I'll have that done.
She normally lays every day in the morning. Did yesterday, but nothing today. Though she occasionally skips a day so I don't think that's a huge problem?
There is nothing in the garden that could make her sick that I'm aware of.
But she does love to make mud and dig a lot. So it's quite possible she found something. Plus I understand gapeworm can come from slugs or worms they find....
Problem I have now is its late Saturday and being Sunday tomorrow there is no way I'll get her to a vet without a triple figure fee...
I haven't wormed them since I got them early in the year, so in fairness it probably needs doing anyway.
I'm hoping I can find a feed supplier that is open on a Sunday and sells wormer.
I've also read that some apple cider vinegar in the water can help.
Yes ACV is awesome but are you adding her antibiotic to her water? if you are then wait till after your through with the antibiotic before using the ACV. Mine eat alot of worms and slugs during warm month and so far none of my Ducks or geese have gotten Gape on my one rooster. If you can get the wormer SafeGuard{ it maybe called something else where you are} UK? but that is a good all round wormer and safe to use. She may not not laid today because she isn't feeling her best.
 
No apparently I have to give her the antibiotic directly.
He said to basically use the syringe and squirt it down her neck as best as possible. The dose is only 1ml twice a day.
I've massaged a local chicken/geese breeder about a wormer, see what they say.
But I'll have a look see if I can get that one here.
Thanks
 
No apparently I have to give her the antibiotic directly.
He said to basically use the syringe and squirt it down her neck as best as possible. The dose is only 1ml twice a day.
I've massaged a local chicken/geese breeder about a wormer, see what they say.
But I'll have a look see if I can get that one here.
Thanks
You can't just squirt it down their throats, if it goes i nto her air sacs the equivalent of lungs on us humans she can get Pneumonia. It has to be given if your facing her to the left side of her throat Can you get someone to hold her then you can gently open her bill and look inside to the back you'll see the hole right in the middle that is where you don't want the meds to go , you need to put the needleless syringe on the left side as far down into the throat to pass the hole. and then gently squeeze not squirt.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...g-and-wormer-misinformations-graphic-pictures
Here is some good info when you have time..
 
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I tried as you said, was ok yesterday while my partner was here to help. But proved impossible at 6:30 in the morning on my own! Ha
Was going to try putting it on a little bread, but she won't eat bread. Found if I put it on a big handful of mealworms she took it all down no problems :)

Seems she has just got better as quickly as she got poorly! I spoke to someone local who breeds chickens and geese and she thought it could have been an ear infection, but was pretty strange all round.
Also said would be a good idea to worm them just in case though.
 
I tried as you said, was ok yesterday while my partner was here to help. But proved impossible at 6:30 in the morning on my own! Ha
Was going to try putting it on a little bread, but she won't eat bread. Found if I put it on a big handful of mealworms she took it all down no problems
smile.png


Seems she has just got better as quickly as she got poorly! I spoke to someone local who breeds chickens and geese and she thought it could have been an ear infection, but was pretty strange all round.
Also said would be a good idea to worm them just in case though.

I tried as you said, was ok yesterday while my partner was here to help. But proved impossible at 6:30 in the morning on my own! Ha
Was going to try putting it on a little bread, but she won't eat bread. Found if I put it on a big handful of mealworms she took it all down no problems
smile.png


Seems she has just got better as quickly as she got poorly! I spoke to someone local who breeds chickens and geese and she thought it could have been an ear infection, but was pretty strange all round.
Also said would be a good idea to worm them just in case though.
@TattyJJ Yes it is defiently a 2 man job. lol glad you finally figured out what she would eat to take her meds though. and great news she is feeling so much better. This is a good time to worm if your ducks are slow in egg laying because of winter. you have to toss the eggs for about 14 days after worming. or if you have a dog cook the eggs up for him.
 
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