Prolapsed Vent on Four Year Old Silver Appleyard Duck - Extended Care

[Miss Lydia]

What precious pictures and wonderful memories.
Makes me tear up thinking about how much she is cared for and loved by all of you. And she still has spunk. Way to go Mouse.

 

[3bird]

Please talk to me about tube feeding. We sought the go-ahead from our vet and received it, but it came too late yesterday to purchase a tube. This is the every other Saturday that there is no vet in the office, but the receptionist distributing meds says they don't have one.

Note: We lost power, so we can't warm the room or use a blender to blend the food. We also don't have a feeding tune (though we are trying hard to find one).

One other question: the rain has stopped (for the moment), but the outdoor temp is in the mid-50s. It's 70 and falling in the bathroom.where Mouse is. We have not let her have a bath this morning (because no power), and we're nervous about bringing her out with the temp difference. We're assuming she will have a hard time thermoregulating given her condition. Are we being too cautious? She does seem depressed without the social interaction (from her own species), and her baths are when she drinks.

Here are feces from overnight:

Edit: We have read the awesome threads here.

 

[Auntiejessi3]

@Eggcessive I think they can help with the tube feeding

 

[Miss Lydia]

Have you seen and read this one?
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/tube-feeding-ducks-updated-5-7-2020.1211994/
This is how I learned. I did have everything already on hand though. Pet smart or another pet store should have what you need even the Kaytee baby bird food.
As for taking her outside can you keep her dry? or possibly have one of her favorites visit indoors . I hope you get power back up soon.
Didn't look like there was any blood in her poop? and she must be eating something. She has pooped.

 

[3bird]

Have you seen and read this one?
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/tube-feeding-ducks-updated-5-7-2020.1211994/
This is how I learned. I did have everything already on hand though. Pet smart or another pet store should have what you need even the Kaytee baby bird food.
As for taking her outside can you keep her dry? or possibly have one of her favorites visit indoors . I hope you get power back up soon.
Didn't look like there was any blood in her poop? and she must be eating something. She has pooped.

@Miss Lydia , Thank you. We did read that, and we are ready to try but we can't find a feeding tube anywhere, and of course, it's the holiday.

We did take Mouse out yesterday for a couple hours, and Angus was SO glad to see her. He came running across the field making his little boy duck quacks when he saw the carrier.

It was not raining, and she seemed to enjoy being out with her buddies, although she is clearly much weaker now. Still she will preen and flap her wings, but every action like that exhausts her. She spent a lot of time just tucked in together with Angus, Stella and Amelia.

She continues to be defensive when Amelia or Stella tries to eat her worms, which is amazing. When we went to bring her in, we opened her pen to get her carrier, and she stood right up, stepped over the opening (pretty big step) and walked right over to Angus. She then proceeded to walk around a bit, and Angus just politely and lovingly followed her. So sweet!

We brought her in, and we have a space heater now in the bathroom, which she really likes. She spent some of the afternoon tucked up close to it with her bill tucked under her wing. She looks comfortable and very peaceful. She was, however, up for energetic swimming in the tub before evening meds. It's amazing to us that she still gets so energetic. She swims, drifts, quacks. She even tried to do a couple wing flaps while swimming. Amazing. We offered her every variety of food of which we could think. She would pick and nibble a little and maybe ate one a worm, but again, no real eating. It's remarkable how strong she is when we swaddle her for her pills. She is still drinking well when in the tub, and she is clearing her nares and eyes under the faucet.

Last night we crated her in the bathroom with food and water and the heater on. In the morning, she was sitting at the door, alert and ready to come out when we opened the door. She had a good swim, and again we offered her everything under the sun to eat. We have not tried scrambled eggs yet...maybe this afternoon. She is now sitting in front of the heater drying off.

It's raining a cool (cold!) today, and so I don't think we'll be able to take her out. Is there a risk of letting her swim too much, as long as she is still preening and has the heater when she gets out? She seems happiest in the tub. It's also the time she drinks and nibbles on things.

Thank again, you all. We love this girl Mouse!

 

[Miss Lydia]

I see no problem at all letting her swim if she enjoys it and she is warm.
What was the vets diagnosis? sorry if you already said and I missed it.
When my Runner was sick last year. Sadly we haven't an Avian vet or even a vet who will see poultry, I took another Runner to a vet in the next county for a bumble I had never seen before. And she did give meds. But that was it. I had to get the infection out. Anyway My Runner wouldn't eat so I brought her in started antibiotics {Baytril] and began tube feeding her she was my Experiment on tube feeding and using a scalpel to get out a bumble that didn't have a scab. Believe me both was scary but I have a book that has the title
"Where there is no Vet" so it was doing this or losing her. Saying all of this to say tubing her should help her unless the Vet thinks she is not going to make it either way.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Well, I sure made a mess of that reply My runner who had the bumble wasn't the one that was sick, Two different stories I just jumbled them both together. I sure hope you can find a feeding tube. I know @casportpony also has said aquarium tubing will work too you just have to take a match to the end so it doesn't cut the throat.

 

[KaleIAm]

I tube fed my duck Plantain 3 times daily for a month, and for her and me it was the right choice. She had barely eaten for over 24 hours, only about 3 mealworms total - she rejected all other foods. She was getting wobbly, lethargic, appeared to be in pain, was dehydrated, and within 30 minutes of the vets tube feeding her she was 80% better. Her eyes just suddenly opened more and her symptoms, which I thought were illness, went away. Now I believe those symptoms were caused by dehydration/not enough calories. She was still sick, which was causing her anorexia.

The vet sent me home with the red catheter, syringes, and Emeraid formula. Most people here use Kaytee baby bird formula. I think the Emeraid is thinner - so easier to push down, and higher in calories, but you can only buy it from a vet. I bought more syringes on Amazon so I could use a new one everytime. The plungers get sticky with use, and I felt that a smooth delivery was important.

For my duck Thimbleberry we did things differently. Because she had terminal inoperable cancer and was in a lot of pain I decided to have her euthanized at our vets when she stopped eating. I considered stronger pain meds and tube feeding but decided it would be for my benefit and not hers.

Tube feeding can be really stressful and emotionally challenging. I got pretty good at it, but it never became a stress free procedure. When considering the stress for Plantain I just remembered all the stress free minutes she had during the day.

If you do it I recommend wearing a headlamp like hikers use to see down Mouse's throat. That was very helpful for me. The vets have those high powered lights to assist them. And after inserting the tube put your hand on her chest for a moment to feel her breathing. If she is breathing you'll know you have the tube placed correctly.

 

[Miss Lydia]

 

[3bird]

Well, I sure made a mess of that reply My runner who had the bumble wasn't the one that was sick, Two different stories I just jumbled them both together. I sure hope you can find a feeding tube. I know @casportpony also has said aquarium tubing will work too you just have to take a match to the end so it doesn't cut the throat.

We're going to order the book! Thank you. We've read about aquarium tubing, but we've heard mixed things. We generally tend to go with what @casportpony says, but we'd read some horror stories too by first timers. I'm sure it can work...we were just nervous about it.