Quickly Deteriorating Indian Runner Duck

[auce99]

We just left the vet. They did all the blood work and culturework with no definitive diagnosis. Her white cell counts did show that she’s fighting something, though (she’s always been a little fighter). He gave her a couple of different shots, including an antibiotic. Sent us home with some drops to give her, as well.

Basically said, it’s going to be her will to live/fight and our care for the next few days that really determines things. Good news is, she seems to be responding to the shots already, and since I work from home, she’ll continue to get the best care possible.

Please keep us in your thoughts the next few days!!

 

[Miss Lydia]

So great you got her in. If your already seeing some improvement then that is even better news.

 

[graypes]

how is she doing today??

 

[auce99]

how is she doing today??

She is slowly improving. Not out of the woods yet, but becoming a little more interactive, and just active, in general. At least as active as one can be, laying down.

She enjoyed her bath this morning, and while she wasn’t playing, like she normally does (head dunks, and such), she did more than just float. She was drinking a lot, and actually using her feet to swim more. All very encouraging.

But like I said, I don’t think we’re out of the woods yet. Still not eating (vet recommended fruit juice and Gatorade to keep calories in her), but starting to drink more. I think until we see her at least show interest in her favorite treats, we’re going to just be cautiously optimistic of her progression.

Thanks for asking! I’m hopeful to be able to post more positive posts about her, soon!

 

[graypes]

She is slowly improving. Not out of the woods yet, but becoming a little more interactive, and just active, in general. At least as active as one can be, laying down.

She enjoyed her bath this morning, and while she wasn’t playing, like she normally does (head dunks, and such), she did more than just float. She was drinking a lot, and actually using her feet to swim more. All very encouraging.

But like I said, I don’t think we’re out of the woods yet. Still not eating (vet recommended fruit juice and Gatorade to keep calories in her), but starting to drink more. I think until we see her at least show interest in her favorite treats, we’re going to just be cautiously optimistic of her progression.

Thanks for asking! I’m hopeful to be able to post more positive posts about her, soon!

My runner duck is in a similar state to yours right now so i totally get what you mean about the interest in the treats. Did the vet show you how to tube feed?? Thats how we are getting calories in my lil guy. If not, (idk if youve ever done it before) i’d def ask for a tutorial from the vet before you launch in, especially when it comes to amount

 

[auce99]

My runner duck is in a similar state to yours right now so i totally get what you mean about the interest in the treats. Did the vet show you how to tube feed?? Thats how we are getting calories in my lil guy. If not, (idk if youve ever done it before) i’d def ask for a tutorial from the vet before you launch in, especially when it comes to amount

Thankfully, she started eating peas this morning! Those are what I call her gateway food… she thinks it’s more of a treat, but we know how good they actually are for her, at this point. If she keeps us up, I’ll try her pellets later, to see if she digs into them (she absolutely LOVES her pellets!).

She’s also getting a lot more feisty when we giver her medicine to her - the sass is definitely coming back! So we continue to watch and react accordingly to her improvements (or lack of, if any).

 

[Miss Lydia]

How's your sweet duck tonight?

 

[auce99]

How's your sweet duck tonight?

She’s doing so much better today! Starting eating her pellets again (though much less in quantity) and she gaining her strength back. Even tried to stand on her own for the first time since last Saturday night. She even had enough strength for a little flapping of the wings after her bath this morning (though had to lay down right afterwards). And he sass is definitely back!

We still have her inside, of course, and she’s sleeping a lot. Starting to struggle when we give her the meds she needs, but I actually think she understands what they are and what we’re trying to do, cause once we have her in place, she actually does really well. I can’t imagine those drops tastes good!

Thank you all for continuing to ask about her! We’re about half way through the 10 days of meds - don’t plan on putting her back outside until we know she’s ready. She’s definitely on the right track, though!

 

[Miss Lydia]

That’s great news!! Sounds like she’s coming along really well. TLC means a lot in recovery to.

 

[auce99]

So an update… and maybe a solicitation for advice???

We went through all the meds, per vet directed (through last Wednesday, so it’s been a week), and she’s doing much better. I would say 90% there - won’t say 100% until I see an egg! Still a little lagging with the food intake, though, compared to how she used to be. But then I remember how I feel coming off of being sick… but the same??

But here’s some of the things I’m questioning… maybe you all could help shed some light. I question this, mainly because I’ve heard ducks will fake it for the ‘benefits’ of being sick (ie special treatment, different foods, etc). I’ll be the first to admit, we were probably spoiling her in our effort to make her feel better.

To start, she comes up to the house all the time now! And she’ll just lay by the door. She used to come up, on occasion, usually around mealtime.Full disclose, since she’s out of her enclosure, her mate is by her side. But he’s been extremely protective of her, and not ‘mate like’. They clearly missed each other SO much!

The other thing that I question is how she’ll fake eating when she knows I’m watching. Like treats in the pool… she’ll beak around the pool, pretending she’s going after the greens, but I can tell she does not eat any of it. Same with her duck food. If she know’s I’m watching… I have seen her eat from afar, and she seems to be eating enough to sustain herself. But maybe not? She’s definitely still drinking, no issues. But I want to see her eat! I don’t want to see her regress or get weak!

So… thoughts?? Is she faking it? Is there another issue that maybe the antibiotics didn’t take care of? Should I keep her separate from her mate a little longer?

TIA