Respiratory issues?

[austroberta]

I'm not sure if it is or not. How would I check?

So the opening and closing of her mouth seemed like a one time thing. I spent some time out in yard observing her and what I see is her mouth opens as if she wants to quack, but that weak, raspy sound comes out instead. She's not a huge quacker, but she makes a lot of sounds in other ways...when she eats, she makes all kinds of noises, as if she is really relishing her food, but she she hasn't done that today.

She seems slower and weaker than usual, but she is following her sisters around.

I called up the vet to see if I might get her an appt. and there are no appts available until July 1st! I could take her to another vet, but so far, they haven't impressed me with their knowledge or ability to help my ducks.

 

[Isaac 0]

Could you post a video of the breathing?

 

[austroberta]

Loss of interest in food, isolating herself from the flock, heavy breathing, gurgling noise are some really concerning signs that your duck is probably sick. If you think she has Gapeworm you could go ahead and treat with SafeGaurd Liquid Goat Wormer, the dose is 0.23ml per pound for Five straight days. Since the eggs are expelled through the affected birds' waste and then into the environment you’d probably want to treat the whole flock with it too.

The one thing that she be understood is Gapeworm isn’t very common, so other common diseases/conditions should be addressed first so you treat accordingly. As I mentioned above her symptoms are nonetheless abnormal and if you have the ability to a vet I would suggest doing so. Worming won't hurt much, so if you just want to rule out the possibility that she may have it, that's fine. You really don't want to be treating for the wrong thing, while the main problem worsens.

Thanks Isaac O. When I went out to observe her again, she is eating some and following her sisters around some. She is definitely not her usual self.

I tried to get an appointment with a vet, but the vet I have the most trust in doesn't have appointments until July 1st!

It doesn't seem as if she is doing a lot of heavy breathing.

 

[austroberta]

Could you post a video of the breathing?

I'll see if I can get video.

 

[Isaac 0]

Weight loss is a good sign that a bird may be sick, so you may start weighing her starting this morning, every morning and see if she is losing any weight. Good idea, to pay close attention to her feces too.

To upload a video, upload it to youtube or Vimeo and copy/paste the link here.

 

[austroberta]

Here's the video. Sage is the Fawn Runner Duck. I'm not sure if you can hear the raspy voice when she opens her bill.

 

[austroberta]

I went out to see her again and she's in the pool and I don't see her bill opening and closing. It's been hot today (80's) and she is really susceptible to heat (much more so than my other ducks). She tends to pant and has been spending a lot of time in her wading pool. She is still wanting to eat when she is in the pool. The lethargy could partly be due to the heat. All that being said, that raspy voice is disconcerting.

 

[austroberta]

Weight loss is a good sign that a bird may be sick, so you may start weighing her starting this morning, every morning and see if she is losing any weight. Good idea, to pay close attention to her feces too.

To upload a video, upload it to youtube or Vimeo and copy/paste the link here.

Thanks. I've tried to weigh her, but she is extremely nervous and fights me up and down when I pick her up, even when she is under the weather. She always tended to be a light duck, so it's hard for me to pick up on weight changes (unless I take her to the vet.)

Regarding her feces...that's a hard one, since she's a pool lounger on hot days, which makes looking at her poop next to impossible. The one poop I did see on dry land didn't seem off.

 

[Isaac 0]

Hmm, I don't know what to think of that, she appears to be a bright and healthy duck, but it almost looks like she trying to get something down her throat, have you tried running your hand along her neck for any obstructions, or checking inside her mouth? I have had duck hens go "raspy" for a week, one wouldn't talk for a week then she started talking again. If she seems to be eating/drinking normally I may just wait it out for a few days and see if the problem resolves itself. IMO, It doesn't look severe enough to be Gapeworm, but I may be wrong.

 

[austroberta]

Hmm, I don't know what to think of that, she appears to be a bright and healthy duck, but it almost looks like she trying to get something down her throat, have you tried running your hand along her neck for any obstructions, or checking inside her mouth? I have had duck hens go "raspy" for a week, one wouldn't talk for a week then she started talking again. If she seems to be eating/drinking normally I may just wait it out for a few days and see if the problem resolves itself. IMO, It doesn't look severe enough to be Gapeworm, but I may be wrong.

I haven't tried to see if she has any obstructions. I'll check tomorrow. She is doing that swallowing thing a lot. As far as eating and drinking is concerned, she still has appetite, but it seems diminished. It's usually the case that she's Johnny on the spot when we bring treats out, but she's slow to move towards them now. I also see that she is eating less of her duck food. She also seems a bit off in her energy levels. It could be because of the heat. I think she's not laying eggs either, but it could be because she went broody for a few days and stopped laying because of that.