Runners lost quack, respiratory issue

[EvaluationUnit]

Hey there,

Hoping some of you may have an idea of what's going on here. Two of my adult runners came down with some sort of ailment. I only have 2 runners so these are the only 2 in the flock affected out of a flock of 6 ducks total. What we noticed is that both ducks are struggling to quack (one more than the other) and my blue runner is having labored breathing.

After bringing them to the vet, a test for avian flu (negative, thankfully), and a week of antibiotics (tylosin), neither of these girls seem any better. Both are still eating and drinking, though my blue runner is less able to than my fawn and white runner (she seems, understandably, tired). Neither appear to be laying eggs. I've called the vet back who wants to see them again, but is scheduled out pretty far in advance.

Is there anything I can do to aid them in the meantime? I have about 3 days left on the antibiotic just to finish it out but if there's anything over the counter I can try whether they've got a virus or otherwise I'd love to try it.

Thank you!

 

[Lauraduck]

Hey there,

Hoping some of you may have an idea of what's going on here. Two of my adult runners came down with some sort of ailment. I only have 2 runners so these are the only 2 in the flock affected out of a flock of 6 ducks total. What we noticed is that both ducks are struggling to quack (one more than the other) and my blue runner is having labored breathing.

After bringing them to the vet, a test for avian flu (negative, thankfully), and a week of antibiotics (tylosin), neither of these girls seem any better. Both are still eating and drinking, though my blue runner is less able to than my fawn and white runner (she seems, understandably, tired). Neither appear to be laying eggs. I've called the vet back who wants to see them again, but is scheduled out pretty far in advance.

Is there anything I can do to aid them in the meantime? I have about 3 days left on the antibiotic just to finish it out but if there's anything over the counter I can try whether they've got a virus or otherwise I'd love to try it.

Thank you!

Hi! I have runners too, and have been through all sorts of respiratory and other problems with them. Mine have an ongoing problem with trichomonas, which is a Protozoa that lives in mud and loves wet areas, and is very contagious, transmitted by wild birds. I'm lucky enough to have an awesome avian vet, and at this point she's starting to wonder if runners ar particularly susceptible to Trich since she doesn't see it much in other ducks, such as Muscovies.

When my runners get trich, they're a variety of symptoms, some more subtle than others- hoarseness, coughing, weight loss, a slow down in egg production, acting tired, coughing and shaking their heads, etc.

You can ask your vet to run a fecal test or do a gram stain- if it's trich they can see the protozoans under the microscope. The snag is, the treatment is not approved for "food birds" so vets cannot prescribe it. BUT- you can order online. It's called ronidazole and the dosage is

For trichomoniasis:
6-10 mg/kg PO q24h x 6-10d. (Speer BL 2016

My birds are around 2kg, so they get 20mg per bird per day. You can dissolve it in water and do the math for the dosage. If it's trichomoniasis you should see an improvement in 2-3 days

Here's a link where to buy
https://jedds.com/products/ronivet-s-vetafarm?_pos=2&_sid=98ca00857&_ss=r

Hope this helps! Let me know what happens!

 

[Cki89]

Hey there,

Hoping some of you may have an idea of what's going on here. Two of my adult runners came down with some sort of ailment. I only have 2 runners so these are the only 2 in the flock affected out of a flock of 6 ducks total. What we noticed is that both ducks are struggling to quack (one more than the other) and my blue runner is having labored breathing.

After bringing them to the vet, a test for avian flu (negative, thankfully), and a week of antibiotics (tylosin), neither of these girls seem any better. Both are still eating and drinking, though my blue runner is less able to than my fawn and white runner (she seems, understandably, tired). Neither appear to be laying eggs. I've called the vet back who wants to see them again, but is scheduled out pretty far in advance.

Is there anything I can do to aid them in the meantime? I have about 3 days left on the antibiotic just to finish it out but if there's anything over the counter I can try whether they've got a virus or otherwise I'd love to try it.

Thank you!

Did you ever find out what was wrong? My runner ducks are doing the same thing. Sadly, I don't have a vet nearby to help with birds (he retired).

 

[Jenbirdee]

Could be aspergillosis I had one tested positive for that and a few others came down with it because of some straw that was old and had gotten wet and thenafter months of trying to treat with antibiotics and dewormers finally started using oxine AH with a nebulizer . Check out this thread
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/runner-duck-cough-or-hiccups-aspergillosis.1606047/

 

[Cki89]

Could be aspergillosis I had one tested positive for that and a few others came down with it because of some straw that was old and had gotten wet and thenafter months of trying to treat with antibiotics and dewormers finally started using oxine AH with a nebulizer . Check out this thread
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/runner-duck-cough-or-hiccups-aspergillosis.1606047/

I've been letting mine free range. Is that a bad idea?

 

[Jenbirdee]

I've been letting mine free range. Is that a bad idea?

Free ranging is fine . What kind of bedding do you use in their coop where they sleep at night?

 

[OneEggToRuleThemAll]

OP, how are your birds doing now? I treat my birds with colloidal silver spray (directly on their beaks, making sure to get it into their nostrils) any time I notice respiratory issues. It has worked well for me, and works quickly when it's the correct treatment.

Seems to be the season for duck respiratory issues. I hope yours are better now!

 

[Cki89]

They are hanging in there. This is my first time with ducks so it's been a learning curve. I put them on a wormer. My chocolate runner has had a fast breathing rate, but seemed to slow down slightly since yesterday (which was the first day of worming). I didn't know that is something I should have done. I know it's risky, but I don't cage them up at all right now. During the winter, they bed on a straw/pine shaving mixture on top of a rubber mat that I spray off often.

Other than the breathing and not quacking, everything else is normal. They eat, lay eggs, have energy...it's weird. I had one duck lay an egg in the morning and in the evening that same day, which was unusual.

I'll have to try that colloidal silver spray. Thank you for the input. I appreciate it.

 

[Cki89]

OP, how are your birds doing now? I treat my birds with colloidal silver spray (directly on their beaks, making sure to get it into their nostrils) any time I notice respiratory issues. It has worked well for me, and works quickly when it's the correct treatment.

Seems to be the season for duck respiratory issues. I hope yours are better now!

I just wanted to give an update! I ordered some colloidal silver spray and put it on this morning and tonight my black runner started quacking! I was so happy to hear her! I don't know if it was the worming or the spray that is working, but THANK YOU for the suggestion!

My chocolate runner was the worst and she seems to be doing okay. Still some labored breathing, but very active.

 

[OneEggToRuleThemAll]

Wonderful news! I hope they continue to improve!