Sick duck again, not sure what’s going on

[Urban Waddler]

She was just a bit quiet and noticed she wasn't eating at all (she is always hungry) but otherwise seemed ok. She would check out her treats (other than peas) and kibbles like she wanted to eat them and then walk away.
Xrays showed a large mass in her reproductive system pressing up on all her organs, including her stomach making her feel full.
We have not had her xrayed since to see if the mass is gone but she felt better after a round of antibiotics and back to her old self. Has not layed any eggs since and probably never will but I'm perfectly ok with that

That’s so wonderful she is feeling better! I’ve read all about diets you can give your duck to stop them from laying and having reproductive diseases. We have gone the implant route, but it’s so darn stressful. Hoping all continues to be well for Olive! And love the name

 

[Runner duck mom]

That’s so wonderful she is feeling better! I’ve read all about diets you can give your duck to stop them from laying and having reproductive diseases. We have gone the implant route, but it’s so darn stressful. Hoping all continues to be well for Olive! And love the name

Thank you, hopefully your girl will start feeling better soon as well. I've only read a little about the implants but something I would consider if she ever starts laying again. I'm not sure if that is something our vet would even do. Is it a pretty simple procedure?
I did see here that molting and weight loss are side effects of the implant.
http://www.poultrydvm.com/drugs/deslorelin
How is she feeling today?

 

[Urban Waddler]

Thank you, hopefully your girl will start feeling better soon as well. I've only read a little about the implants but something I would consider if she ever starts laying again. I'm not sure if that is something our vet would even do. Is it a pretty simple procedure?
I did see here that molting and weight loss are side effects of the implant.
http://www.poultrydvm.com/drugs/deslorelin
How is she feeling today?

Thanks for that info! I don’t want to speak too soon, but she seems so much better today so far. Last night she was still panting and laying down with her tail pointing downward. I was so nervous I slept next to her. Today she is lively, moving around, and while not super into her regular food, went crazy for corn, blueberries, and cucumbers. She’s making all her normal happy sounds too. So far, I haven’t seen any panting, just some fast breathing for a moment that could have been from excitement. Fingers crossed we are on the mend.

Regarding the implant: It is a very quick, simple procedure, just a long needle to place in breast or between shoulders—much like a tracking chip for cats and dogs. If your duck is mild mannered, they don’t usually have to sedate, but unfortunately, Loretta doesn’t like many other than myself handling her too much and she hates the vet. They can be costly, depending on your vet. Most vets I have spoken with are happy to do it (they were designed for ferrets but regularly used on chickens, ducks, parrots, etc.). Loretta gets pretty moody the second week after the implant, I think from adjusting to hormones, but other than the molt this would be the first time we noticed weight loss or illness. My vet still feels certain the implant is unrelated to her sickness but who knows. I have spoken to other duck owners who swear by the implant to lengthen their duck’s life if they have any issues with laying. There is an article at tyrantfarms.com about how to feed your female ducks to prevent overlaying and issues, and they have been so kind with answering questions I have had. The idea being that despite what we always hear and general information about feeding our layers, we should stop giving layer feed, period, and provide lower protein feed (14%) and leave oystershell out so that when they need it, it is there, but they aren’t overloading their system with calcium and protein. That kind of diet has been great when the goal is increased egg product omg, but doesn’t help those of us who fall in love with our ducks and go from enjoying their eggs to doing anything to keep them happy. It’s all very interesting. Mazuri maintenance feed is supposed to be the best, but so expensive and my ducks absolutely hate it (most ducks love it though).

if you ever need the implant and have more questions, please feel free to ask me whatever, as I was so out of sorts when we decided to use it, and while I don’t have a lot of answers, I’m always happy to share our experience.
Thanks so much again for the support!

 

[Runner duck mom]

Thanks for that info! I don’t want to speak too soon, but she seems so much better today so far. Last night she was still panting and laying down with her tail pointing downward. I was so nervous I slept next to her. Today she is lively, moving around, and while not super into her regular food, went crazy for corn, blueberries, and cucumbers. She’s making all her normal happy sounds too. So far, I haven’t seen any panting, just some fast breathing for a moment that could have been from excitement. Fingers crossed we are on the mend.

Regarding the implant: It is a very quick, simple procedure, just a long needle to place in breast or between shoulders—much like a tracking chip for cats and dogs. If your duck is mild mannered, they don’t usually have to sedate, but unfortunately, Loretta doesn’t like many other than myself handling her too much and she hates the vet. They can be costly, depending on your vet. Most vets I have spoken with are happy to do it (they were designed for ferrets but regularly used on chickens, ducks, parrots, etc.). Loretta gets pretty moody the second week after the implant, I think from adjusting to hormones, but other than the molt this would be the first time we noticed weight loss or illness. My vet still feels certain the implant is unrelated to her sickness but who knows. I have spoken to other duck owners who swear by the implant to lengthen their duck’s life if they have any issues with laying. There is an article at tyrantfarms.com about how to feed your female ducks to prevent overlaying and issues, and they have been so kind with answering questions I have had. The idea being that despite what we always hear and general information about feeding our layers, we should stop giving layer feed, period, and provide lower protein feed (14%) and leave oystershell out so that when they need it, it is there, but they aren’t overloading their system with calcium and protein. That kind of diet has been great when the goal is increased egg product omg, but doesn’t help those of us who fall in love with our ducks and go from enjoying their eggs to doing anything to keep them happy. It’s all very interesting. Mazuri maintenance feed is supposed to be the best, but so expensive and my ducks absolutely hate it (most ducks love it though).

if you ever need the implant and have more questions, please feel free to ask me whatever, as I was so out of sorts when we decided to use it, and while I don’t have a lot of answers, I’m always happy to share our experience.
Thanks so much again for the support!

I'm glad she is feeling a bit better today, any improvement is great news! It's always awesome to hear their happy duck sounds when you know they are happy and feeling good, they are very chatty birds.
I sure will look more into feeding and tyrantfarms, thank you for the info
Mazuri is pretty expensive. We recently switched to the Purina duck pellets and everyone likes them but haven't been feeding long enough to see if theres a big difference from the old feed. Seems like a quick and easy procedure that makes me feel better if we ever need it.
Our girls are pets too, eggs or no eggs we are happy if they are happy

 

[Eric_W]

I have a 2 year old Khaki that has a damaged vent from complications she had with 2 infections. There's no way she could ever lay another egg or she would die. Otherwise she's perfectly healthy and happy. I'm trying to get her vet to give her the implants but she's hesitant because it's off label for ducks. Lots of good and encouraging info in this post. I found and read the article on tyrantfarms.com and I'm definitely going to be making some changes to my flock's feed. Their health is more important to me than eggs. How long did she go between implants? And how do you know when they need a new one?

 

[Miss Lydia]

@Urban Waddler

 

[Urban Waddler]

I have a 2 year old Khaki that has a damaged vent from complications she had with 2 infections. There's no way she could ever lay another egg or she would die. Otherwise she's perfectly healthy and happy. I'm trying to get her vet to give her the implants but she's hesitant because it's off label for ducks. Lots of good and encouraging info in this post. I found and read the article on tyrantfarms.com and I'm definitely going to be making some changes to my flock's feed. Their health is more important to me than eggs. How long did she go between implants? And how do you know when they need a new one?

I’m so sorry to hear about your duck’s issues. The implants were designed for ferrets but regularly used in birds of all kinds. The time it lasts depends on the size and breed, how often she laid before, her environment (are their drakes around), and other factors. Unfortunately, if she is a determined layer, my vet told me that eventually, hormones generally win, but not always. I’m not familiar with khakis, but they are smaller, no? How often was she laying? Did she take natural breaks? my implants are only lasting two months. That said, Loretta is an 7-8 pound duck, and laid every day for a year without fail.
Another thing my vet mentioned, but will obviously be expensive and dependent on access to vets, is removing either her ova duct or whole ovary. I am thinking of taking my duck to University of WI, Madison, where they are better able to treat ducks. I’m not sure where you are, but maybe there is someone relatively close to you who would be more comfortable dealing in these types of issues with water fowl?

Let me know any other questions and good luck!

 

[Eric_W]

I’m so sorry to hear about your duck’s issues. The implants were designed for ferrets but regularly used in birds of all kinds. The time it lasts depends on the size and breed, how often she laid before, her environment (are their drakes around), and other factors. Unfortunately, if she is a determined layer, my vet told me that eventually, hormones generally win, but not always. I’m not familiar with khakis, but they are smaller, no? How often was she laying? Did she take natural breaks? my implants are only lasting two months. That said, Loretta is an 7-8 pound duck, and laid every day for a year without fail.
Another thing my vet mentioned, but will obviously be expensive and dependent on access to vets, is removing either her ova duct or whole ovary. I am thinking of taking my duck to University of WI, Madison, where they are better able to treat ducks. I’m not sure where you are, but maybe there is someone relatively close to you who would be more comfortable dealing in these types of issues with water fowl?

Let me know any other questions and good luck!

Thank you, it's been a long road with her the poor thing. Yes she is a smaller breed. Only 3.5 lbs. It is her pic in my Avatar. She laid every day and the only way I got her to stop was to limit her to only 6 hours of light a day which put her into molt. It took her about a week to finally stop laying. She's been living inside since early September and only gets about 3 hours a day outside with her sisters. I live in Central PA. I have had her to two different vets. The one she goes to regularly is a farm vet. She doesn't have a lot of experience but she is willing to try and she's been great. The other one I took her to saw her and basically said she couldn't fix her problem. If I can get her vet to give her the implant that would at least buy her time till I can maybe find a vet who could give other options like removing her ovary. For now I'm just limiting her light and I cut her protein to try to slow down her molt. She hasn't grown her flight feathers back yet but I feel like I'm running out of time. What I was reading I was guessing 4 months for a duck Dudley's size so 2 months for a duck twice her size makes sense I suppose. Her Vet is checking with an Aviary specialist from Cornell which is where she graduated from. I'm just waiting to hear back from her.

 

[Urban Waddler]

Thank you, it's been a long road with her the poor thing. Yes she is a smaller breed. Only 3.5 lbs. It is her pic in my Avatar. She laid every day and the only way I got her to stop was to limit her to only 6 hours of light a day which put her into molt. It took her about a week to finally stop laying. She's been living inside since early September and only gets about 3 hours a day outside with her sisters. I live in Central PA. I have had her to two different vets. The one she goes to regularly is a farm vet. She doesn't have a lot of experience but she is willing to try and she's been great. The other one I took her to saw her and basically said she couldn't fix her problem. If I can get her vet to give her the implant that would at least buy her time till I can maybe find a vet who could give other options like removing her ovary. For now I'm just limiting her light and I cut her protein to try to slow down her molt. She hasn't grown her flight feathers back yet but I feel like I'm running out of time. What I was reading I was guessing 4 months for a duck Dudley's size so 2 months for a duck twice her size makes sense I suppose. Her Vet is checking with an Aviary specialist from Cornell which is where she graduated from. I'm just waiting to hear back from her.

The implant is a very fast, East procedure-as easy as putting a tracking chip in a cat or dog. If your duck is not comfortable being held and cannot stay calm, they might use sedatives. I would get her an implant ASAP, while you look for permanent solutions. For some folks with smaller birds, the implant can last a year, or life. The way that I know it’s no longer working is behavioral. Loretta will start initiating mating with her drake pal, she will start being funny about her nest or doing other broody behaviors. I think getting the implant now before finding a permanent solution is a great idea. Her body is not strong enough to grow her feathers back while her reproductive issues are in flux—at least that’s what happened with Loretta. After the implant, they do a large molt, and start looking pretty healthy almost immediately. Very little can go wrong with the implant, other than it not working. They will put it in the breast or between the shoulders—good arguments for each. If done correctly, there’s no risk of falling out or anything like that. It dissolves in the body and provides hormonal therapy for some time after it disappears. You might have your vet contact a vet experienced in this to go over a plan?

 

[Eric_W]

The implant is a very fast, East procedure-as easy as putting a tracking chip in a cat or dog. If your duck is not comfortable being held and cannot stay calm, they might use sedatives. I would get her an implant ASAP, while you look for permanent solutions. For some folks with smaller birds, the implant can last a year, or life. The way that I know it’s no longer working is behavioral. Loretta will start initiating mating with her drake pal, she will start being funny about her nest or doing other broody behaviors. I think getting the implant now before finding a permanent solution is a great idea. Her body is not strong enough to grow her feathers back while her reproductive issues are in flux—at least that’s what happened with Loretta. After the implant, they do a large molt, and start looking pretty healthy almost immediately. Very little can go wrong with the implant, other than it not working. They will put it in the breast or between the shoulders—good arguments for each. If done correctly, there’s no risk of falling out or anything like that. It dissolves in the body and provides hormonal therapy for some time after it disappears. You might have your vet contact a vet experienced in this to go over a plan?

Thank you so much. Great info. Yes she is supposed to be talking to an Avian Specialist and getting back to me. She is totally comfortable with me holding her so that shouldn't be an issue. My flock is all female but they "pretend" so I should be able to tell that way as far as her behavior. I was planning on calling on Thursday to see where she is with it. I wish I would have found this group months ago. Thank you again.