Sick duck

[RoseSuli]

Hello, I am a new duck owner. My duck recently got sick and she wont eat, but she is drinking a lot of water. The last few days before she got sick, it would rain a lot. Initially, I figured that she was stressed out due to the weather changes. Right now I am giving her water with electrolytes and vitamins, which gave her some strength. She still walks, but appears weak. She has not been laying an egg for a few days.

I dont think shes eggbound, but I'm not sure. She always has access to water, so I dont think its mites.

Current symptoms: weak and wont eat and has been drinking a lot of water. She lost a lot of weight. Sometimes she would go out and try to eat bugs, but it looks like she vomits afterwards. I tried putting black pepper or cracked corn in her water, but then she appears to be vomiting because the bedding underneath of her is wet. Her poop consists of dirt/sand/water.

Thanks for your help.

 

[HappyDuckie]

I'm not sure what this could be. Have you checked to see if she is egg bound? @Isaac 0 could you give advise, please?

 

[RoseSuli]

I'm not sure what this could be. Have you checked to see if she is egg bound? @Isaac 0 could you give advise, please?

I am not sure how to check, but her crop and abdomen seems empty. She has access to a pond that gets filled with rain water that shes usually in, so if that's the case then she wouldve laid the egg by now.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Is a vet an option? It sounds like your duck is pretty sick. She needs to be kept warm and monitored. Losing a lot of weight makes me think unless you begin tube feeding your going to lose her. A vet would be a good idea. https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/tube-feeding-ducks-updated-5-7-2020.1211994/

 

[HollowOfWisps]

Can you get your hands on some Calcium Gluconate like Duravet's 23% you can get it at tractor supply? I would start with giving her an oral dose.

 

[Isaac 0]

Welcome to BackYard Chickens. Sorry to hear she's feeling unwell. Could you post a video of her trying walk/get around? To post a video, upload it to a video platform like Youtube or Vimeo, and copy/paste the link here.

Could you answer a few questions?

How old is she? Is she housed with any other birds? Where did you acquire her? Do you have any pictures of her setup area? What is she being fed, any supplements, like oyster shells? Could you post a few pictures of her poop? Have you done a full examination on her, and checked in her mouth, around her vent, feathers, etc? Has she had any problems in the past, such as laying abnormally large eggs? Did this restless behavior happen over a few days, or in a very short period of time? What color is the vomit? Is there anything else we should know about?

I would not put any more pepper, or corn in her water. She needs to be brought inside into a warm, dimly lit, stressful free area. The reason you want her pen to be slightly warm, is because sick birds tend not to eat as much ( as in her case) therefore there metabolic energy levels drops, which subsequently can lead to hypothermia.

I think electrolytes would be good, but in case she doesn't like the case, there should be another fresh, clean water source as well.

It is very hard to diagnosis a bird over the internet, but In my personal opinion, it sounds like she has some sort of digestive related issue, or reproductive problem. What suggests a digestive related issue (?) You see dirt, and sand in her feces, which is something common with birds with blockages, since they slowly are deprived of nutrients they result to eating dirt/sand due to the high mineral content. This may also cause a decrease in her laying. Vomiting is also a sign of a blockage.

Ideally, when dealing with a blockage you take her to a vet, but if that's not an option, you can do an at-home-treatment, but by no means is it guaranteed it will work. I would pick up some Metamucil, mix it in with Gatorade or water to a soupy constituency, and try to drip a few drops down the right side of her throat, several times a day. Dulcolax, can also be used. Also considering that she could be egg bound, you could try giving her 1ml of Calcium gluconate, PO. Here is the link to where to get Gluconate,

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/durvet-calcium-gluconate-500-ml

As suggested, if she doesn't start eating, she will need to be tube-fed. The only thing that concerns is she's vomiting, and isn't passing solids. So if she were to be tubed she may regurgitate some of the fluids, and subsequently, aspirate on the fluids. If she has a blockage it should be dealt with first.