Sick duck

[bennie_jezz]

We have three ducks that we care for. They are females, all around three months old. This morning, one of them showed very sudden symptoms of illness. We are trying to figure out what's wrong with her based on her symptoms. We're both sick with COVID at the moment, so we aren't able to take her to a vet.

Yesterday was VERY windy and a little bit rainy here. We live in the Mojave desert, where it's usually quite hot, but right now it's in the high 90s. This morning we went out to check on the ducks and one was laying in the mud with a film over one of her eyes and she seemed to be having trouble breathing and walking. She wasn't quacking or moving much at all. We moved her to an isolated area and gave her access to fresh water with Epsom salts to swim in, and drinking water with a little bit of apple cider vinegar. She also has her regular duck food with Brewer's yeast added. These are all suggestions I found on the internet, for various conditions. After we put her in the pond with the epsom salts she started to cough up a lot of mucous, and her breathing rattles a bit. One of her eyes is still filmy and irritated. She seems a little bit better after being in the water, and she's been drinking a lot.

It seems like it could be gapeworm, aspergillosis, or botulism, but I honestly have no idea. It also seems like it could have started with an eye irritation from the wind that spread to her respiratory system. We've been working a lot on their pen, but at the moment there is an area with a lot of mud, so it's also possible some bacteria or mold may have grown? Last night we had to move their pond, so they didn't have as much fresh water as usual, and they muddied up their drinking water pretty quickly.

She swims a little bit, but she doesn't seem to have good control of any of her muscles. She can drink water, but it seems like she can't really clean herself or walk at all. She seems very lethargic.

Any suggestions would be helpful and appreciated.

 

[Aunt Angus]

We have three ducks that we care for. They are females, all around three months old. This morning, one of them showed very sudden symptoms of illness. We are trying to figure out what's wrong with her based on her symptoms. We're both sick with COVID at the moment, so we aren't able to take her to a vet.

Yesterday was VERY windy and a little bit rainy here. We live in the Mojave desert, where it's usually quite hot, but right now it's in the high 90s. This morning we went out to check on the ducks and one was laying in the mud with a film over one of her eyes and she seemed to be having trouble breathing and walking. She wasn't quacking or moving much at all. We moved her to an isolated area and gave her access to fresh water with Epsom salts to swim in, and drinking water with a little bit of apple cider vinegar. She also has her regular duck food with Brewer's yeast added. These are all suggestions I found on the internet, for various conditions. After we put her in the pond with the epsom salts she started to cough up a lot of mucous, and her breathing rattles a bit. One of her eyes is still filmy and irritated. She seems a little bit better after being in the water, and she's been drinking a lot.

It seems like it could be gapeworm, aspergillosis, or botulism, but I honestly have no idea. It also seems like it could have started with an eye irritation from the wind that spread to her respiratory system. We've been working a lot on their pen, but at the moment there is an area with a lot of mud, so it's also possible some bacteria or mold may have grown? Last night we had to move their pond, so they didn't have as much fresh water as usual, and they muddied up their drinking water pretty quickly.

She swims a little bit, but she doesn't seem to have good control of any of her muscles. She can drink water, but it seems like she can't really clean herself or walk at all. She seems very lethargic.

Any suggestions would be helpful and appreciated.

So sorry you haven't gotten a response. I'll tag some duck folks who will hopefully he able to help.

@KaleIAm
@Quatie
@Miss Lydia
@ruthhope

 

[Quatie]

Can post a video of her moving? In order to post a video, you will need to post to another site like you tube or Vimeo and then you can share the link here.

For her eye, I would rinse it out with saline. I tend to use a syringe for this, but you want to make sure you don't blast the eye. You can do this 2-3 times a day to the eye. It definitely sounds like there is more going on and a possible respiratory infection. The way you describe it sounds more like a bacterial infection.

I would keep track of her weight and how much she is eating and drinking. Since she is having issues moving around, I would get supplies for tube feeding if you don't have them. You may not end up needing to tube feed, but if she further deteriorates, it could potentially save her life. As long as she is eating and has not lost too much weight, I would not recommend it. Here is a link on how to do it. But I would highly recommend getting the supplies. They are great to have on hand and can sometimes be difficult to find.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...ng-guide-pictures-under-construction.1064392/

I am also going to tag @Isaac 0 because he is more knowledgeable about duck diseases.

 

[ruthhope]

It does seem that the duck has a respiratory infection -- bacterial or viral.

That would account for the mucus, labored breathing and eye film. Any infection will rapidly lead to lethargy and lack of moving around.

If she were mine, I would bring her into the house in a dogcrate -- I use dogcrates to isolate ducks and as nursery/medical wards in my sunroom. Puppy pads are excellent shortterm solutions to what to put in the bottom of a dogcrate. But would be expensive for long term use. Don't hesittate to just pop a clean pad onto of any messy pad, while your duck is sick and needing to rest.

I would do as you did and clean her up and encourage her to swim and to eat and drink. Take care with the epson salts in the water [I use epsom salts when a duck need to soak and get off callus etc. But I use it in a bucket so the duck's legs and body are in the water but its difficult for the duck to drink the water. You do not want her drinking epsom salts as that would dehydrate her.

When one of my ducks has an eye infection, I wrap him/her in a towel and bath the eye with salt water which I make with table salt in boiled and cooled water. However, the very best way to make salt water is with sachets of salt purpose made for human sinus washout [available at CVS/Walgreens etc] 1 sachet in 1 cup of boiled and cooled water for a duck's eye. I bathe the eye using a cotton wool ball soaked in the saline to wipe away any crusting or film. I use a 1ml or 3 ml plastic syringe [no needle] to flush the eye with saline. Four times a day until improving then twice a day.

To encourage your girl to eat, you might make ducky soup -- dissolving her crumbles/pellets in warm water until very liquid -- as that is easier to eat than dry crumbles. As Quatie advised, be prepared to tube feed. Buy tubing from the aquarium section in a pet store. It should have a soft rounded end not a hard sharp cut off end.

Finally keep a close eye on your other ducks: if it is a viral or bacterial infection, they are at risk of developing infection and symptoms too.

Sorry you have to deal with this while you have COVID-19. You must be exhausted and its not easy dealing with a sick duck at the best of times

 

[Miss Lydia]

how is your duck this morning @bennie_jezz ?

 

[bennie_jezz]

Good morning, she seems to be doing much better today! She still has filmy eyes and a cough but she's eating and her energy levels are much better @Miss Lydia

Thank you all for your advice, I hope she continues to improve

 

[Miss Lydia]

You can use a warm saline rinse on her eyes to rinse them out it would help if they are irritated. Glad to hear shes seems better.