Sick Duckling...I don't know what to do anymore...(It died. :()

[ducklover15]

For some reason my hen lost one of her ducklings overnight (probably due to an internal defect) and she had another very small and weak duckling that was always laying down and breathing heavy, so I took it in and put it in the brooder.

So far it has survived, but I found out it had an infection in both eyes yesterday so today I treated it with an antibiotic they gave me at Tractor Supply. Both eyes are open now and it seems to be clearing up. But the duckling is still very weak and now when I pick it up it seems to have some kind of panic attack... It'll breath very rapidly (faster than it normally does) and it opens and closes its beak. It even seems to convulse once or twice, but sometimes it just seems that the duckling is frustrated at the way its breathing. It shakes its head and throws it back...

I don't know what else I can do for it. I don't want it to suffer... I'll try to get a video of its panic attack to see if anyone can tell me what it might be. I feel so bad for this little guy!

 

[Dances with Ducks]

Is the duckling eating and drinking normally?

 

[ducklover15]

Somewhat. I don't think it eats or drinks as much as the others though. Whenever I check up on it I put its beak in the food and water just to make sure it doesn't want anything, but it never does.

 

[Dances with Ducks]

Its hard to know just what's going on. Some people have brought around weak ducklings feeding them mashed boiled eggs and giving them Poly vi sol, (sp?) which is a liquid vitamin for birds. It can be found at Walmart in their pet department.
Good luck!

 

[ducklover15]

Okay I'll give that a try. Thanks much! =]

 

[DuckHoney]

I'm sorry this is happening to you.

It kind of sounds like your duck can't breath when you pick him up. Try to not pick him up, or pick him up slowly.

He sounds very sick. I would keep him warm and try to give him some medication.

I really hope everything turns out for the better.

 

[ducklover15]

I'm worried there might be something in his throat that's causing this... Which is probably causing him difficulty with breathing. He's barely eating and drinking anymore, which might be the cause of the eye infections and how weak he is. My mom and I tried forcing water down its throat today with a syringe, but the duckling didn't react by swallowing the water or anything... And he's so small that it's hard to keep his beak open. He's about a week old and is no bigger than the ducklings that hatched yesterday...

I just don't know. It's hard to give him medicine when he won't eat anything, but I'm going to go to Wal Mart today and try getting some Poly vi sol and see if I can get him to drink that.

 

[Dances with Ducks]

Only give him two or three drops of the liquid vitamin inside the side of his beak maybe twice a day.

 

[ducklover15]

Well the little duckling lost the fight yesterday...I found him laying in his water pan. He didn't drown though (the water pan only has a half inch of water in it). But he lasted much longer than I thought he would. He put up a good fight.

RIP Angel.

 

[One Acre Wonder Farm]

sorry to hear that

Sounds like you did everything you could to help him!