Something awful happened this morning (warning: graphic description)

[NC29mom]

Don't second guess yourself....................If the leg was detached, there was NO WAY it would have ever been right without surgical intervention. The tendon, tissues, muscle and bone would have all had to have been set and put back together...It's hard enough on a human. Once detached, the circulation ceases to the detached portion, causing the tissue to become necrotic (or dead) which renders it useless. I am sure the duck was in pain, there's just no way he wasn't. Maybe it had just happened (since you saw fresh blood) and the adrenlin was still working; therefore, making the pain tolerable. As soon as the adrenlin wore off the duck would have been screaming in massive pain.

You're a good mommy. You did the right thing. It's always hard when we loose a pet. We feel as if we could have done more, when at times, we really couldn't have. I am soooo sorry for your lose.

 

[Gold Griffin Chicken Mom]

I spoke with a veterinarian once. His 20 y.o. tom can had broke a rear leg. "I'm a vet, I could have operated and fixed it. But after looking at the X-ray, I knew it would have been a very slow, painful healing process. IF it had healed properly, he still wouldn't have been able to use the leg fully." He chose to put down his 20 y.o. cat rather than put the cat through the pain.

I think you did the right thing. You saved the duck lots of pain and misery. Know that you are a good Duck Mommy. Some people are not able to make a decision like you and your husband did. God bless.

 

[FenDruadin]

Oh, wow--thank you ALL SOO MUCH. I woke up this morning to two pages of comforting words from this wonderful community. Wow. Thank you.

I am relieved to hear so many people say that it was the right choice. I feel much better about it after a good sleep, of course, and all the comfort from you all helps a lot too.

And it's yet another lesson in the importance of the ducks being up every single night... I learned that lesson a long time ago, but this also reminds me that I am absent-minded and if I don't do the whole job all at once, I might leave part of it undone.

Thank you again.

 

[chicmom]

Hello there!

Comforting words coming your way! First of all, don't beat yourself up too badly. I'll bet there are TONS of people who have forgotten to lock things down at least once. I personally have forgotten at least twice and have been lucky. Remember, you did not do that on purpose, so forgive yourself.

And you did the right thing about the duckling too. We had our first cull this year too. A rooster with really bad deformed feet. I let him grow to maturity, and he was doing OK, but he couldn't perch, or even walk up the ramp to his coop at night. Every evening, I had to go out there and put him into the coop. Once I nearly forgot and everybody was in except him--he was all alone in the run...pacing because he couldn't get into the coop. That's when I made the decision to cull. Winter time here in Ohio would have been just awful for him. It was sad, so I know how you're feeling. You'll have a heavy heart for a few days, and then things will get brighter!

So hang in there!

 

[ejctm]

So sorry to hear about your little duckie

. I have no idea what I would have done in the same situation and can only hope I never have to. I think you are very brave, you did what you thought was right for the duck even though it caused you pain and anguish. It is so hard.

I had to make a decision a few months ago about my very elderly dog (not an emergency situation like yours), she was just so old and senile and incontinent that she had no quality of life any more. I think I kept her going for too long just because I could not face losing her. I don't know what I feel more guilty about, putting her to sleep or not doing it sooner

.

I hope you enjoy the other babies even more now, and I am sure they will help to cheer you up with their funny duckie ways

 

[Whispering Winds]

 

[Amanda0609]

Sorry about your little duck. You did the right thing.

 

[GrumpyOldMan]

I didn’t see how badly you ducks leg was so I may be completely off base and I hope you don’t take this the wrong way. The leg probably could have been mended. I raised homing pigeons when I was young. They broke legs all the time by hitting electric wires while in flight. I mended some pretty mangled ones. Bird’s take better to splinting than most people would believe.

I’ve told this story before so I’ll keep it short. Our duck Squeaks had her upper bull broken off from her skull and pulled out from under the skin. Face was ripped up pretty badly too, by a cat, when she was about 6 weeks old. Bill was put back in place and face stitched up. She’s a happy little duck today.

I came this – close to culling her.

Sorry for your loss.

 

[LostAcreFarm]

this is a hard decision to make and in some cases it is easier to make this decision. i had a raccon get into my pen and tare the skin completely off one of my hens breast and then bite another ones head. the injuries were very bad but with some neosporin they healed up really nice. so it just depends on the situation. animals are a lot stronger then we think!

 

[FenDruadin]

Thank you, everyone, for all the kind comments. And I am not offended at all by the other suggestions/views. It was a very difficult decision, and having viewpoints from all sides helps to make better decisions in the future. I am actually feeling better about the decision now and I'm relieved to realize the lost duck was not the littlest one, who was the only one of the batch with a name (I didn't notice at first who is was because I was so stressed by it, and they're all fawn/whites, so they look a lot alike), and who was hatched by a friend and whose little girl was attached to her.

Anyway, I'm doing much better tonight and have a new interest to take my mind off of it--a pair of adorable, long-haired, cute cute cute but very skinny little kittens that showed up in my front yard. I suspect they were dumped, or that the mother was dumped and has been raising them in the woods right there and hiding them until now. At any rate, they are very skittish, but I managed to get them to eat some chicken from about five feet away this evening and now I have a new project--getting them to trust me and be my cats. I've been wanting a kitty and putting it off due to finances, but seeing as these were essentially dumped on me, I will make them mine and give them what they need. That's assuming, of course, that they don't belong to someone, but they are very skinny and have been out there all day. If I'm able to pick them up at some point, I'll probably bring them in and then I'll put up "found" signs just in case. But I suspect they are mine if I want them. And I do.

Thank you all again VERY much for all the kind thoughts. Difficult decisions are never much fun, and it's so good to have so much support.