SOS PLEASE HELP DAYOLD DUCKLING CRACKED BILL

[Justicedog]

Glad to hear this. Maybe sell the vet some of the pictures, make some of the few back. (I’m joking). There is a lot of value in not having to worry. I’m happy it was good news.

 

[graypes]

Alright an update for those struggling with the same emergency:

take a deeeeeep breath in..... okay now exhaaaaale. everything is gonna be okay

1) STOP THE BLEEDING
with lightest of all light pressure and a qtip or paper towel or gauze try to stop the bleeding. this is tricky because you can hurt the duck worse with too much pressure. theyre already in pain so maybe switch to styptic powder or cornstarch

a)IF the BLEEDING does NOT stop, apply styptic (am i spelling that right?) powder or maybe cornstarch to try to help it clot and stop bleeding. try to get to the vet if you can. IF THE VET IS NOT AN IMMEDIATELY AVAILABLE OPTION, then keep an extra careful eye on the duck and handfeed and water (with electrolytes and vitamins!) the duck for the next couple days and monitor progress. everytime it drinks, make sure the scab didnt fall off by LIGHTLY running a qtip or paper towel over the injury to check for blood. if theres a lot if blood and it doesnt close up again, try the powder again. and maybe try syringe watering until the healing starts. (obviously do not force the beak open to force water, that will only do more damage. instead, think of of it more like a hamster waterbottle and drip it on the tip of ther their mouth or wherever the injury isnt until they start to drink)


b) IF the bleeding stops and the bill is still attached (even if only by a thread) stay calm and start safeproofing the ducks environment. I put her in a heating pad on medium(thermometer and towel on top to prevent burns) and snuggled with her for a whole day just so she wouldnt feel lonely in isolation (her siblings were in that pecking stage where everything looks like food).

2) ASSESS
a) Where is the crack? how deep is it? did the whole bill fall off?
>At one day old, my duckling split through bill healed completely by week three. to be honest i only applied ointment once a day for like two day then stopped and she turned out great it just healed so fast. THIS IS BECAUSE HER INJURY WAS BELOW THE GROWTH PLATE. if the injury hits the growth plate, the duck will likely have lasting permanent damage BUT if its quality of life is okay, thats all that matters, just try to get your duck to survive the next few days with hand feeding and watering.

b) Is the bill clean? is there dirt or feces in it?
>clean it out gently with a qtip and warm salt water. apply a bit of antibiotic ointment WITHOUT painkillers (anything that ends in -caine or -cane i think)
let the duck rest a bit. pain is tiring, let them chill out in a safe and low stress environment.

3) calm down and snuggle
Remember that this is a stressful situation and KNOW you are doing the best you can. Even if your duck doesnt make it (don’t worry that wont happen) you did EVERYTHING you could do give it a fair shot at life. With that in mind, its time to comfort both you AND your baby. SNUGGLE TIME. again, heating pad with towel and thermometer to prevent burns (if its cold where you are) if it is hot inside or outside where ever you are, than just a towel on your lap or stomach will suffice!
fold the towel a bit so it makes a little cave that faces you. the duckling wants to be underneath their mama right now so we are trying to replicate that dark, warm and QUIET environment. if you dont have the time to do bonding, the incubator at around 95 (if its in its first few days or first week of life, you do NOT want to overheat your baby in the incubator, adjust temperature for age) or just put it in a plastic storage bin with towels on the bottom and a heat lamp that wont fall and set a fire AND. a thermometer so you can monitor temp.

Now, for you. Go get some human snacks and HEADPHONES (dont stress out your baby) and watch something (tv show/movie whatever you like to watch) relaxing and light like a comedy or romcom. if it will make cry STOP WATCHING IT, last thing you want is to cry while holding an injured baby duckling because then you’ll start to ponder the fragility of life and asking yourself the unaswerable questions like, “WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?” trust me, its no bueno.

IF YOUR INJURY LOOKS ANYTHING LIKE THE PHOTO OF MY DUCKLING, in terms of placement (growth plate is what we’re worried about) and severity, AND THE BLEEDING HAS STOPPED:

RELAX and think about waiting before you visit the vet. If it is exactly like this duck’s injury in every single way, then it will likely heal on its own. BUT if you are worried about it or the beak has fallen off or cracked through the growth plate, by all means go to the vet! At the end of the day, go with your gut.

Anyways here are progress pics of dear old chomps who is three weeks old today!

6 hours old (injury is minutes old):

1 day old:

4-5 days old:

2weeks old:

3weeks (the dark dot on tip of beak is genetic her sister has it and chomp had it before the injury!!)