Sudden death of 10mo old Pekin!

[Sweetpickle97]

Hello, first time poster here!
We have/had 2 pekin ducks and have 2 runners as well. Pekin 1 (Buddy) was 9 months old when we had to euthanize him last month. He had severe trauma to his legs due to his natural size and couldn't move hardly at all. Pekin 2 (Baby) was extremely codependent on Buddy, and when we realized he wouldn't be around much longer, added 2 runners to our family for Baby's sake. Well, its been 2.5 weeks since Buddy died, Baby was slightly lethargic with some 'whining? Coming from her. Today was again very lethargic and let us hold and snuggle her which is incredibly unusual! We called the vet and was told to keep an eye on her stool and eating habits.

By evening we went to check on them and she was gone. Any thoughts on what could cause this? She's been otherwise healthy, going around the yard with her new girls, playing in puddles and just doing her thing. We are so sad this has happened. She was our daughters pet and have no clue what happened. Advice??

 

[Aunt Angus]

I am so sorry! I am not any help with duck issues, but I wanted to offer my condolences. I'm also interested in hearing what happened. The duck people here are amazing. I'm sure you'll have more replies soon.

 

[Sweetpickle97]

I am so sorry! I am not any help with duck issues, but I wanted to offer my condolences. I'm also interested in hearing what happened. The duck people here are amazing. I'm sure you'll have more replies soon.

Oh thank you so much! My 17yo daughter loves her ducks and has had a really tough couple weeks with now 2 losses. I really hope someone with experience can offer some advice. FTR, the pekins were our first time raising ducks so there is so much that is new to us.

 

[RosemaryDuck]

The whining you mentioned- was it like she was struggling to breathe? Or wheezing? Birds in general are pretty good at hiding illnesses until it's to late. So sorry for your loss.

 

[KaleIAm]

I'm very sorry to hear about Baby.

If you want to know the cause of her passing I suggest a necropsy. I had them performed for my ducks and they gave me peace of mind. We could offer guesses, but nothing conclusive.

I hope your daughter's heart heals soon. I understand what she is going through.

 

[Aunt Angus]

I'm very sorry to hear about Baby.

If you want to know the cause of her passing I suggest a necropsy. I had them performed for my ducks and they gave me peace of mind. We could offer guesses, but nothing conclusive.

I hope your daughter's heart heals soon. I understand what she is going through.

Oh, yes! Great advice! Don't know why I didn't think of that. I had a chicken necropsied just last month! Huge relief to find out it wasn't contagious.

 

[416bigbore]

Welcome to BYC, So sorry for your loss. My guess is that the leg issues with Buddy was from a Niacin deficiency in his diet. This is a very common issue with the larger breeds of ducks and can easily be addressed when they are ducklings to help prevent leg issues as they grow.

If you do a search you will find all kinds of valuable information about Niacin deficiency in ducks. Best of luck.

 

[Miss Lydia]

If at all possible a necropsy would tell you what was going on with Baby. So sad when we lose them and losing 2 so close is heartbreaking. Like was mentioned they can hide an illness so good until alot of times it's too late. So very sorry for your loss.

 

[Sweetpickle97]

Thank you all for you kind words. Considering she died yesterday late afternoon, is it too late for a necropsy? As for the sounds she was making it, I didn't hear it but my daughter said it sounded like a dog quietly whining. So maybe more of a weeze? I was holding her a few hours before she died and didn't hear anything then.

 

[SolarDuck]

I think you can still get a necropsy if you still have the body