Supplemental care for duck with joint infection

[EvaluationUnit]

Hey there,

My boy Cole, who came to me from the MSPCA, has a purported joint infection. He limps around and lifts his foot mostly off of the ground. The MSPCA tried to treat with clavamox and meloxicam, which didn't work. My vet tried the same, but for longer, which had the same result. On x-rays it appears the swelling has not gotten any worse, though he is getting bigger as a bird, which means it's harder for him to get around with his ailing leg.

We're on another course of antibiotics now (starting tonight) along with carprofen, so I'm crossing my fingers this will do because after this we need to look into a surgical route that the vet warned has a good possibility of not working or helping. Cross your fingers...

Anyway, I'm trying to work up ideas for helping his condition keep from worsening. He sits a lot and seeks out the coop with a thick straw bedding to sit in, likely due to the padding, so I've been giving him extra straw and am thinking of making a "box" outside with the same. I've removed anything that requires him to step up or down, and they're currently not getting daily pool time (though I recognize swimming would be good for him, I don't have a setup right now where he can go in/out without possibly injuring himself more... Of course they go around my ramp instead of using it ). He sits a lot and no one seems to bother him other than his best buddy who cuddles with him.

They have ACV in their water, and brewer's yeast in their food. Is there any other supplement or anything else I can do to help him?

 

[Miss Lydia]

I'm sorry about Coles infection. I am not good with antibiotics but @casportpony and @Isaac 0 both are. As for supplements maybe try the liquid B complex it works faster for leg strength, so when infection is gone he already has a good start on getting strength back. Rest, water therapy and of course the antibiotics will hopefully get Cole back to recovery.

 

[Isaac 0]

Do you have a picture of the joint?

If you have access to a vet it would be best to have fluid drawn from the swelling for a cytological exam, and culture/sensitivity, to determine specifically what's going on in the swelling, and if it is indeed infected, which antibiotic would be most useful.

If that is not an option, you could try compounding drugs such as Clindamycin, and Enrofloxacin, which are both sometimes used in cases of bone infections. They can both be obtained online, in fish or bird form without an RX.

 

[EvaluationUnit]

Do you have a picture of the joint?

If you have access to a vet it would be best to have fluid drawn from the swelling for a cytological exam, and culture/sensitivity, to determine specifically what's going on in the swelling, and if it is indeed infected, which antibiotic would be most useful.

If that is not an option, you could try compounding drugs such as Clindamycin, and Enrofloxacin, which are both sometimes used in cases of bone infections. They can both be obtained online, in fish or bird form without an RX.

I have an xray of the joint actually! The is the first xray of two taken, two months apart.

Not sure if you just skimmed my post but the antibiotics and carprofen are what the vet prescribed; we did 14 days of clavamox and meloxicam first which didn't help at all. She suggested a surgical option after this round ("SMZ TMP") if this antibiotic + anti-inflammatory doesn't help, likely doing what you said, but she had said they would "go in and clean out as much as they could" which sounded a lot more invasive than simply drawing fluid to culture.

 

[Isaac 0]

I have an xray of the joint actually! The is the first xray of two taken, two months apart.

View attachment 2432136

Not sure if you just skimmed my post but the antibiotics and carprofen are what the vet prescribed; we did 14 days of clavamox and meloxicam first which didn't help at all. She suggested a surgical option after this round ("SMZ TMP") if this antibiotic + anti-inflammatory doesn't help, likely doing what you said, but she had said they would "go in and clean out as much as they could" which sounded a lot more invasive than simply drawing fluid to culture.

Sorry, I did read the part where you mentioned that she was on antibiotics.

Clavamox is pretty broad-spectrum, but from my understanding in some cases it doesn't penetrate into the bone well, so sometimes it's necessary to compound something like Clindamycin + Enrofloxacin.

If she shows no improvement with the second round of antimicrobial therapy, I think your vet is right and it may be best to open the joint up and get a further look at it. If you're wary of surgery, ask the vet about fine-needle aspiration, and if that would be beneficial in determining a good treatment plan.

 

[EvaluationUnit]

Thank you for the suggestion Isaac O. I brought it up during the followup today, and she agreed this would be a good method for further diagnosis. Now trying to plan for him to recover in a clean indoor environment... Feeling like an absolute nutter ordering a duck diaper harness!

 

[Isaac 0]

Thank you for the suggestion Isaac O. I brought it up during the followup today, and she agreed this would be a good method for further diagnosis. Now trying to plan for him to recover in a clean indoor environment... Feeling like an absolute nutter ordering a duck diaper harness!

You're welcome, make sure to keep us posted on how everything goes.

 

[EvaluationUnit]

Cole got his fine needle aspiration and we kept him clean before and after, so he seems to be fine with that. The culture came back as (this definitely seems like I didn't write it down right) sudamoden (she said it's very difficult to treat but not impossible), and he's going on a 30 day treatment of marbofloxacin (to be extended to 60 days if it works) at the promise that I will never eat him. Crossing my fingers this will work.

 

[Isaac 0]

When you say "sudamoden", do you mean Pseudomonas?

Glad to hear the fine needle went well, and you figured out the causative bacteria. Joint infections are hard to treat, and often require weeks worth of antibiotics. Hoping he shows improvement.

 

[EvaluationUnit]

Must be! I usually write down what I hear on the phone and then Google that for a correction. Pseudomonas sounds right.