Anne - Believe me, I understand and appreciate your concern. I would most definitely prefer to have the work done by a licensed vet. I agree that would be best for the bird, but that is not an option, for several reasons. Whatever care this bird gets, it gets from me. I will do what ever I can do to help this bird as long as it is not suffering unnecessarily. Right now, the duck seems happy and comfortable. I am watching the progress of the healing and monitoring her quality of life. I am also considering possible options and educating myself in case those options become necessary. I have no intention of letting this bird suffer, but I am not opposed to causing some temporary pain (shots hurt, setting a bone hurts, cleaning wounds hurts, etc.) in order to give it a chance of healing and surviving and living a long life as a happy duck. If the bone and tissue is dead, it will not hurt at all to snip it off. If that were the case here, I would have already done it. There appears to be some improvement in the area below the most severe wound, so I am watching to see if it heals on it's own. If at any point, the duck is depressed, lethargic, stops eating or shows any sign that it can not recover, I will humanely euthanize it. Until then, I will do whatever I feel will help.
