Unusual behavior? Very worried.

[casportpony]

What is nutri drench?!

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/nutri-drench-poultry-4-oz

 

[Ar7ki]

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/nutri-drench-poultry-4-oz

I will pick some up tomorrow! What will this help with? Will it calm him?

 

[casportpony]

I will pick some up tomorrow! What will this help with? Will it calm him?

I have no idea if it will help, but it won't hurt. Unlikely to calm him down.

 

[Ar7ki]

Gotcha.

But it’s agreed that this is unusual right?

 

[Duckworth]

Does he always turn the same direction or does he switch up? Do you think his preen gland is irritating him?

When one of my ducks had an irritated and protruding vent (not yet prolapsed), my avian vet recommended that I dab some Preparation H on it to help reduce swelling and to numb it so she would leave it alone. I don't know whether that might give some relief. You could check with your vet.

 

[casportpony]

Gotcha.

But it’s agreed that this is unusual right?

Very unusual.

 

[Ar7ki]

Does he always turn the same direction or does he switch up? Do you think his preen gland is irritating him?

When one of my ducks had an irritated and protruding vent (not yet prolapsed), my avian vet recommended that I dab some Preparation H on it to help reduce swelling and to numb it so she would leave it alone. I don't know whether that might give some relief. You could check with your vet.

He turns in both directions. The vet saw no signs of an irritated preen gland. Will check with Vet about the PH! It is a good idea!

 

[Ducklover77]

Hi everyone. I’m very concerned about my duck. He has been chasing his back tail all day. Due to this behavior I took him to the vet. Here’s what we know. X-Rays, bloodwork, and Fecal exams all came back good. The Doc says that he may have soft tissue damage near his preen gland (hence all the tests). So he’s received some pain meds and we’re keeping a close eye on him. But I do not feel better. It’s been several hours since the vet and he has not stopped going in circles. His sister who is a peeking is very concerned and so are we. Any ideas which could make a duck constantly go in circles trying to get at his tale, similar to a dog going for its tail? We have him and his sister inside as per the vets recommendation, but he still hasn’t stop. I’m overly worried about him. I’m unsure how links work but I’ve posted a video on the behavior. I’m truly hoping someone will know since the vet really did nothing to stop my worrying.

https://www.facebook.com/534555122/posts/10162135022575123?s=534555122&sfns=mo

I hope he gets better and it isn't anything horrible. The poor thing

 

[Miss Lydia]

I'd call and ask if there is anything in the sedative dept that you can give him. Just a small amount to calm him down. You said pain meds but they must not be doing much. If you have CBD oil you might try giving him some. I have seen my Muscovy drakes do this but not that extreme. The video would work for me.

 

[Duckworth]

He turns in both directions. The vet saw no signs of an irritated preen gland. Will check with Vet about the PH! It is a good idea!

I'm not a vet or even particularly knowledgeable, but the fact that your drake is turning in both directions and chasing a specific part of his body suggests to me that his actions are voluntary as opposed to strictly neurological. I could, of course, be completely wrong about this.

I'm assuming that the vet did a thorough inspection of your duck's entire back and tail area, under the feathers, to see whether there is any sign of irritation or any kind of parasite or thorn or something giving your duck cause to keep trying to get at it. Something like a chigger or other subdermal irritant that might be easily overlooked perhaps? I know that when I have a chigger, it is next to impossible to stop trying to make that itch stop. I'm just wondering whether this kind of irritant is a possibility. In the absence of other information, I would probably recheck the area every so often to see whether anything has changed or become apparent.