URGENT~ SOFT SHELLED EGGS AND A LETHARGIC DUCK!!!

[PetDuck]

If the infection was from her laying internally, or if an egg broke inside her, yes, the infection will come back and unless the internally laid eggs and/or "egg bits" are are surgically removed, she will eventually die, sorry. Didn't the vet explain that to you?

-Kathy

Whoa whoa whoa!!! That kind of came out of nowhere. The only man that I know is 2 hours away from us that actually has ANY experience with ducks had a stroke 2 days ago! If your sure that she will die without that surgery than she is as good as dead. Wouldn't the Baytril kill that infection? The vet seemed pretty sure that it would. If she is 50 grams under 1860 grams today at 5:00, then I will tube.

What were that chickens symptoms? Did you give her Baytril? Because I did and I think it would prevent that huge infection from happening in Quackers.

The vet that I have been taking her to knows little to nothing about ducks and like I said the man who has been calling them and telling them what to do with her had a stroke. I will call that vet and ask but I don't really think they would know what to do with her. They are not certified to preform surgery on her either.

Anyways all I could find for the pro biotic is this : http://www.walmart.com/ip/Spring-Valley-10x-Digestive-Care-Probiotic-Capsules-30-count/24761835

I got it at the store a minute ago. How much should I give to her and how?
Could I weigh her now and it be accurate to find the change? Or should I wait until 5:00, when I did it yesterday?

 

[Speceider]

I would wait until 5 to weigh, although weighing late in the day is much more problematic.....weight will depend upon how much they have eaten or drank during the day. The preferred time would be morning, preferably before they have been fed and watered.


I also probasbly wouldn't tube feed with only a 3% mass loss, for me it would need to be over 7.5%.

Clint

 

[PetDuck]

I would wait until 5 to weigh, although weighing late in the day is much more problematic.....weight will depend upon how much they have eaten or drank during the day. The preferred time would be morning, preferably before they have been fed and watered.


I also probasbly wouldn't tube feed with only a 3% mass loss, for me it would need to be over 7.5%.

Clint

She only ate 2 worms and 3 grubs. She usually gobbles those up but she didn't today. I sat outside crying with her for about 15 minutes. She swam in her pool but I tried to get her to eat more worms and she wouldn't. I am worried that tubing is my only option...

(600th post!)

 

[casportpony]

I would wait until 5 to weigh, although weighing late in the day is much more problematic.....weight will depend upon how much they have eaten or drank during the day. The preferred time would be morning, preferably before they have been fed and watered.


I also probasbly wouldn't tube feed with only a 3% mass loss, for me it would need to be over 7.5%.

Clint

I would agree with you if she wasn't so thin already, but since getting her fluids and Baytril she has lost even more weight. It's been my experience that once they get to about 1/2 their ideal weight it is very difficult or them to recover.

@petduck, exactly how much did she weigh when you first took her to the vet?

Just to give you all an example, I have a sick peahen that weighed in at ~2900 grams two days ago, and after one day of Clavamox (probable e. Coli) and Metronidazole (probable histomoniasis), tubing tubing fluids and food she's over 3200 grams and eating a little on her own. I know that lots of that gain is just water weight, but I would be *very* worried if she were less that 2900.

-Kathy

 

[casportpony]

She only ate 2 worms and 3 grubs.  She usually gobbles those up but she didn't today.  I sat outside crying with her for about 15 minutes.  She swam in her pool but I tried to get her to eat more worms and she wouldn't.  I am worried that tubing is my only option...

(600th post!)

I always like to weigh at the same time each day, before or after feeding, but in this case I would weigh her again.

-Kathy

 

[casportpony]

Whoa whoa whoa!!!  That kind of came out of nowhere.   The only man that I know is 2 hours away from us that actually has ANY experience with ducks had a stroke 2 days ago!  If your sure that she will die without that surgery than she is as good as dead.  Wouldn't the Baytril kill that infection?  The vet seemed pretty sure that it would.  If she is 50 grams under 1860 grams today at 5:00, then I will tube. 

What were that chickens symptoms?  Did you give her Baytril?  Because I did and I think it would prevent that huge infection from happening in Quackers.

The vet that I have been taking her to knows little to nothing about ducks and like I said the man who has been calling them and telling them what to do with her had a stroke.  I will call that vet and ask but I don't really think they would know what to do with her.  They are not certified to preform surgery on her either.

Anyways all I could find for the pro biotic is this :  http://www.walmart.com/ip/Spring-Valley-10x-Digestive-Care-Probiotic-Capsules-30-count/24761835 

I got it at the store a minute ago.  How much should I give to her and how?
Could I weigh her now and it be accurate to find the change?  Or should I wait until 5:00, when I did it yesterday?

If she really does have EYP and the "egg bits" are still in her then I'm afraid her prognosis is poor. There is someone here on BYC that knows a lot about EYP, speckledhen, send her a PM, I'm sure she can explain it better than I can.

FYI, I've had many like the hen I posted about, and yes, they were treated with Baytril, but the outcome was always the same. Symptoms were depression, loss of appetite, weight loss, fluid in abdominal cavity and eventually, death. I am not a vet, but I do know from experience that continued weight loss alone will lead to death.

-Kathy

 

[mara1]

I don't know what the dose would be for the capsules but I looked up the brand and it says 5 billion cfu per capsule. save a chick is 1.8 billion cfu per package and mixed with a gallon of water. My logic would be use a 1/2 capsule for a gallon. You could also call the vet and ask if they could look up the recommended cfu dose. I understand that they don't specialize in ducks but they do have reference material and the knowledge to look up the information. When I went to vet tech school even though most of the students wouldn't be working with certain animals that didn't mean the material wasn't covered. Have you spoken with them? They know the specialist is not able to see you. Also as I pointed out before a wild life rehab in your area could also possibly be great help with there practical experience.
Quote: I think Kathy was saying if you read closer that if any shell or egg parts are still in her internally than they could re-infect her and only removing source would stop the infection. (Like a splinter can be inflamed then seem fine then flare up again until you remove it). Not that it is the case with her just giving you more info and the possible severity of the condition. Think about it like if you have a cough will it lead to pneumonia? You could get better with time or it could worsen to pneumonia ect.. Would it be easily treated or could a person die. that is why they say to come back if your not getting better. Medicine is a practicing science not absolute. I am at work so I'm responding between job duties so please excuse any typo's or if I didn't read a post while constructing reply

 

[mara1]

Hopefully someone else that has used capsules in a pinch will chime in. The information you read is educational even if it dose not pertain to whats going on exactly at this instance. Knowledge can help prepare you if the need arises.

 

[casportpony]

I sent speckledhen a PM, hopefully she share what she knows about EYP.

-Kathy

 

[speckledhen]

Whoa whoa whoa!!! That kind of came out of nowhere. The only man that I know is 2 hours away from us that actually has ANY experience with ducks had a stroke 2 days ago! If your sure that she will die without that surgery than she is as good as dead. Wouldn't the Baytril kill that infection? The vet seemed pretty sure that it would. If she is 50 grams under 1860 grams today at 5:00, then I will tube.

What were that chickens symptoms? Did you give her Baytril? Because I did and I think it would prevent that huge infection from happening in Quackers.

The vet that I have been taking her to knows little to nothing about ducks and like I said the man who has been calling them and telling them what to do with her had a stroke. I will call that vet and ask but I don't really think they would know what to do with her. They are not certified to preform surgery on her either.

Anyways all I could find for the pro biotic is this : http://www.walmart.com/ip/Spring-Valley-10x-Digestive-Care-Probiotic-Capsules-30-count/24761835

I got it at the store a minute ago. How much should I give to her and how?
Could I weigh her now and it be accurate to find the change? Or should I wait until 5:00, when I did it yesterday?

Okay, though I do not have ducks, I do have extensive experience with EYP and internal laying in chickens. Trust me on this one--many folks will tell you I've lost many hatchery hens to internal laying. And I've done necropsies on many of them for educational purposes and consulted a PhD in poultry science when the worst of the losses was occurring.Internal laying is not curable as it is genetic/hormone based, at least in chickens. Seems it would be the same with ducks. I can't tell you dosages of meds for ducks, but I can tell you that internal laying cannot be cured except by complete hysterectomy to stop all laying. Final symptoms near the end are massive weight loss, weakness, sometimes bloated abdomen and sometimes not. Antibiotics may kick out liquid, new infection but birds encapsulate it with cheesy masses that stay in the body. Those will kill the bird.

Now, there are other things that can mimic it like cancer, but your duck has had symptoms that point to a reproductive issue so I'd say it's very possible. I'm sorry but sometimes, the truth is just hard and nasty with reproductive ailments in avians.

I have posted pictures of those masses clogging oviducts and abdomens and will for you here, if you like, or you can look them up by my name.