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

[Amiga]

It is sobering to look at the statistics. I have lost two ducks to eyp.

Statistics are useful for making decisions, and at the same time, they cannot determine the outcome for individual cases.

It is good to be prepared before weekends and holidays, too.

For me, if the duck seems to be holding her own, I have a wait and see approach. I prefer giving the duck a chance, and as my mom used to say, not to "borrow trouble."

 

[casportpony]

Do you think some ducks are more susceptible to EYP and repro issues?

-Kathy

 

[Speceider]

I certainly believe ducks bred for egg production, as with chickens, increases the cases of reproductive problems....also, things like increasing light to increase laying, feed, and the potential of EDCs all increase the possibility of repro problems.

Clint

 

[PetDuck]

It is sobering to look at the statistics. I have lost two ducks to eyp.

Statistics are useful for making decisions, and at the same time, they cannot determine the outcome for individual cases.

It is good to be prepared before weekends and holidays, too.

For me, if the duck seems to be holding her own, I have a wait and see approach. I prefer giving the duck a chance, and as my mom used to say, not to "borrow trouble."

Very true Amiga.

I called the vet and they said to bring her in at three for a tube feeding but I told them to hold it off until tomorrow. I looked up avian vets in MS and found one that I am emailing, her name is Leann Tana. She hasn't responded but I will tell you what she says when replies to my email. I found her name and others here http://www.aav.org/search/index.php (a very helpful site.)

 

[Miss Lydia]

Very true Amiga.

I called the vet and they said to bring her in at three for a tube feeding but I told them to hold it off until tomorrow. I looked up avian vets in MS and found one that I am emailing, her name is Leann Tana. She hasn't responded but I will tell you what she says when replies to my email. I found her name and others here http://www.aav.org/search/index.php (a very helpful site.)

I hope you hear from her soon. How is Quackers this afternoon?

 

[speckledhen]

I wish you the best. I am not a duck expert, nor have I had ducks, just a good knowledge of how EYP and internal laying works. I hope you can help her, but if the worst happens, it honestly won't surprise me. Those are nasty ailments with chicken hens and surely, the prognosis would be about the same for ducks. Good luck with the situation.

 

[Amiga]

Very true Amiga.

I called the vet and they said to bring her in at three for a tube feeding but I told them to hold it off until tomorrow. I looked up avian vets in MS and found one that I am emailing, her name is Leann Tana. She hasn't responded but I will tell you what she says when replies to my email. I found her name and others here http://www.aav.org/search/index.php (a very helpful site.)

Sounds like a plan. I think you are doing as well as anyone can under the circumstances. And hope you are taking good care of yourself, too.

 

[PetDuck]

My question
I am sorry to bother you but my duck has a Egg yoke peritonitis. I took her to a vet in Jackson Mississippi he told me to give her five days of Baytril his name is Dr. Whittington. I brought her home and the day when she got off of the antibiotics which was Friday morning she seemed very happy but still was not eating. She has not eaten pretty much anything since Friday she only eats worms and grubs I put them and baby food for the extra calories and fat and I get yogurt 1 tablespoon of yogurt and one cup of water for her to drink every night.

Everywhere I look people are telling me to tube feed her but I am scared it will traumatize her I do not want to put her through that. I would be calling Dr. Whittington right now but his mother had a stroke two days ago and he's in the hospital with her.

She weighed 1860 g yesterday and weighs 1815 g today she's still losing weight you can feel most of her bones her breastbone the bones in her wings and you can visualize how skinny she is. She has also had a lot of muscle loss. Like I said she will not eat her food she will only eat grubs and worms but she is still kind of losing interest in those. She walks around the yard sometimes and finds bugs but most of the time she is lethargic and sleepy.

I cannot bring her and for any appointments because I live in Cleveland Mississippi and any drive would be way too stressful for me and her both. I really need advice on what to do. I got probiotics from the store for her but I do not know how much to give to her I am kind of suspecting that the Baytril is upsetting her stomach, or worse, that the infection is back.

I may sound desperate but I love my pet very much she is everything to me I am willing to try anything to make her better if you say I should tube feed her I will but I really do not want to because I don't want to put her through the stress of it.

What do you think I should do?

Thankfully,
Quackers and her mommy


Her reply
Yuck, I am sorry about your duck. That is a tough thing to treat. I understand you don't want to traumatize her but it is very important to get food into her. If you aren't comfortable tube feeding her, you could syringe feed her. They usually aren't any more bothered by forced feeding then they are by forced medication. Its all the head restraint that they don't like. You could always try it a couple times to see how it goes, she will not hold a grudge over such a temporary trauma if it doesn't work out. Have you force fed a bird before?

Baytril usually won't upset the stomach in birds so I am worried that the infection is not gone. In my experience a week of Baytril can show some improvement to let us know if we are on the right track but many times it needs to be given longer. I am sure your vet wouldn't want to send you home with tons of antibiotic you can't return if it didn't work to start out with. Do you have any reading material on EYP to tell you what to expect?

So sorry I can't help you very much, will try as much as I can. I can't technically give you medical advise without seeing her but I can give you general information.


My reply

I have never force fed a bird before, no.
I fully understand what the possible outcomes of EYP are, even the not so good ones. So should I tube feed her? I have a vet very close to my house that has offered to show me how but I told them to wait until tomorrow so I can decide what to do.

I know how serious EYP is though. Does she need surgery to remove the remaining infection or more anti-biotics? I could send you a video of her maybe. Would that help?


Her reply


No, a video wouldn't help. It is more of a hands on thing, and a legal thing, than a visual thing. I would definitely have them show you how. It sounds like she needs it badly with losing so much weight. Sometimes surgery is necessary if anti-inflammatory and antibiotic don't work.

 

[PetDuck]

I am still waiting for her next reply

 

[veronicasmom]

I know I don't have a lot of the knowledge that many others have, but I really am going to push the syringe feeding. You can make a slurry of something very nutritional and just basically stick the syringe in her mouth and let the food dribble down her throat. I am sure you can google syringe feeding a bird. It is done a lot. Tubing is a much bigger deal and a lot harder. I mentioned the syringe feeding a while ago, and if she is losing weight, you HAVE to get food in her soon. If she is unhappy with it, so be it, you don't seem to have an alternative at this point.
Personally, I would be hesitant to tube feed one of my animals, but I would syringe feed any time. Yes you do have to worry about them aspirating, but it is less of a risk than improperly tube feeding.

I am probably going to be VERY unpopular for this, but here goes. Is she suffering? I love my animals more than my own life, but I feel very strongly that when an animal is unhappy, uncomfortable or just not enjoying life, it is time to consider your other alternatives. This relates to your comment on not wanting to upset her by force feeding. I commend you on how much love and care you are giving Quackers, but if she is miserable, then please think about maybe not putting her through a lot more misery. Believe I have been in this position more times that you could ever imagine since I have had so many pets of so many species. It is a hard thing to think about, but we need to realize they require us to make the decisions they cannot.

I really feel bad for you. I think you are wonderful for doing all you are for Quackers and I know this is not a nice thing to think about, but truly if she is just existing, then maybe you need to do some hard thinking.

I am pulling for you both, I think she is a very lucky duck to have you on her side.