Vet Euthanization

[MLT_FarmerMom]

Okay so I ended have to put down our sweet Cayuga duck today. Yesterday we woke up to find some critter had managed to get into our coop and kill several of our chickens and our duck Lucy was injured. She had a puncture mark on her neck and the flies had already begun to swarm and lay eggs. She could walk, but was having trouble holding her head up. She was very disoriented. I rushed her in the house, using soap and water in the tub I cleaned the area and removed the larva eggs. I flushed the wound and added antibiotic ointment to the area. ( it was rather difficult as she would not hold still) I tried to get her into the vet right away, however he was having personal issues and couldnt come in so I had to wait until this morning. My husband cleaned her wound again once he made it home from work. We gave her electroytes through a syringe every hour. When I took her to the vet this morning we noticed she had one magot in the wound... Or thats all we could see anyways. She was also running a fever of 105. The vet said she wouldnt make it and that we needed to put her down. I signed to have it done as I didn't want her to suffer, but it was not what I expected and rather traumatic. I thought he would give her a shot to put her to sleep, but instead he dumped her into a trash bag full of some chemical he sprayed in it. She freaked out and ripped the trash bag so he put another black bag around it and sprayed some more. He basically suffocated her & it was not quick. She was my baby and it was awful. My husband could have culled her in a quicker less scary fashion. Anyways... My question is did I make the right choice?... I am now wondering if I could have saved her... I feel as if I should have told the vet no & left to go get her some antibiotics at the co-op and flushed her wound, place more antibiotic ointment, & pack it with gauze. Then maybe place cool wet cloth over her to help lower her temp... Do you think she could have been saved? Or was the vet right and knew she wouldnt last? He said she had botulism.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I would never return to that vet. Poultry can heal up from some pretty bad stuff with management.

I believe a duck has a body temperature of around 103-107 degrees, so it wasn't running a fever.

I'm so sorry for your experience. You did what you thought was right and trusted what was supposed to be an expert. You can only learn from your experience and do better next time. I always try to give them a chance. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes there's no right answer.

 

[Kiki]

Wow...did they explain how they were going to put her to sleep before hand?

 

[MLT_FarmerMom]

Wow...did they explain how they were going to put her to sleep before hand?

No they did not... Not at all... I foolishly assumed it would be how they do dogs.

 

[MLT_FarmerMom]

I would never return to that vet. Poultry can heal up from some pretty bad stuff with management.

I believe a duck has a body temperature of around 103-107 degrees, so it wasn't running a fever.

I'm so sorry for your experience. You did what you thought was right and trusted what was supposed to be an expert. You can only learn from your experience and do better next time. I always try to give them a chance. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes there's no right answer.

Thanks. I wish I would have given her the chance knowing what I do now. I just didn't want her to suffer and it feels like she did anyways.

 

[Birdielee]

I think what you did was right, each step of the way, with the info you had. I'm not sure what the vet did was right. I imagine the chemical he sprayed in the bag was some sort of anesthetic or ether to knock her into unconsciousness and she'd die asleep. It doesn't sound like it went according to plan, and I'm sorry it happened the way it did.
You and your husband sound like a good team.
Botulism in a live animal? Weird. I thought it was anaerobic and wouldn't have thought of that. I'm
Sorry you lost your lovely duck.

 

[Birdielee]

Apparently it is a thing, it winds up causing paralysis, and the bird suffocates or drowns because breathing muscles are paralyzed. And few survive it.
I know the topic of the thread is not really botulism but here's more info
https://www.google.com/search?q=bot...roid-boost-us&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8
There is something called wound botulism.
I have no idea if your duck had it, but i guess it didn't look good to the vet.

 

[SJK]

Just wanted to say I'm sorry. It sounds horribly traumatic-- I worked at an animal shelter and our vets euthanized sick chickens with an injection just like a cat or dog, so that was not an unreasonable assumption for you to make. Sounds like that vet should not be working with birds. In any case, your little one is out of pain and at peace now. I hope you can focus on that and not beat yourself up about just doing the best you could to try to relieve her suffering.

 

[MLT_FarmerMom]

I think what you did was right, each step of the way, with the info you had. I'm not sure what the vet did was right. I imagine the chemical he sprayed in the bag was some sort of anesthetic or ether to knock her into unconsciousness and she'd die asleep. It doesn't sound like it went according to plan, and I'm sorry it happened the way it did.
You and your husband sound like a good team.
Botulism in a live animal? Weird. I thought it was anaerobic and wouldn't have thought of that. I'm
Sorry you lost your lovely duck.

I hope he used something that made it pain free.. But I truly dont know.. Part of me feels like he didnt because he asked his assistant where the formaldehyde was walked out, came back ans sprayed her... He could have been needing it for something else though and what he sprayed her with was something else. I took her home and buried her, and he told me to ride with my windows down all the way home. I just hope we did right by her. I guess I cant help but feel guilty. Like I should have done more. If there is ever a next time I know what I will do.

 

[casportpony]

@Folly's place, can you comment?