What do you think, sick or injured 2 month pekin not getting better

[Miss Lydia]

I use the rubber feed bowls for water for my Muscovy and all I do now is take one of the pills and just drop it into the water. She finds it and gobbles it down. Niacin is a B vitamin so it's really hard to overdose your duck. I am now giving mine 1-2 of the pills a day and the improvement is marked. Hope this helps, they really do like the chance to dabble and come up with a tasty treat, lol.

Thanks D,

 

[FCFarms]

Thanks so much Haunted I appreciate it. She wouldn't take the pill on her own but I put it near the back of her tongue and gave her water to drink and down it went. She did however go nuts for the meal worms which is the first thing other than her feed that she actually ate so I'm happy we found at least 1 thing she likes other than the feed.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Thanks so much Haunted I appreciate it. She wouldn't take the pill on her own but I put it near the back of her tongue and gave her water to drink and down it went. She did however go nuts for the meal worms which is the first thing other than her feed that she actually ate so I'm happy we found at least 1 thing she likes other than the feed.

Another thing you might try is frozen peas putting them into her water bowl along with her niacin tablet, as she is dunking for peas she'll probably scarf up the niacin pill. Just be careful when putting anything at the back of her tongue that is doesn't go down the wrong tube and into her lungs.

 

[FCFarms]

I'll see if I can get her to eat peas. Always careful when popping pills I only place it far enough back so she can't spit it out, she does the rest so it should go down the right pipe since she's doing that part herself. Knowing she likes the meal worms now I may be able to put it in with those from now on.

 

[Haunted55]

If you offer the pills in a bowl the duck will eventually find them and yomp them, lol. It might take a day or so because they are timid sometimes. Once they find out they can eat it though....

 

[FCFarms]

I'll give it a try tomorrow, hopefully I can hide it under one pellet or something.

New question. Since her scab is on the hock I can't remove it to let it drain because it bleeds quite a bit. There's a small area on the top of it that I have been able to keep lancing a little to keep it open but it's not very big. If I don't do this it closes up completely and swells up again with infection. I can keep it open by lancing but it doesn't really drain on its own unless she moves around (which she really doesn't) or if I massage it which I don't like doing because it's uncomfortable for her. Would it be okay to use a needle to pull out what I can of the infection? I'm worried at this point that because her dosage was too small in the beginning that it now may be resistant to it at the correct dosage.

 

[FCFarms]

Here are pics of what I'm talking about. This was tonight. I cleaned as much as I could, packed it with neosporin and wrapped it which I only do at night because she gets filthy overnight and I don't want dirt getting in there. it's a light wrap so hair can still get in.

 

[Haunted55]

I'll give it a try tomorrow, hopefully I can hide it under one pellet or something.

New question. Since her scab is on the hock I can't remove it to let it drain because it bleeds quite a bit. There's a small area on the top of it that I have been able to keep lancing a little to keep it open but it's not very big. If I don't do this it closes up completely and swells up again with infection. I can keep it open by lancing but it doesn't really drain on its own unless she moves around (which she really doesn't) or if I massage it which I don't like doing because it's uncomfortable for her. Would it be okay to use a needle to pull out what I can of the infection? I'm worried at this point that because her dosage was too small in the beginning that it now may be resistant to it at the correct dosage.

Don't put it in the feed bowl, the water bowl is where I put it. Just drop it in, close to the side she would be using and let her dabble.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...-12-days-cant-walk-or-balance-need-assistance

Check out this thread, if you haven't already. I am going to HD either today or tomorrow to get the parts to make one for mine. This should help get the legs working.

As for the infection, Casportpony has some information that may help you with getting rid of the infection. If you send a PM I bet you'd get some help with how to do it. Right now, if it were me, I would take a pea size bit of vaseline and 2 drops of iodine mixed very well. This will draw some of the infection and kill whatever is causing it. Used it myself so I know it works and is safe. My Sydney had sores on her hocks from the spinning to get around. Do not cover this!!!! Put her on a towel or old rag, anything, but do not cover. Iodine can burn if it is covered, it needs the air.

The meds given by the Vet I would question the same as you have. I am not a Vet, but for a sore and swelling I personally would have been reaching for penicillin or one of the tetracycline drugs. They have a much better chance of getting out to the extremities quickly. I just checked Storye's book for ducks and what is recommended for what is possibly/probably a staph infection is penicillin, Gallimycin, Terramycin, novobiocin. SMZ is one of the sulphur drugs and can be very harsh on their systems, plus, they don't always get to, or have the strength where they are needed in the extremities. If it were me, because I can't tell you what to do....I would lose the drugs the Vet gave you and try something else. The iodine mix on the outside, warm baths so she can swim, maybe the walker if you can get the parts. The walker would keep her up off the legs and let the blood flow better as well as let her move around. I would switch antibiotics as well and for the pain, she can have an asprin. Right now I would want to give her insides a chance to heal up a bit from the SMZ. Maybe give her some probiotics to help with that for a few days and then start her on one of the antibiotics mentioned above and asprin if you see indications of pain.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Here are pics of what I'm talking about. This was tonight. I cleaned as much as I could, packed it with neosporin and wrapped it which I only do at night because she gets filthy overnight and I don't want dirt getting in there. it's a light wrap so hair can still get in.

that looks awfully swollen, do you still have her on antibiotics?

 

[casportpony]

What is SMZ? and I think you are wonderful for all you have done, I know nothing about the meds except I have heard of the Rimadyl for dogs with Arthritis. I do ditto all thats been said above and hope with adding the niacin and brewers yeast you see good improvement.

From:

http://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?pgguid=2e87c54b-7b6a-11d5-a192-00b0d0204ae5

SMZ/TMP Oral Suspension

(Generic) Sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim is an antibiotic used to treat a wide range of infections in horses, dogs, cats and other species of animals. Each 5 ml (1 tsp) SMZ/TMP Oral Suspension contains 200 mg sulfamethoxazole and 40 mg trimethoprim. SMZ/TMP Oral Suspension may be used to treat bacterial and protozoal infections. SMZ/TMP may be used in horses where control of bacterial infections is required during treatment of acute strangles, respiratory tract infections, acute urogenital infections, wound infections and abscesses. Sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim.

I think that Rimadyl is also used in birds for pain control.