When can a duck with stitches go swimming?

[EronicaV]

My duck was injured nearly 2 weeks ago and got stitches (dissolvable).
She had antibiotics and a quiet indoor pen with a heat-pad for the first week and a half. After a little less than a week she had started behaving normally. Her wounds seem to be healing well.
The days have been beautiful and warm so she’s had her own smaller temporary pen in the yard that I put her in during the day. The last 3 nights ive been putting her in to sleep with the other ducks and she’s been doing great.
I’m sad for her bc during the day, she’s in her pen, and even if the other ducks come to lay by her snd say hi, I know she misses getting to run around and play in the pools with everyone else.

It’s been 2 weeks now, how long until she can swim again?

attached are images I got today of the most major wound (and some pics of her today just for fun). The other wound is a lot smaller and honestly very hard to find bc of the dense feathers. Even the larger wound took me a few minutes to find despite me knowing it’s general area from checking it nearly every day.

The stitches are hard to see but they’re there if you look closely. Her black plumage is starting to grow back in.

 

[ColtHandorf]

I'd ask the veterinarian that stitched her.

 

[fatty and friends]

I'd ask the veterinarian that stitched her.

yeah definitely ask the vet, and make sure she only swims in clean water/no mud until fully healed

 

[Sheepheart]

Ask the vet and if they gave you any papers on care instructions, most vets do unless they had to travel to you, it might say on there to

 

[KaleIAm]

I would also ask the vet.

As someone who has had surgery and stitches many, many times I can tell you that the skin can appear healed on the outside and yet absolutely not be healed below the surface. I would be concerned with the sutures providing a path to the unhealed tissued. I would still follow whatever recommendations my vet gave me.

 

[EronicaV]

I would also ask the vet.

As someone who has had surgery and stitches many, many times I can tell you that the skin can appear healed on the outside and yet absolutely not be healed below the surface. I would be concerned with the sutures providing a path to the unhealed tissued. I would still follow whatever recommendations my vet gave me.

Thanks for the reply. I called the office and they told me to wait until the stitches are completely dissolved. My vets office tends to give too little information though and aren’t very experienced with waterfowl. I was given zero care instructions for her except for dosage/frequency of her antibiotics. I should’ve pried for more at the time, but for her healing I basically went based off what I knew/assumed. I will play it safe and wait at least 2-3 more weeks before I even consider letting her swim. What do you mean by “providing a path” to the unhealed tissue?

 

[KaleIAm]

Thanks for the reply. I called the office and they told me to wait until the stitches are completely dissolved. My vets office tends to give too little information though and aren’t very experienced with waterfowl. I was given zero care instructions for her except for dosage/frequency of her antibiotics. I should’ve pried for more at the time, but for her healing I basically went based off what I knew/assumed. I will play it safe and wait at least 2-3 more weeks before I even consider letting her swim. What do you mean by “providing a path” to the unhealed tissue?

With body movement sutures can wiggle around. Bacteria could get on part of the suture that is outside the body, then that suture could shift and get pulled inside the body. Kind of like a piercing.

 

[EronicaV]

Ask the vet and if they gave you any papers on care instructions, most vets do unless they had to travel to you, it might say on there to

They did come to me when the injury happened and gave no papers on care instructions (or really any verbal either). I called the office today and was told to wait until the stitches aren’t visible anymore. But I’m not even sure if that’ll mean healing is far enough along by then.
I don’t really trust my vet completely bc they aren’t experienced with waterfowl (and there aren’t really any specialized veterinarians in my area I could’ve taken her to). I suppose I’ll play it safe and wait until they’re dissolved + a few weeks

 

[EronicaV]

With body movement sutures can wiggle around. Bacteria could get on part of the suture that is outside the body, then that suture could shift and get pulled inside the body. Kind of like a piercing.

Okay that makes a lot of sense. Thank you!

 

[Ascholten]

The stitches go from outside the duckies body, to inside where they are holding things together until it all heals. If the stitches get wet with nasty water, that may have bacteria in it, it can possibly wick down under the skin, into the injured area and possibly cause infection. It's best to wait until things are completely healed, especially if the duck was on antibiotics. It should not be too much longer. I don't know your relationship with your duck, how tame it is, etc or it's situation BUT, if lil ducky really misses the water, you can fill the tub with warm CLEAN water and let the duck swim in there for a little bit. That way you know it's clean and not putting god only knows what potentially into the sutures.

Aaron