EMERGENCY DUCKLINGS/ SEIZURES?

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I gave my ducklings a warm bath today and while taking them out after about 10 minutes started drying them.
Two of them began moving their heads as if dizzy and then began floundering

One of them kept falling straight down with her legs stiff back and the other started rolling around

The one that was rolling around is now looking dead with an occasional head flop and it's getting worse

The second one seems fine but cannot walk

please help the first one is almost gone if not already!

 

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The one that was dizzy is gone now

What happened?

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

I'm so sorry about this.

How warm was the water? Did they have any other issues before this bath? (For clarification, you're meaning you allowed them to swim in your bathtub, correct?) How did you dry them? How old are they?

Unfortunately, I've never had this issue, so I'm afraid I won't be of much help. On your second duckling, has it improved any? Have you given it any sugar water (for a boost)?

 

[Jenbirdee]

how deep was the water and how warm? also i hope you did not use any kind of soap…
and how are you doing the drying? a towel? after a short swim, I just put mine back into the brooder and they go under their heating element and they dry themselves.

 

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The water was between lukewarm and fairly warm, and there was no soap in the water

We've never had any problems with baths before, and yes, I just let them swim in my bathtub, but never in water deeper than they can stand in. Today was the first day in an actual bathtub though, and usually, we would only use the shower tub. Today I allowed them a little bit deeper water but drained it about half through bathtime to where they could stand solidly again. They hadn't had a bath for almost three days until today.
When I usually dry them, I would take them out and set them on a towel on the counter in front of a small space heater. There was never any problem with it before. The only difference this time is the bathroom was a little smaller than the one we usually use and it got warmer in there faster and the heater was on the floor with me instead of on the counter.
The ducks are anywhere from 8 to 12 days
The one that kept falling forward stiff improved and is fine now. We lost the other one...

 

[-Shade-]

I'm so sorry about this.

How warm was the water? Did they have any other issues before this bath? (For clarification, you're meaning you allowed them to swim in your bathtub, correct?) How did you dry them? How old are they?

Unfortunately, I've never had this issue, so I'm afraid I won't be of much help. On your second duckling, has it improved any? Have you given it any sugar water (for a boost)?

No sugar water because we were afraid she was overheating and the sugar water I had prepared was very hot so I didn't get to give it to her before she went back to the brooder with the others
But she started eating and drinking fine when she got back out there, if only just a little less energetic than everyone else, but her energy was returning steadily however slowly

 

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They both started by just laying down almost normally in front of the space heater but started getting a distant look in their eye and then moving their heads like they were dizzy. For the worse of the two, this dizzy movement progressively got worse and in a nightmarish five to ten minutes, had upgraded to full thrashing convulsions

 

[casportpony]

Sorry for your loss. I've seen this happen before when they drink too much water and get chilled. Did they drink a lot of water?

 

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Sorry for your loss. I've seen this happen before when they drink too much water and get chilled. Did they drink a lot of water?

Yes, they were guzzling

I was afraid of them potentially drowning or having drank too much so I tried tipping both upside down for a couple of seconds to see if they would throw up some of it, but I was afraid to commit to it since I have little to no experience with drowning poultry or waterfowl and wasn't sure if it would help or only make things worse

 

[casportpony]

I lose a few a year to this. When they run out of water, as they often do, they will guzzle. And there's some combination of the amount they guzzle, the temperature of the water they guzzle, and the temperature of their enclosed that causes this.

I have found that the best way to keep it from happening is to give them really warm water (103-104 degrees) and watch them closely. If they start looking off, I wrap them in a warm towel and stick them in a ratty sleeping bag until they are nice and warm.