Drake having trouble with his legs

[Worm94]

Hello! A couple years ago we rescued two jumbo pekins off of the river, a duck and a drake. The drake had a leg injury when we caught him and his ankle was swollen but his hips were alright. Neither had good health, obviously, so we spent a while just giving them all the peas they could eat along with the all-flock the chickens got and some duck-specific feed as well. There were no other signs of illness or anything weird at that time nor since.
The duck is fine now, but the drake's never quite recovered on that one leg and it's taken a significant dip lately and I'm wondering if there's anything I can do for him. He's in good spirits and as active as he can be, but the one leg is worse and I guess because the other leg has been compensating for a while, it's not doing so well either.
Neither leg is paralyzed I don't think, but they don't seem to support his weight anymore.
Took a short video this morning, so I'll try and attach that here.
They still get peas here and there as a treat, and it's been very cold so rarely a handful of corn gets tossed out and whoever's fast enough gets a couple pieces, as well as veggie scraps whenever I've got em. I don't know how to upload a video so I posted a private video via youtube, I hope that works.

 

[nuthatched]

Does he get niacin supplements?

 

[Worm94]

Does he get niacin supplements?

We were giving him higher niacin based foods but we can try some supplements now. Would human vitamin B pills do anything (I only ask because we have a lot of those on hand) or should we just go straight to buying duck specific supplements?

 

[nuthatched]

We were giving him higher niacin based foods but we can try some supplements now. Would human vitamin B pills do anything (I only ask because we have a lot of those on hand) or should we just go straight to buying duck specific supplements?

Are they normal b complex?
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/help-weak-duckling….1640727/#post-28025822

 

[Worm94]

Let me check

Thank you, I went and looked at our pill bottles and a couple say B3 and I think that's niacin from a quick search around?
I just worry, I don't want to get it wrong somehow. I figure he'll definitely eat the pills if offered, they take treats from me all the time.
It might be that what we're feeding them isn't enough niacin because of their size, and if that's the case I'll definitely up what they get but all the others seem alright so far.
It might be too, that his old injury is flaring because of the cold and I've wondered about arthritis. If that was the case, I remember I was able to give small doses of some pain meds to a chicken a couple times, but ducks are new territory.
I'm reading thru some forum stuff trying to get a better idea too.

 

[ruthhope]

I would give durvet high level Vit B complex, 1ml daily, soaked into a treat so that you can watch him eat it. Add nutritional yeast -- 1tblsp per cup of all flock or other feed. Both your pekins should get nutritional yeast. If there is no improvement with the legs in 2 weeks, you could stop the durvet. But if there is improvement continue the durvet until 2 weeks after he is back to his normal gait, allowing for his injury.

Do give him pain killer -- pediatric or better still infant ibuprofen is good as it is anti inflammatory as well as a pain reliever. The infant formulation is twice as strong so you need give only half the volume of the pediatric formulation. It comes with a dosing plastic syringe: be sure to give it down the side of his tongue so it doesn't get into his lungs.

If the above doesn't improve his gait, you may have to use meloxolicam for his joints. It's pricey so try the ibuprofen first