Hi there,
Just wondering if anyone else has had this similar experience. I have 6 female indian runner x pekin ducks, as well as chickens. They are all about 3 years old. For the past 2 or so years a couple of them (just the ducks) have been getting very wobbly/weak legs and find it very hard to walk. They usually just flop over and have to lay on the ground. This is the only symptom I’ve noted besides them getting a bit dirty as they find it hard to clean themselves when they are sick. It usually lasts about a week and happens every 6 months or so. Fortunately a vet was able to look at one when she had it, they took an xray and examined her and couldn’t really find anything. They said might be botulism or caused by an injury? For now I just give them oral meloxicam, epsom salt baths and keep them in a smaller cage in the pen so they stay still and rest. One time I did give antibiotics to one of the girls and she recovered, whether or not it is better to do pain relief, antibiotics or both? This does seem to help as I do believe they are in pain. After a few days, they recover and are happy, back to normal. I try and keep their pool/water as clean as possible however the algae grows very quickly and they probably do come into contact with bacteria quite often. Has this happened to anyone? I know those breeds can be prone to leg issues so maybe it is just genetic? Is this something they can just live with? Thanks.
Just wondering if anyone else has had this similar experience. I have 6 female indian runner x pekin ducks, as well as chickens. They are all about 3 years old. For the past 2 or so years a couple of them (just the ducks) have been getting very wobbly/weak legs and find it very hard to walk. They usually just flop over and have to lay on the ground. This is the only symptom I’ve noted besides them getting a bit dirty as they find it hard to clean themselves when they are sick. It usually lasts about a week and happens every 6 months or so. Fortunately a vet was able to look at one when she had it, they took an xray and examined her and couldn’t really find anything. They said might be botulism or caused by an injury? For now I just give them oral meloxicam, epsom salt baths and keep them in a smaller cage in the pen so they stay still and rest. One time I did give antibiotics to one of the girls and she recovered, whether or not it is better to do pain relief, antibiotics or both? This does seem to help as I do believe they are in pain. After a few days, they recover and are happy, back to normal. I try and keep their pool/water as clean as possible however the algae grows very quickly and they probably do come into contact with bacteria quite often. Has this happened to anyone? I know those breeds can be prone to leg issues so maybe it is just genetic? Is this something they can just live with? Thanks.
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