! Duckling leg issue - recent

[slippednfell]

Here we go again. This duck was purchased from TS on March 16th.
I noticed this a day and a half ago. It is having some difficulty standing. One leg seems to be bothering it and the joint appears a little swollen. When standing still, it stands with one foot in front of the other. When being held, one foot bunches up. Link to video when I pulled it from the rest. No other ducks appear to be having issues. I see nothing that indicates an obvious injury. It is eating and drinking normally. (I have given a crushed aspirin in some water with tomato for pain.) I am not sure which poop belongs to this duck so I can't tell you if it is "normal". My uneducated guess would be a sprain. They are being kept in a spare bathroom (tub). Wood chips at one end of the tub and nothing at the drain end of the tub, where the water is kept. They keep knocking over the water. I started them out on duck starter and have just switched (yesterday) to non-medicated chick starter. I've also added brewer's yeast to the food.

Slow motion video link:

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

Since you said that the duckling is in a tub, I imagine that the part without bedding may be slippery, so it's conceivable that an active (rambunctious) youngster could have slipped and injured its leg. Have you already confirmed that the tendon is still in its proper place? If not, I'd check for slipped tendon and also ensure the duckling has good footing wherever it may be walking.

Also, have you been supplementing niacin all along? Even if you have, you may want to increase it in case niacin deficiency is involved. This article has more info.

Best wishes for your duckling's recovery!

 

[slippednfell]

Since you said that the duckling is in a tub, I imagine that the part without bedding may be slippery, so it's conceivable that an active (rambunctious) youngster could have slipped and injured its leg. Have you already confirmed that the tendon is still in its proper place? If not, I'd check for slipped tendon and also ensure the duckling has good footing wherever it may be walking.

Also, have you been supplementing niacin all along? Even if you have, you may want to increase it in case niacin deficiency is involved. This article has more info.

Best wishes for your duckling's recovery!

Yes, I have been supplementing niacin all along but will increase it just in case. I will have to research to see how to tell if the tendon is in the right place. I have splinted the leg for now. I agree, it is entirely possible it slipped on the part that lacked the shavings. I've put them down to cover the entire bottom of the tub.

Thank you for responding and the well wishes.