How to calm sick duck?

[alyssahockings]

So my duck has been at the vet for the last two nights as she was calcium deficient and using the calcium in her legs to produce her eggs, leading to sudden lameness. We got her back this afternoon and have to keep her inside, our only option was in a large fabric puppy pen (big enough for water, food, space for her to move around if she gets the strength etc) in a spare room. She’s never been very friendly and doesn’t let us anywhere near her/is scared of us normally, but now she is now panting, breathing heavy, won’t drink or eat. Would she be more stressed if she was alone or should I stay in the room with her? Is there anything I can do to calm her down. She also gets very stressed when we have to give her oral medication or hold her so she can stretch her legs. Any help is appreciated.

 

[BelovedBirds]

So my duck has been at the vet for the last two nights as she was calcium deficient and using the calcium in her legs to produce her eggs, leading to sudden lameness. We got her back this afternoon and have to keep her inside, our only option was in a large fabric puppy pen (big enough for water, food, space for her to move around if she gets the strength etc) in a spare room. She’s never been very friendly and doesn’t let us anywhere near her/is scared of us normally, but now she is now panting, breathing heavy, won’t drink or eat. Would she be more stressed if she was alone or should I stay in the room with her? Is there anything I can do to calm her down. She also gets very stressed when we have to give her oral medication or hold her so she can stretch her legs. Any help is appreciated.

Keeping the room warm, and dimly lit will help to calm her. If she's really scared of people, she may be happier alone in the room. Is there enough room to bring one of her friends in to be with her? If not, you could try giving her a small mirror to help with loneliness.
It sounds like she may be in pain due to her legs, but this could just be stress, or a mix of both.

What kind of feed does she have, have you tried to get her interest with some egg or treats? is the water close to her?
I wonder if supervised water therapy (in the bath) may be a good way to stretch/strengthen her legs up. Is she able to walk at all?

Does she have access to oyster shells? What medication is she on? Have you tried supplementing niacin just in case?

 

[alyssahockings]

Keeping the room warm, and dimly lit will help to calm her. If she's really scared of people, she may be happier alone in the room. Is there enough room to bring one of her friends in to be with her? If not, you could try giving her a small mirror to help with loneliness.
It sounds like she may be in pain due to her legs, but this could just be stress, or a mix of both.

What kind of feed does she have, have you tried to get her interest with some egg or treats? is the water close to her?
I wonder if supervised water therapy (in the bath) may be a good way to stretch/strengthen her legs up. Is she able to walk at all?

Does she have access to oyster shells? What medication is she on? Have you tried supplementing niacin just in case

Keeping the room warm, and dimly lit will help to calm her. If she's really scared of people, she may be happier alone in the room. Is there enough room to bring one of her friends in to be with her? If not, you could try giving her a small mirror to help with loneliness.
It sounds like she may be in pain due to her legs, but this could just be stress, or a mix of both.

What kind of feed does she have, have you tried to get her interest with some egg or treats? is the water close to her?
I wonder if supervised water therapy (in the bath) may be a good way to stretch/strengthen her legs up. Is she able to walk at all?

Does she have access to oyster shells? What medication is she on? Have you tried supplementing niacin just in case?

She was doing quite poorly, not drinking or eating, very stressed, and unable to even stand so I thought she might be happier with a supervised visit to her friends (since I didn’t have space to bring one inside) and she quite literally flew out of the basket I was carrying her in, and has been running, jumping and walking for the last 10 minutes! I think the stress of being inside was making her worse and she is showing incredible turn around now she is outside!

We are giving her supervised water therapy and the vet said to give her a calcium supplement (Calcivite I think?) plus shell grit. Thanks for the response!