# Six week old duckling having seizures



## Idahoe (Feb 4, 2006)

Bella is a rouen about six weeks old. Yesterday I found her upside down in her pen, flapping in the mud and appearing to have a seizure. I wasn't sure what it was, read up on electrolyte imbalances, niacin/Vit B deficiency, and syringed her with these things. I even put her back outside but when I saw her have another seizure I brought her inside for the night.

I read upon botulism (wrong symptoms, they are flaccid not having violent seizures) and figure it is probably pasteurella anatipestifer. It is treatable with penicillin so I've been giving her Durapen injections with doseages I got from the internet. She's gotten two doses so far.

As of today, the other two ducklings are fine. No other poultry show any symptoms of illness or problems.

Today, the seizures are so much worse. She's had five since about 8:30 my time. I've syringed her with baby vitamins and Vit E too.

Does anyone have experience with duck(lings) with seizures? I have resorted to giving her drops of raspberry flavored vodka as a nurse I know alcohol or "downers" can reduce seizure activity. I know I need a vet but of course this happens on a weekend.

She drinks a little water (I made a slurry) and just sort of sits there between seizures. She's very excitable and twitchy, I can just see her nerves firing.

I of course don't want her to suffer . . . but she's only had two doses of Durapen and the stuff I've read says it takes a couple of days for improvement. I just don't want her to get irreversable brain damage from all these seizures or suffer unnecessarily.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts or advice


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## Cyngbaeld (May 20, 2004)

Can you get some activated charcoal into her pronto? It adsorbs toxins that are what cause symptoms, whether it is bacterial or chemical.

Is there any chance she may have got into some kind of poison?


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## Idahoe (Feb 4, 2006)

I use no pesticides or chemical fertilizers, and where they've roamed (a small area of the backyard, and their pen) is clear of anything I know of like paint or chemicals. I thought about that too, but all the critters roam in the same places for the last year without issues that I've noticed.

Ducklings really dig into the grass and mud more than the geese and chickens, so unless there were something she got into that way . . .

If it were anatipestifer you'd think other birds would be sick as it is quite contagious (per the literature).

The pen drains a bit down hill into a spot that is about two inches of silty soft mud, the ducklings love to snurfle in that. Some of the pen is bare old poopy ground, half is long grass. I was wondering if she picked this up from it being so wet here lately (WA state) with warm periods but not long enough to dry up the slurpy mud patches.

There are no dead critters (botulism) and she is not flaccid, she's twitchy and kind of spasticky. I just gave her a softened baby aspirin in case of a fever (shootin in the dark).

Would activated charcoal still be effective this far out? I noticed the first seizure yesterday around 10:30am. THey've been especially heavy today, seven of them so far. She is limp for a few seconds, then seems "normal".

Thanks so much Cyngbaeld for your time!


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## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

Someone posted that they worked in the ER and would give charcoal for up to 48 hours.


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## Idahoe (Feb 4, 2006)

Thanks Fishhead. I've called all around, Rite AId, Walgreens, feed store, no one has activated charcoal. The only charcoal I could find is pellets for aquariums. Would this work?


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## Cyngbaeld (May 20, 2004)

Yes, use the aquarium charcoal. I've used it for years. Make a slurry with some feed and water.


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## Idahoe (Feb 4, 2006)

OK, my daughter ran to a healthfood store and got some tablets. I'll crush up one in a slurry and down the hatch. Good to know about the aquarium grade stuff, too, a heckuva lot cheaper I'm sure.


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## Idahoe (Feb 4, 2006)

Well that was extremely messy. She is very offended and is trying to preen and groom herself, but she's a little bit drunk.


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## Idahoe (Feb 4, 2006)

After I gave her the charcoal, she had no more seizures for about four and a half hours, the longest she's gone all day. She took some of the food slurry a few times and stretched and rested. 

Should I repeat the charcoal at any point? They usually only give it once in an emergency room. I gave her an entire tablet, a little bigger than a Tylenol. A bit got on the both of us but most of it went down her throat.


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## Cyngbaeld (May 20, 2004)

Yes, keep giving it to her. Crush it and mix with her food. It can take some time to remove all the toxins, so I'd repeat the dose several times. It doesn't hurt them to take a good bit of it.


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## Idahoe (Feb 4, 2006)

Didn't know that! I will give her more. Still having seizures, with normal activity in between. She went most of the night without seizures and then had a few this morning.


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## Idahoe (Feb 4, 2006)

Cautiously optimistic . . . seizures are shorter and recovery is much more quick. Things are moving through, she's pooping black from the charcoal. I'll give it to her three or four times today, depends on how much I want to torture her    I even gave her a little Vit B shot for stress.

I've added Terramycin to her water as a back up to the Durapen.


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## suelandress (May 10, 2002)

Won't the charc0al absorb the medicine?
I hope your baby makes it!


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## Idahoe (Feb 4, 2006)

I thought of that Sue. The antibiotics are injections, not oral, so I hope that decreases the absorption from the charcoal. Thanks for the encouragement too  I'm not sure if she ate something poisonous (I can't think of a thing she could have gotten into) or if she's got a bacterial infection that causes seizures in ducks. So I'm hitting her with treatment for both, and am not sure which is making her improve :hrm:

She went from noon to six pm without a seizure (longest time yet), and then had a very brief one where she did not lose consciousness. The seizures have really shortened and lessened in intensity, she's drinking her slurry and preening off and on. She sits mostly and is less twitchy too.


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## Cyngbaeld (May 20, 2004)

I'm glad she is better.

Charcoal won't adsorb everything. I don't think it is a problem giving the antibiotic too.


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## ufo_chris (Apr 30, 2010)

How is your Duckie?
Is she getting better yet? I sure hope so. 
Ducks are just the best:angel:
Good luck and sounds like she couldn't get any better care.


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## Idahoe (Feb 4, 2006)

Well I couldn't take it anymore and took her to an avian vet. Don't ask me how much it cost. Anyway, it's NOT hardware disease, but it may be her liver, as the white part of her poop (urates) are green tinged. The vet was great and said it also could be a protozoan or a congenital seizure disorder that ducks usually outgrow. They drew blood (I was able to scale that down in price thank god) and I'll hear tomorrow if they can rule out a liver problem. She wants me to keep up with the Durapen, in case it's a bacterial infection. She was impressed about the activated charcoal. She gave me Valium crushed up in banana flavor syrup and she's had no more seizures since that stuff kicked in.

She ended up seizing about ten times last night, took a four hour break and started seizing this morning, and seized for the vet a couple of times. They rushed to treat her like I brought in my sick child. Sigh. I'm not much of a farmer, the way I love my critters, but I'm glad you all gave support and advice and got me through the weekend


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## suelandress (May 10, 2002)

Poor little duckie. Let us know what the vet says. If it's the liver, is it curable?


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## Idahoe (Feb 4, 2006)

If it's a virus, there might be an antiviral med. If it's a bacteria, an antibiotic should work. It would be like duck hepatitis (my interp). She's not eating but is drinking, and lack of appetite is pretty classic for a liver problem. Her xrays showed normal organs. 

Still no seizures  This is the absolute longest she's gone without them.


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## Idahoe (Feb 4, 2006)

No seizures all night and she had a couple brief ones this morning. I think the serum levels of valium in her system got low, so I'm tanking her back up. The vet said it's hard to overdose a duck on valium.

I knew she was feeling better last night when I put her in her nite nite tote and she tried to take a bath in the coffee up of water 

I'll hear from the vet about the bloodwork today. We'll know if it's liver related or not (we suspect it is).


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## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

Thanks for keeping us updated. It's tough watching them when they aren't feeling well.


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## Idahoe (Feb 4, 2006)

:hrm: Her bloodwork and liver panel were fine. The vet is reassured that the valium is working on the seizures. She wants me to keep her on the penicillin and valium and if she doesn't continue to improve, let her know.

A five dollar duck people :baby04: 

Well, my children came to me "freely", it cost nothing to "get" them. Sigh. Still no more seizures since the valium, she ate lots of mealworms today (first time eating), and had some greens in her water and like that too. If I can just keep my part time house bantam hen from tormenting her . . .


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## suelandress (May 10, 2002)

Five? or more like 500?


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## DamnearaFarm (Sep 27, 2007)

Now I don't feel so bad for chasing down a cat to squirt kitty prozac down his throat :0) 
Glad you have some answers, i've ben following this story avidly.


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## Idahoe (Feb 4, 2006)

suelandress said:


> Five? or more like 500?


I totally plead the Fifth on this one!!! Not 500 but TG I I've got my tax return.

She is now eating jumbo mealworms like a pig, eating her normal duck food and greens in her water. AND bathing in it. She is much more difficult to give her medicine too I might add.

She's actually sleeping like a duck with her head over her back, before she just hunched so pathetically.

She had a brief seizure this morning, what with the Valium levels being low. I spoke with the vet about weaning her off, which I won't do at least till this weekend. I will give the Valium every 8 hours rather than every four or five like I have been. If she has breakthrough seizures, I'll go from there. I just hope it's not a life long thing. Because I would chase her down and wrestle it into her forever, I just know how I am.

The vet thinks a lifelong seizure disorder isn't as likely as a head injury or infection.


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## Idahoe (Feb 4, 2006)

The sun is out (FINALLY) and I put Bella outside for a little bit with her brother and sister. They formed a trio immediately  . She is snurfling mud and bathing in the little duck pool. She is definitely not waterproof, so I'll bring her in as soon as I finish writing this . . . but NO seizures for over 24 hours, still eating and pooing (her urates were greenish before but are now white, which is normal). I even went to work yesterday


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## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

That's good news!


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## harvestgirl (Apr 29, 2005)

sounds like you did a wonderful job nursing her!

we had a sick duckling , she wasn't seizing~ but had spastic movements and on her back, etc.. anyway i treated her w/ penecillin & she got better, is back w/ everyone now and happy


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## Idahoe (Feb 4, 2006)

Just an update. Bella has had no seizures at all since 5/26. I kept her on the valium until yesterday at 1pm, and took her off b/c I'm off all weekend and can watch her.

I let her out with Ruby and Little Bill yesterday after the valium dose and she played outside all day. She was royally p$ssed off when I brought her in the house for the night. Her and Ruby quacked at each other through the bedroom window for quite a while, I'm sure there were ducky curses in there somewhere. Then Bella crashed and slept hard for a long time. She hasn't had that much exercise in a long time.

Today I tossed her back out with her brother and sister and they are having a blast. I will continue to hold the valium and if she has no seizures by midday tomorrow, I'm gonna discharge her "home" from the hospital


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## suelandress (May 10, 2002)

Awesome! Now we need a picture or two


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## Idahoe (Feb 4, 2006)

Definitely  She's been out now two whole days with her duck friends. I obsessively check on her, I mean my INVESTMENT (sheesh) but she seems to be doing fine. I'll charge up my camera batteries and get some pics up in the next day or so.


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## suelandress (May 10, 2002)

Hey! Where are those pictures???


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## Michele Fortner (Apr 3, 2020)

Idahoe said:


> No seizures all night and she had a couple brief ones this morning. I think the serum levels of valium in her system got low, so I'm tanking her back up. The vet said it's hard to overdose a duck on valium.
> 
> I knew she was feeling better last night when I put her in her nite nite tote and she tried to take a bath in the coffee up of water
> 
> I'll hear from the vet about the bloodwork today. We'll know if it's liver related or not (we suspect it is).


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## Michele Fortner (Apr 3, 2020)

My 16 yr old daughter purchased 3, two week old ducklings. 2 weeks ago. 1 duckling ( I believe a Campbell)started having seizures a day ago. Any advice? I am a licensed vet tech. Although I have very little avian experience. Would you suggest an antibiotic ASAP? Along with Valium? 
Thank You!


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## 382664 (May 26, 2017)

I bought several white Pekin ducklings and they all did that except for one. I thought it might have been a viral infection, they all seized up and then bodies would slowly paralyze until they died, I had other chicks after from a different hatchery and no problems ever since. I had the same thing happen to some baby rabbits too several years later, another breeder that same year said she had the same problems and lost almost all her baby rabbits from it. It’s strange how those things pass around, we fed different feeds too... and no new rabbit exposure...


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## Northof49 (Mar 3, 2018)

You don't happen to be feeding them medicated chick starter? That can kill ducklings. If you use chick starter make sure it is non-medicated.


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## Michele Fortner (Apr 3, 2020)

Thank you,
No we are not feeding medicated chick starter. We are feeding organic chick starter And giving niacin supplements. Does anyone have any suggestions of an over-the-counter antibiotics (for ducks ) I could try?


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## Michele Fortner (Apr 3, 2020)

Michele Fortner said:


> Thank you,
> No we are not feeding medicated chick starter. We are feeding organic chick starter And giving niacin supplements. Does anyone have any suggestions of an over-the-counter antibiotics (for ducks ) I could try?


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