more worries

Keelyn is not able to walk thhis morning. Her legs appear too weak to hold her. She does not act like she is hurting just not able or willing or strong enough to walk. *another trip to the vet*
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We are VERY VERY worried.  She has been on antibiotics for almost a month, and a second round of anti-inflamintory for almost a week, to treat what the vet thought she has bumble foot and then adding a knee sprain on top of it.   But now... now .....

We are VERY VERY concerned..... Keelyn's condition has significantly changed since yesterday. She mostly drags herself around by her wings. She feels a bit bonier (thinner) today. She doesn't appear to be in pain, but to be sick and wea...k and her the way she barely moves or uses her legs looks like paralysis more than injury. I am wondering if she got into something poisenous. She doesn't want to eat her duck feed only mud or to sleep in the nest. Our vet is off today. We are calling all around for vet to help us.

Queenie

Queenie under went an egg extraction yesterday. She had a very large egg stuck sideways inside her. She is doing very well and got to eat lots of grass in our cousins yard.................now it seems that Keelyn condition has suddenly become much worse....worries....expenses....and lots of time and care..... a loving pet parent's lot in life....we love our pet duckies .... We hope all is WELL (no illness no injury ) soon 

A quick but necessary update

Just wanted to let everyone know, that MamaDuck has moved out of GrmaDuck's house, about 20min away.  I will still be around very often to keep my role as #1 in the flock, and to help with the responsibilities (especially while we are still dealing with health issues since GrmaDuck and myself - MamaDuck - are the only ones who know how to give medicine.)

Also, Queenie has an appointment with the vet tonight...we are thinking that it's not going to be a great prognosis.  She has not laid eggs in quite some time, and is visibly heavy with egg.  This may (most likely) require surgery to take care of.  Depending on what the Vet says, we are going to have to wiegh our options and see if we can afford that kind of care, plus the added time and responsibility of post-op care.  I (MamaDuck) really wants to just do what will make her healthy again...but I also know that it costs money that we may not have.  :-\  I've been very worried, but trying not to let it get to me.
Anywho...enough of that.  We will update later with what the vet says and our decisions.

~MamaDuck

Mutiny and Duck Poo

This picture was taken right before the little mutiny this morning. Beau and Missy conspired against me and rest of the flock went along. Spent the morning chasing and cajoling Missy and Darrick (our two fastest escapees) around the yard. then got duck poo all over me for the second day in a row. I am so over the pet carrier mess and I think so is Keelyn. This ridiculous...maybe I am just not as on top of things as usual due to not feeling very well. ANYWHO!!! What a morning! Comical really... just another day in the life of a duck family.

I, GrMaDuck, arrived home after a meeting tonight, to find all our six duckies asleep in their house.  If I hadn't needed to give Keelyn medication it would have been just a simple nighty-nighty and close and latch the duck house door for added safety.  It was so cute that they put themselves to bed.
:-)

(Remember we have a pretty predator proof pen/aviary, and INSIDE the pen/aviary is a duck house that provides additional protection and weather-proof comfort.  After loosing our first two precious feathered family members last year, well we are VERY cautious.  Alex and Bianca were only three years old and very healthy.  Oh how we loved them and they us.  We have no soft spot in our heart for coyote since last year.)

But anyway I digress... They were very sweet duckies this evening, well that is until I woke up everyone to give a very grumpy Keelyn her medication.

~Nighty Night all
GrMaDuck

P.S.

Earlier in the day, MamaDuck, killed a big black snake that was trying to figure out how to get in the aviary.  We are so grateful that we added the hardware fabric around the bottom.  But the avairy netting that covers the avairy is 2"x2", it might have taken this snake awhile to figure out how to climb to the top, but GrMaDuck is 99.9% sure this is the same snake that climbed up the gutters to get to and eat a nest full of young song birds.  (The birds had nested over the flood lights on our house.)  The snakes are mostly after small animals and eggs but they will strike at a duck to get to an egg.  Thank you MamaDuck for protecting the flock.

all is well

Our little flock is doing well this morning. GrMaDuck is on full-time now and they did great last night and this morning. Beau has a thing against the "duck boots" but he will get used to them. The girls got a bath in the big pool without the boys and while they seemed to really enjoy the time to clean and splash without being run off, they clearly missed their loves this morning. Keelyn your knee needs to heal QUICKLY.

Keelyn update ... a short video

Keelyn injured her leg, turns out she sprained her knee pretty badly. She can hobble around but she has a hard time balancing and she chooses to sit a lot.

Girl are in the R&R pen during the day.
Everyone goes back in the duck house at night with Keelyn is in the pet carrier.

*sigh* Came home tonight to see that Keelyn can't walk on her right leg and is using her wings to balance herself. Back to the vet tomorrow for an X ray. For tonight she's in the pet carrier, inside the house, to keep her from trying to stand or walk, but also to keep her with everyone to prevent attitude issues. *stress* *stress* *stress* Trusting God.

We are also watching Queenie closely she is always heavy and not laying much.  If she doesn't show improvement Queenie may also be getting a ride to the vet later this week.

After a week on her new eye medicine her eye is looking so so so much better. :)

We had company this weekend.
The duckies made a new human friend.

   

Happy Duckies and Curious Drakes

Saturday Morning

Letting the duckies out of the duck house.

  

Happy Duckies and Curious Drakes

My poor baby girl Keelyn...

Keelyn's been having a rough, rough time lately.  Her bumble foot came back, and within a day she had horribly reinjured her eye.  The boys have been getting very excited with it being spring (and it's their first mating season, so they are extra agressive and rough when mating), and Kouta tried to mount her backwards and scratched her eyelid right open...*sigh*  MamaDuck has been one big worry wart the past week or so.

We got her on another round of Baytril (antibiotics) and Metacam (anti-inflamatory) for her infection, and we also had been trying to keep her eye clean and sanitized with OTC eye ointment.  However, despite being on an antibiotic and such, her eye and the side of her face was swelling and was causing her great irritation and discomfort.
So this morning we emailed this picture to our Vet and explained the situation, and then called as soon as they opened and left a voice mail.  (We are so blessed to have such a caring and knowledgable Vet.)














He called back and went ahead and got us a perscription ready for some medicated eye ointment.

Got home and immediately put it on her eye, and I am soooo sooo sooo glad to say that she's actually able to keep her eye open, and it's not foaming.  We still need to keep up with the Baytril, Metacam, and the eye ointment multiple times a day (for atleast 10 more days, possible another round of Baytril after that...), but I'm just glad we got something that is working and is actually helping.

If you have ducks, it is so important to find a Vet who treats waterfowl (not just exotic birds like parrots or such), most of the time  you have to travel a while to get to one, or if you find one they are very expensive.  We feel very blessed that we found one very close that is at normal Vetrinarian rates.

The flock got a nice treat and spent almost all day outside in the yard today.  GrMa Duck had to do some "work from home" work, so she brought it out on the deck to keep an eye on everyone.  MamaDuck also spent some time with them out in the yard.  Only once did I have to chase them out of the front yard (they are getting a bit too curious and adventurous for my liking lately).  Although it provided a huge amount of entertainment when I hearded them back around the azelea bushes toward the steps (pictured in earlier posts) and every single one of them (except Queenie) took a running start and flew about 6 feet over the ledge of the brick wall next to the steps to land on the ground below.  Darrick got a bit startled when big ol' Kouta landed very gracefully right on top of him! Tehehe.  I so wish I had the camera out!

Well, coming to a close of a day starting out stressfull and worriesome, only to become relaxing and happy.  Going to be giving Keelyn her meds again soon before it starts getting dark.

~MamaDuck

Steps

Kouta saying, "Come up here; climbing the steps are easy." Kouta will fly down sometimes but the others walk around the slope.

Steps

Climbing up the steps

Apr 25

...

Apr 25

This picture shows the brick inside steps in the "big"pool.

Apr 25

sharing the pools :-)

Apr 25

A happy evening to a grumpy day for our little flock. Sharing the pools, a sign of a peacful happy flock.

King Kouta

Kouta is king of the flock and his throne is the little duckie pool.

It cracks us up.

our duck aviary

a slide show to show you our duck aviary
with a few notes regarding it's construction