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Seriously injured duck bill


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While we were away at Hop Bottom there was chaos on the farm because Sam (our LGD) is still healing from a probably snake bite. Among other things 2 ducks are missing and one has an injured upper bill. A predator, probably a fox, bit the duck on the bill. There is a puncture in the flesh under the bill and the upper bill is almost totally broken off just below the nostrils. There is a small strip along the side of the bill that continues to join the end to the head. The end of the bill (below the fracture) does not move when the duck opens its mouth. We have been able to temporally reattach with super glue the fractured section of the bill which allowed the duck to eat.

 

Does anyone know if the bill is likely to heal if we can keep it attached with glue?

 

 

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We just fixed an owl that came in with a similar injury. We wired, with surgical wire, the bill to itself and the bone. I do not know it super glue will hold up to wet conditions and feeding.

 

 

 

Also the duck should be on antibiotics, baytril oral or injectable.

 

 

 

Sorry about your duck.

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AHhh poor duck. DOn't know anything about ducks, but aren't beaks and bills kind of like fingernails? they'll keep growing? It sounds like your guy had pretty serious bill damage though, so not sure...but super gluing it sounds like you did the right thing. Good luck with the little guy.

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Tea,

I've been considering 2-part epoxy but would like a bit more expereince with positioning the loose part of the bill so we get a better match between the upper and lower bill. We also figured that super glue would not hold up to the wet conditions for long but it was a start so the duck could eat.

Mark

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hum, well My question would be will the bill re-attach with the stuff on both edges?

 

It might, then again it might not. I guess you will see.

 

 

Could you get a crop tube down the corner of his mouth if you say just taped the bill shut?

 

 

 

Then you could feed vanilla insure via crop tube and large syringe and the edges would be free to reconnect.

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I don't think there's a blood supply to the outer parts of the bill, unfortunately. But tea is definitely right about the antibiotics. Ducks are really sensitive to bite wound pathogens.

 

So something permanent like an epoxy bonding material may do the trick. The thing I'd be most worried about is whether the duck can clean his(?) mares properly.

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Rotten autocorrect. I meant to say, I would be most concerned about whether your duck can clean his/her NARES properly. Normally when they dabble, they blow water out the top, clearing food residue. If this builds uo, it can present a choking an infection risk.

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Another place to get some advice, suggestions might be to go to BackYardChickens.com they have a very active site with a section on ducks, along with several other sections on medication, predators, etc. Also have sections on sheep, llamas, goats, etc....

Hope the duck survives and does ok, trauma might be too much? Hope Sam gets back to duty soon.

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Yes, we too hope Sam gets back to duty soon.

In addition to 2 missing ducks and this injured one we also had a dead lamb (there were broken boards around the barn yard) and feral barn cat that got stuck in his automatic dog food feeder that had to be PTS.

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Tea is right about the baytril and add nystantin(spelling?) to that. Birds on antibiotics get yeast infections in their crops easily.

 

You can try bondo over the super glue. My vet, with the help of my husband, put a tortoise back together that had been run over by a car with it. That was about seven years ago and we still see "Patch" on occasion still wearing the bondo. He's been sighted already this year so the stuff lasts and can be used on almost any surface.

 

Good luck with your duck,

Cindy

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"Patch"? Not "Bond, James Bond"?

 

Holy cow. And here I am tripping over LGDs. I wish I'd known. :( So sad.

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I had a dog attack my ducks awhile back and I was instructed to put the invisible stich adhesive stuff on it and seperate her from the others so she wouldn't be bothered by my male. I also dabbed it with blue knot and it worked for me. My duck only had the tip of her bill wounded. Hope this helps! Everyone around my area calls me the Duck Whisperer :P

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