Sunny Bunches
Sunny shows how she gets around.
It looks painful to me. She is on anti-inflammatories this week to see if she can improve, but I really don’t know how much better this gets. See for yourself.
Normally I pick her up and put her in the pen, but she does walk around on her own during the day when I’m not around (in the aviary). I took this video to show her veterinarian and so we can compare it to a future video and see if she improves at all. This is better than when she first arrived, but it still looks very painful to me.
NOTE: I didn’t mean to mislead anyone, but getting better is not an option for Sunny.
Option 1: Managing her pain so that she has a reasonable quality of life while hobbling around.
Option 2: Euthanasia to end her pain.
Those are the only two options.
27 Comments
Oh, poor Sunny! It looks painful to me too, but what pure determination and pluck she’s got. Keep us posted, Tiff.
Was Sunny’s original traumatic injury accidental or was it purposeful abuse? Do we know?
Oh, that looks awful. Poor Sunny. It’s too bad she didn’t get the care she needed when she was initially injured.
Poor love! I hope that she shows improvement soon.
ow! get better soon little girl!
If you weren’t on the West Coast, I’d take both of them. I had a special needs duck and still have a fluffball. Silkies and Pekin ducks have provided me with years of laughter because of their personalities. Nothing like ducks who think they are humand and chickens who think they are royalties.
Elaine: We don’t know, but her previous owner was very nice and cared about her a lot. I know she personally would never have done anything intentionally to harm Sunny.
This absolutely just broke my heart. Thank you for the wonderful post yesterday as well.
Poor little beautiful Sunny. I hope the meds work.
wonder if any way to ease her getting around… skateboard? she seems in pretty good spirits, considering. hate to see her put down if she still enjoys life, but you’d know how her overall quality of life is better than i do, clearly.
anyway, i hope the vet can come up with some ways to help the poor ducky.
Poor sweet baby…
is surgery an option?
Do you ever place your ducks and/or chickens in forever homes that aren’t on the West Coast?
poor baby. it really was hard to watch. if any of my pets every walked half as bad as she does they would be at the vet ER in seconds. I could not imagine seeing one of my loved ones walk like that for 3+ years!
hang in there, Sunny Bunches of Duck!
i would plant her in a pool filled with water most of the time. she seemed to get around well when she’s in water. plus the “water aerobics” movement feel good on those injured joints.
I’m hoping that she will get better and the meds will help so that we can continue to see Sunny’s beautiful life (even if she does look similar to Flap).
That looked like a lot of effort for the sweet little girl. And yes, it looked painful. I’m so happy that she has found you because I know you will do whatever is right for her.
I didn’t mean to mislead anyone, but getting better is not an option for Sunny.
Option 1: Managing her pain so that she has a reasonable quality of life while hobbling around.
Option 2: Euthanasia to end her pain.
Those are the only two options.
Beanie: Yes, I have placed ducks outside of Seattle, but not often. I flew Eddie to a forever home in Phoenix before. I wouldn’t do that with Sunny unless I knew the person very well. I might fly the two muscovy boys to a forever home eventually, after they’ve molted and regrown better feathers.
I would wrap the bad leg with a nice wad of vet wrap to help cusion the pressure on her joint when she is walking. rasing her up would take soem pressue off the pelvic area as well.
Which leg would you wrap? The one to the front of the camera in this shot? Her left leg, with the big arthritic ankle joint? The back/right leg had the old injury at the knee and the tendon is calcified. The muscle has wasted away and she can’t pull it forward to walk. She stands on the top of her foot because she can’t flip it up right.
Oh god, that just breaks my heart to watch
I know she doesn’t know any different . . . she preens and has a wonderful duckie expression on her face. I hope for the best for Sunny, either way it goes, she’ll get what she needs from you Tiff 
I really hope that pain management works… I know everyone else does too. We are all pulling for you, Sunny Bunches of Pluck!
That was hard to watch. It just looks like she has to take every effort to go, even her breathing seems to gear up for her movement.
You will do what is right by her, Tiff. Peace to Sunny, however it comes.
I just took a look back at Sebastian, the handicapped duck, who recently passed away. Well not that recent … anyway … you and I discussed a ‘wheelchair” for Koz and it seems that maybe a ‘duck truck’ or similar might just be the ticket for Sunny.
She’s so good at pushing herself along, and I agree, all her weight on those bad legs looks uncomfortable. Wrapping her hocks to get a little padding and placing her in a little wheelchair to lighten the load on those tiny feet and injured legs may just be the trick.
She could scoot along, lessening her pain, along with the meds … and her life might improve and be extended.
She is beautiful and so loving.
Let me know if I can help!
A wheelchair didn’t work for Kozzy and it isn’t going to work for Sunny. She is not a hand-raised indoor duck who was born with a deformity. She’s an outdoor duck with chicken friends and a traumatic injury at 3-years-old. She’s over 6-years-old now. She would have to live indoors, leave her chicken friends, wear a diaper and have someone with her all the time she’s in the wheelchair. That’s a level of maintenance that isn’t realistic for me and too disruptive and not natural for her.
Now that I have ducks, my heart goes out and I hope that things work in the direction you and Sunny would like : )
We recently got Ancona ducks and I’ve been enjoying checking out your blog for ideas and info. Thanks for sharing life with ducks. : )
Laura
I also have a special needs duck but mine was born this way. I have taken mine to the vet but to no avail all he can do for him is pain medicine. Is there anything you might suggest?