The iconic duck waddle, that sweet little sashay from the pond to the yard and back again. We all know it, and we all love it. If you have a pet duck, there’s probably nothing more satisfying than watching your feathered friend waddle towards you whenever they see you.
As with any other pet, duck owners want to make sure their animals are safe, happy, and well cared for. When it comes to ducks, illness and injuries can feel much more overwhelming than with, say, a cat or a dog. As birds, ducks are much different than our furry friends, and so their health issues will inevitably be different as well.
If you’ve come looking for answers to the question “Why is my duck falling over?” chances are you’re feeling worried and anxious about your pet’s welfare. A lame duck, no pun intended, is a common enough worry among pet parents. Below are nine possible explanations for why your duck is falling over.
1. Foot Injuries
Your duck’s feet might be tender to the touch or swollen and puffy. The discomfort might cause your duck to try and limit its motion or keep weight off of the injury, which in turn causes it to fall over. The duck might have sustained the injury trying to take a swim or get back onto dry land after a swim.
They may have snagged a foot on a wire fence, walked over a large divot in the yard, or even gotten struck by a vehicle. Injuries can be sustained by older ducks when they take flight and when they land as well.
Be gentle when checking for physical injuries, as grabbing your duck by the leg could cause dislocation.
If you think the duck’s leg might already be dislocated or broken, be sure to get them checked out by a vet immediately.
2. Niacin Deficiency
Like any other animal (or human for that matter), your duck can be susceptible to vitamin deficiencies. Many ducks suffer from niacin deficiency, which can cause nerve pain in a duck’s legs. This nerve damage might make it seem like your duck is simply falling over for no discernable reason.
Some call this symptom bowing legs or bow legs. Niacin is another way to say vitamin B3, so you can supplement niacin for your ducks to avoid niacin deficiency and keep your duck from falling over.
3. Toxoplasmosis
Toxoplasmosis is a parasitic disease easily transmitted from animals to humans. While there are many other symptoms of toxoplasmosis, incoordination, or a duck who keeps falling over, is one of them. Some others include blindness, whitish diarrhea, drop in egg production, and weight loss.
It is a devastating disease, and it often spreads from cats to ducks. If you have even the slightest suspicion that toxoplasmosis is what’s making your duck fall over, be sure to get them to a vet immediately, as they could be in genuine danger.
4. Duck Parvovirus
I’m sure that you’ve heard of the dangers of parvovirus in puppies, but there is another form of parvovirus that also affects ducks. If your duck has parvovirus, its ability to walk could be affected, and it might keep falling over again and again.
In some instances, duck parvovirus can even cause skeletal dysplasia in ducks.
If you think your duck might have parvovirus, you need to immediately take them to the vet for treatment.
5. Botulism
If your duck has recently consumed some contaminated water, it might be suffering from botulism, and that could be causing your duck to fall over.
Botulism toxin is produced by bacteria commonly found in the soil. Clostridium botulinum thrives in rotting carcasses, food, and vegetation. In these conditions, the bacteria excrete the super potent botulism toxin. All birds are susceptible to botulism.
If your duck is walking around like they are intoxicated, or if your duck is falling over, they could very well be suffering from botulism. They will usually become so weak that even holding their heads up becomes too challenging.
As with the last two possibilities, it’s essential to take your pet to the vet if you suspect they are suffering from symptoms of botulism.
6. Toxicity
Aside from the botulism toxin, there are scores of other toxins which might cause your duck to keep falling over. Any sort of wood stain or paint product is toxic to ducks, as well as copper, milkweed, pesticides, snakebites, rat poison, lily-of-the-valley, lead, blue-green algae, zinc, azaleas, cedarwood, herbicides, and many, many more toxins.
If your duck is falling over and you think it might have come into contact with any of these things, or anything that could potentially be toxic, you should contact your vet immediately.
7. Viral Hepatitis
This possibility is a highly contagious one. Usually carried by rats and other rodents, it can easily be spread between ducks and infect a whole flock. If a duck becomes a victim of viral hepatitis, it will more than likely develop lesions on its liver, which could lead to unexpected death.
If your duck is falling over on its side, acting depressed, and arching its back, it very well could have viral hepatitis. Without treatment, your duck’s health will quickly begin to decline. If they go to the vet, there are medications available to treat them.
While the treatment helps, this virus can potentially remain active in ducks long after they’ve recovered. While in recovery, be sure that they are isolated from other ducks to ensure that the disease doesn’t continue spreading throughout the flock.
8. Avian Cholera
Avian cholera is another highly contagious possibility for why your duck is falling over. It is another disease caused by bacteria. Usually, they suffer from repeat, localized infections. If the condition is left untreated, the duck could potentially die.
Their joints could become inflamed, which can cause lameness and will cause your duck to fall over when they try to walk.
If your duck is falling over and experiencing symptoms like loss of appetite, discharge from orifices, or swollen wattles, they could be dealing with avian cholera. Luckily, your vet can provide antibiotics to treat avian cholera, so be sure to take them in for a visit if your duck is falling over.
9. Bumblefoot
Though it sounds kind of cute, bumblefoot can be seriously painful and might make your duck keep falling over. If the ground your duck has to walk on is constantly dry, abscesses can form beneath a footpad. Soon this abscess hardens into a callous.
The condition is called bumblefoot, and it is more common in heavier ducks than lighter ones. Bumblefoot could very well be causing your duck to fall over.
You can press the puss out of any abscesses you find on a duck’s feet before removing the core (if there is one). Then you can wash the duck’s feet and apply bactericide.
If you want to avoid bumblefoot in the future, make sure that you always keep their feeding and watering areas clean. Try to herd them to different sections of their yard to prevent them from packing the ground too much.
The Big Takeaway
Though there are many different reasons why your duck is falling over, most of them have the same first step: go to the vet. There are many other reasons than the ones listed above, and diagnosing many of them would be hard for your average duck owner to do.
As with any pet, it is better to be safe than sorry, and you might regret it if you hold off on taking your feathery friend in for a professional opinion.
Hopefully, the answer to “why is my duck falling over?” is one of the less worrisome reasons like a minor injury, a case of bumblefoot, or a niacin deficiency. Should you suspect that it might be any of the other ones, it’s best to get in contact with your vet as soon as possible.
Good luck, and I hope your duck finds its adorable waddle again soon!