Ducks Coughing

[potatopouf]

What is the most likely reason for two muscovy ducks to be coughing and what do you do? They are pets and live outside in Florida. I don't think it's mold.

 

[Aunt Angus]

I wish I had an answer, but I don't. Let me bump this so others see it and can offer help.

 

[ruthhope]

What is the most likely reason for two muscovy ducks to be coughing and what do you do? They are pets and live outside in Florida. I don't think it's mold.

Do you just have the two muscovy?

If you have more than two, you must isolate these two from the others. And also restrict the others so that they do not come into contact with other birds.

For you long have they been coughing? Are they eating and drinking OK? Any other syptoms?

If its not dust or mold, it could be a respiratory infection. The big worry is that we have a lot of bird 'flu in Florida. While bacterial infections can be treated with antibiotics, viral infections like avian influenza cannot. Avian influenza takes its toll quickly -- within a few days.

 

[Isaac 0]

Could you take a video of them coughing, upload it to youtube/Vimeo and copy/paste the link here?

 

[potatopouf]

Yes, just those 2. They are still eating and drinking OK, but the cough just started today. That's what I was concerned about...avian flu. Hoping it would be something else.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Most likely it isn't the flu. You can put some poultry vitamins into their water and post a video in case they may need an antibiotic. Are they around other Muscovy? Might be a good idea to isolate these 2 for now.

 

[Isaac 0]

In my experience, if they are acting normally, the coughing may simply be due to inhaling irritants into their airways. Things that often cause this would be dusty feed, bedding, and mold in their living quarters. This will usually go away on its own considering the cause is addressed. Some of my birds have had this problem last for several days before subsiding.
A great example of this would be the video below:

Duck appears to be foraging, and acting normally; in the case that this was a more severe problem such as gapeworm, or a resiptory infection, you would "likely" see more severe respiratory distress and lethargy such as in the video below:

All that being said, it is hard to know exactly what is going on with a brief description of the symptoms on the internet. If you are really concerned, I would consider bringing one to a veterinarian familiar with birds for a more accurate evaluation of the problem.