Beak transplant

[henry]

My son and i are considering getting our ayelsbury a beak transplant, as she is not getting much of the food as she cannot get hold of it properly, although i do make a layered pellet mash which she can eat okay.
We have seen on line about ducks and geese having beaks replaced with prosthetic ones and even a beak transplant from dead ducks, The goose that had a replacment cost £179, i know it is expensive but we do want to try to give her a better life if possible. Any thoughts on this would be appreciated.
Pete

 

[dorsetduckowner]

Tough tough tough decision! I would suggest asking some avian vets what their opinion is. You can bet your ass that it will be more expensive than that!!! My vet is both an avian expert and a soft tissue expert so would be a good place to start. Where are you based? Could you get the duck to Dorset?
The other option is euthanasia, I am sure you have considered this already, some ducks do ok with bill deformities but you would need to keep a weekly check on his weight and also monitor his feather quality.
Try speaking to David at Piddle Valley Vets if you are interested. I also have the name of the vet who performed a bill transplant on a Mallard, I will dig that out for you too.
Zo

 

[dorsetduckowner]

The other place where they did the Bill reconstruction is Tim Wingfield:
http://www.deanevet.co.uk/page/98/Facilities-and-Personnel

Taunton may be slightly closer for you, but still a 3.5 hour journey!

Zo
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[henry]

Hi Zo,
I have found one close by 4 miles away, and he is an expert with birds so i have been told.
Thank You
Pete

 

[crewy05]

If the duck is eating layers mash ok, and isn't loosing weight and also seems happy in it's self, then why have it done? If it is really effecting it then without sounding mean i think being put to sleep would be the best option as it wont have to go through all the stress an operation would cause it.

 

[dorsetduckowner]

Great, let us know his advice. I would strongly suggest you see how he gets on for a while with close monitoring of his weight etc before you think about prosthesis.

zo
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[dorsetduckowner]

This vet has been recommended for work like this, he is in your area:

Alan Humphreys at Village Vets,

zo
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