Elijah has been having a great deal of trouble with his legs. He has always had issues, since being abandoned and traversing the rocky shores of Spaulding Pond to avoid predation. He was one of our first rescues in the Fall of 2004 and most likely a spring hatch.

He was adopted out to the most wonderful family, but while there he was attacked by a raccoon who killed their duck Lucy. The family spared no expense in his surgery and it is because of them that he is still with us today. But they brought him back here to be nursed through his wounds and to be around other ducks during his recovery. Elijah was very lucky in that one of the bites just missed his eye, but he does have a permanent wink as a result, which earned him the nickname "Squints."

Elijah's leg troubles began here, but he had been strong for a couple years here before the progressive arthritis settled in last Fall. And with him being such a big Fluff-o-nutter it isn't easy work for his legs to hold him up for very long.

Elijah would walk for a bit and then plop down and rest. He spends more time relaxing than walking and lots of time swimming. And too much down time can lead to infection. All ducks get little cuts in their feet as they walk around and do ducky stuff, but when bacteria gets into these little cuts, well... that's when trouble begins. Since Elijah spends so much time sitting in one place, he is at risk of infection and sure enough, it settled into one of his toes.

Elijah went in for a culture that determined he has a bacterial infection and his medications have not been effective as of yet. His meds have been making him sick though. Elijah is normally a sparkling white duck, but he is not preening right since starting his meds, which tells us his belly hurts. After 2 weeks of meds not working, we are switching prescriptions today. He will go back for another culture in a week to see if we have cleared up this mess.

We know Elijah will not be able to walk soon, but as long as we can keep him swimming, we know he will be happy here. It is so hard to be facing these issues after just letting go of Glory. We can clearly see his future as we look into that squinty and happy face.

This guy is just such a sweetheart. He doesn't fight with anyone. And he absolutely adores Jezebel, his true love.

I hope the new meds work and clear up this mess, so he can stay with us a while longer. This guy means the world to me...

Elijah "Squints" Fluff-O-Nutter ... Our Majestic King

 

Elijah & Jezebel... True Love...