Today was a day where something I feared could happen happen. I've taken so many precautions to keep my neighbors vicious dogs out of our yard this year. But today the horrible creatures managed to get in the yard and and went after my precious ducks. Bandit, who is the protector of the group sacrificed herself to save the other ducks. I spent three hours at the emergency veterinarians office with her trying to help her.
My Sweet Bandit
My husband, daughter, and I were in the living room playing. We were showing Little Rabbit how to play basketball. I heard Bandit outside quacking really loudly. Typically, she stands off to the side while the other ducks forage or eat and she keeps watch. She quacks to alert the others if she sees something. She's a very smart duck. Her quack is very distinctive so I know her apart from the others. I heard her quacking louder than I've ever heard her and got up to check on things. I heard her quacks go from the front yard to the side yard.
I went outside calling for my ducks and everything was silent. I looked to the parts of the yard where I heard Bandit but I didn't see any ducks. Then, I turned around and there were the dogs. My heart sunk. They came out from behind our old VW Vanagon. I'm lucky I didn't get attacked. I grabbed a shovel up against the house and started screaming at them. They ran and headed back out the entrance they came through. I ran into the house and screamed for my husband to come quick then ran back to find my friends.
I didn't see my ducks anywhere. I knew if they were alive they were terrified. I walked around and saw lots of white feathers which belong to Sammy. She's the biggest and slowest of the group so I thought they got her. My husband came out to find me in a frenzy. I told him about the dogs and he ran towards the driveway because the dogs were still there and he chased them the rest of the way to their home.
It had been raining and everything was wet and muddy. I tried to climb the mountain in the backyard where the ducks often go. I slipped and fell and couldn't get up there. My husband went up and searched. He eventually found Sammy and Smokey hidden in a thicket of thorn bushes. I had to find an alternate route up the mountain to help him get them down to their pen to check if they were okay. I climbed over a barbed wire fence and got scratched then climbed into the thorn thicket and got scratched some more. After some hard effort we got Sammy and Smokey down into their pen.
I couldn't find Bandit or Reese's Pieces. Eventually, the quacking of Sammy and Smokey helped me find Reese's. Smart little thing went inside their duck house in their pen which has such a small door a big dog can't get inside. So Reese's was safe and already in her pen with Sammy and Smokey. All were safe and healthy.
I looked for Bandit but heard no quacks. Knowing she is the guardian I feared she was dead. I remembered the dogs were around our van. I got down in the mud and looked under it but didn't see her. It was shadowed underneath. I climbed under and found her hidden behind a tire. She didn't try to run from me and didn't move. I knew they had gotten her.
My husband has longer arms and he was able to get her out and we wrapped her in a towel and put her in a box. She was bleeding. I went in the house and started calling vets. No one is open on Saturdays for long and no one takes exotic pets like birds. I couldn't find a vet. Thankfully, an hour away is an emergency vet. We called and said we had a duck and they said bring it.
Once we arrived at the vet they were shocked we had a duck and thought we said a dog. Thankfully, the vet on call accepted her and the staff knew about ducks. We were there for almost three hours. The thing about ducks is they can die from stress so the vet was afraid of handling her too much. The vet examined her and then left us a long time so she could be calm.
The bites are under the messed up feathers at the top of the picture.
Bandit was amazing for me and the vets. She was calm and let them treat her. The vet said she put some cats and dogs to shame with how great she was at letting them take care of her. As of right now the vet said it could go either way. The dog bit her really badly. She can't use one leg from the bite wound right above it. I've got two medicines to give her and a follow up appointment to make for early in the week.
She's in ICU (aka a box in my bedroom) so I can take care of her. She's alert and drinking which is good. She didn't bleed too much but we have to be careful of infection. Right now I'm debating filing a report with the police. The whole thing got caught on our security cameras. Bandit warned the other ducks about the dogs and let them run ahead while she brought up the rear. The dog managed to get her because she was last to run.
The dog responsible is very vicious and is dangerous but is never chained up. It's come on our property before and chased me into the house. I fear it attacking my ducks again and also my human family members. I'd like to have a police report on file in case future incidents happen. If anything I feel my neighbor should have to pay the $300 vet bill. That's a lot of money for us to pay. If we take her to the follow up appointment that makes the total bill anywhere from $400 to $500 if she needs further treatment.
I've grown very fond of my ducks and think of them as family members. They give me peace just watching them swim and play in the yard. Bandit is my favorite duck and having her hurt is so upsetting. I hope she'll be okay. Right now all I can do is keep her inside and tend to her and wait and see...