How to Clean Out a Duck's Nasal Passage

A duck's nasal passages or sinuses can become blocked due to respiratory problems or chronic sinusitis. Under these conditions, mucus, dust and detritus may block the nostrils. Duck owners can flush blocked nostrils with warm saline, but must make sure that the fluid is not administered with force or it could find its way into the bird's lungs and cause pneumonia. It is also possible to place a duck into a special container and treat it with a nebulizer, which requires less restraint of the creature and less skill on the part of the owner.

Things You'll Need

  • Needle
  • Clean cloth
  • Thick towel
  • Assistant
  • Syringe
  • Saline solution, 6 cc per 10 oz. body weight
  • Cup
  • Nebulizer container
  • Nebulizer unit
Show More

Instructions

    • 1

      Restrain the duck by placing a towel over its body. Allow the duck's head and neck to protrude from the towel and request that an assistant hold the duck for you. Ask the assistant to restrain the bird's neck as well.

    • 2

      Remove any hard, encrusting material with a needle. Ensure that you restrain the duck correctly so the needle does not injure the bird. Wipe its bill with a clean, damp cloth.

    • 3

      Draw 6 cc saline solution per 10 oz. body weight into a syringe. Place the syringe in a cup of hot water. Remove the syringe after a minute and place a drop on your upturned wrist to gauge the temperature. The saline solution is at body temperature if you cannot feel it on your wrist.

    • 4

      Press the syringe against the nostril on the duck's right side and gently depress the plunger. Do not squirt in the saline solution with force.

    • 5

      Tilt the duck's head slightly downward and wait until the saline flows from its nostril. Repeat the procedure on the duck's left side.

    • 6

      Ask your veterinarian to flush out the nasal passages if you do not feel comfortable performing the procedure. The veterinarian may need to anesthetize the duck if it struggles too violently.

    • 7

      Nebulize the duck as an alternative to the nasal flush, or in addition to the nasal flush. Place the duck in a purpose-constructed nebulizer container and fill the nebulizer with saline solution. Plug the nebulizer unit into a power source and turn it on.