Meet Keeper the duck! He was found abandoned in a Walmart parking lot. She was wandering around when found and was confused and alone. There was no water near the parking lot. Someone has likely dumped her there. Fortunately, a concerned woman who noticed Keeper contacted Alyssa’s Animal Sanctuary to see if they could help.
Keeper is a Pekin duck so she can’t fly. So to be hanging around a place where there is no water nearby is kind of a weird thing to a duck. Then the woman noticed that she was staying up near the doors, near a crowded area. She needed someone to help her. When she noticed Keeper is having difficulty walking and had a bad limp she decided to call Alyssa’s Sanctuary.
They took Keeper in and then discovered that she is pigeon-toad. It may be because she is abandoned. As they worked on settling her; they realized another issue that greatly affected her. It was trouble swimming. When her feathers get wet the water doesn’t bead off of her. Instead, the water soaked her, and she would become waterlogged. It makes her ability to float and stay above water become difficult. After a little search, they realized that Keeper was born without a preen gland. It means she can’t swim and hang out in the water, like others.
So she had a kiddie pool to get into any time and stand in. when Alyssa the founder see her go up into the pool and sit at the bottom of the ramp while her family playing in the pool she wanted to allow Keeper safely be near her family all day.
She had no idea how, until she noticed a spotted giant floatie duck from Walmart. She had no idea if it works or not. But she brought it back to the sanctuary and tried to teach Keeper how to use it. After a few trials, she became a pro.
She is a quick learner and now she can spend her time with her family in the pool. It seems the giant floatie helping a duck to swim. The sanctuary members also make sure to keep their eye on her. Let’s wish her life to be easier as a duck!