Rescue Duck Can't Stop Cuddling With The Woman Who Saved Her Life
“I think it does make her feel safe to be next to my heartbeat, but she is still learning to trust.”
Delilah was rescued from a home where there were too many male ducks, so poor Delilah was getting picked on far too often. Katherine Tanchuk found out about her through a friend and, being an animal lover and knowing Delilah wouldn’t last much longer in that situation, she knew she had to help her. When she picked up the sweet duck, she was missing most of her wing and tail feathers and could barely walk or stand — and was so ready for a second chance.
When Delilah first arrived in Tanchuk’s home, she was absolutely terrified. She’d already been through so much, and had no idea what to expect out of her new home. She was also in a lot of pain, which Tanchuk quickly set about treating daily, hoping to help her feel much better very soon.
“Delilah has bumblefoot, which is a staph infection in the feet,” Tanchuk told The Dodo. “It’s actually a common occurrence amongst poultry, but Delilah’s infection was ignored and untreated for too long so one foot has started to curl under. She’s getting better about standing and moving around every day, but still has to use her wings [to balance] mostly.”
To help heal her sore and tired body, Tanchuk started giving Delilah Epsom salt baths every day, letting her soak and splash around in the water for about an hour. After her baths, she gets dried off with a big, soft towel …
… and that’s when she realized how comforting it is to cuddle with the woman who saved her life.
“Delilah likes to cuddle after bath time while I’m drying her off, then she tells me when she’s had enough,” Tanchuk said. “I think it does make her feel safe to be next to my heartbeat, but she is still learning to trust.”
Even though she is still a little uncertain about everything, Delilah is slowly learning to trust her rescuer more and more every day, and her brief cuddle sessions are helping to show her that she’s finally in a safe place.
“She’s becoming more lively every day,” Tanchuk said. “Every morning, after she has breakfast, I put her outside in a secure pen so she can get some sunshine and move around if she needs. She loves that and usually stays out there for a few hours.”
Delilah is still healing, and has a ways to go in her recovery process, but luckily she has the best person to help her get there.