Eileen the chocolate duck from Pennsylvania, US, tragically had a stroke while hatching from her egg, leaving her legs paralysed.
At three weeks old, the bird was adopted by animal rescue fanatic Holly Mead, 51, with Eileen’s previous family unable to care for her due to time commitments.
Being unable to walk, fly or swim, Holly — who owns 68 rescue birds alongside her cats, dogs and goats — decided to look into getting a custom-made wheelchair made for her disabled pet.
She called on her social media followers (@mypetducks) to raise $380 (£280) for the wheelchair, in a bid to help with Eileen’s mobility and give her independence.
Engineers worked to modify the company’s mini wheelchair model, usually used for cats and dogs.
Now with a new set of wheels, the six-month-old duck often sits with Holly, her husband, not named, and dad Ernie, 82, while watching TV, with food and water dishes attached as snacks.
“She gets very excited when we watch our American football team and jumps like crazy when they score”, Holly told Jam Press.
“As soon as I saw her I instantly fell in love.
“I have other disabled pets and I enjoy giving them the best quality of life they can get.
“The vet said physical therapy would help so at first I made her a seat out of PVC pipe that she can use to strengthen her legs.
“She uses it like a ‘bouncy’ seat.
“Just after Christmas we bought the wheelchair to help her get around and feel a bit more independent.
“It’s a bit big at the moment but she is still a baby, and will grow into it soon enough.
“It’ll hopefully get her used to the standing position.
“She’s learning to use it and we hope that with time and training, she will be able to move it around the house on her own.”
Holly also carries the pampered house duck in a papoose when heading out for vet visits.
Eileen is now thriving and loves spending time with her siblings including 68 chickens, ducks and geese, three goats, three dogs and three cats.
She added: “Eileen is a very happy duck. She loves people and snuggles.
“We currently have a chicken called Boo who lives inside because she was too small to put in with our others when we took her in.
“Eileen spends her days watching Boo in her pen and they talk to each other all the time.
“The dogs and cats also love her and have accepted Eileen as part of the family.
“They don’t see her as anything different than just another member of the family.
“They share a dog bed with her often.”
Once the pandemic is over, Holly plans to take Eileen to visit nursing homes and special needs schools as an emotional support animal.
She said: “Eileen has been such a wonderful addition to our home.
“She helps provide comfort to my father who is in poor health. She brings us such joy so it’ll be great to share that with others too.”
The proud animal owner regularly shares her pets’ escapades on her Facebook and Instagram pages (@mypetducks), where she has over 18,000 followers.
And social media users love the cute snaps and videos, including a recent clip of Eileen’s new wheelchair, which has been viewed over 6,000 times.
One Instagram user said: “So awesome! You are gonna zoom like a race car little one.”
A second social media user commented: “This makes me so happy! I can’t wait to show mum.”
“Omg her face this is beautiful! [sic]”, said a third.
A fourth follower added: “That’s amazing!!”
Another encouraging viewer added: “You will make it Eileen!”
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