The Case of the Dead Duck

Grippe Aviare (Bird Flu)

The husband found a wild duck lying dead by the canal.

We didn’t know what we should do. Should we report it and cause a panic among our poultry raising neighbors? Should we just ignore it? Would it be a problem if our dogs ate it?

So I did what I always do when I’m not sure what to do: I called Roger.

He came over, looked at the duck, and suggested we call the vet to see if he wanted to examine the maggot-ridden fowl. We were certain he would want to investigate.

I dialed the number for the vet and handed the receiver to Roger.

The vet replied that he wasn’t interested in doing any analysis on the duck.
He was insistant that there wasn’t any grippe aviare in our department, and that wild ducks do die now and then.

I felt badly that he was a bit snide to Roger.

The vet said that if we wanted to get the duck analyzed, we had to take it into a laboratory in the big city. But he suggested that we just bury the carcass.

I’m happy to report that the chickens are doing fine . . . in fact, all three of them gave me an egg yesterday . . . but the husband stepped on one when he went to shut them in for the night.