Brede duck who survived savage fox attack is up for national award

Phil and Katy Colley, who run Dogwood Cottage Campsite in Brede, thought old Mother Duck would almost certainly die when they found her outside her coop, bleeding and with all her neck muscles exposed.

The pair rang on-call Westpoint vet Rebecca Rehage, who was already in her pyjamas when she took the call at 11.30pm. Despite this, she dashed out to help rescue Mother Duck.

The operation to sew up the duck’s punctured oesophagus took around two hours but was thankfully successful. Mother Duck spent a couple of days recovering in a bath tub before being moved outside to a small ‘hospital coop’ away from other ducks. She has now made a full recovery.

Now, Mother Duck is in the running for a national accolade – the PDSA Pet Survivor of the Year Award.

Six miracle pets have made it to the final having been chosen by a panel of judges including TV presenter Michaela Strachan, and vet and TV presenter Judy Puddifoot.

The winner will receive the coveted title of Pet Survivor of the Year 2019, a trophy and a luxury pet hamper

Mother Duck’s owner Katy Colley, 44, said: “People don’t tend to think of ducks as pets but for us, Mother Duck is really part of our family. Her feisty and funny personality shines through. Ducks can be just as loving and rewarding pets as cats or dogs and we’ve brought up several ducks who now waddle in and out of the house as if they own the place!

“They are real characters and climb into our arms for affection and cuddles.

“They’ll even bop our dogs on the nose if they dare to bark at them. And though we think all the finalists are cute and deserving winners, ours really knows the meaning of duck’s courage!”

Katy says a duck has never won the PDSA Pet Survivor of the Year Award. To vote for Mother Duck, go to https://www.pdsa.org.uk/get-involved/our-campaigns/pet-survivor/mother-duck. Voting ends on December 1.