Lucky the duckling takes a step in the right direction



A duck who faced being put down after fracturing a leg has been given a new lease of life thanks to a specially-made sandal.



Lucky the duckling faced a bleak future following an accident which left one foot pointing in the wrong direction when it healed.



Undeterred, owner Allison Morgan from the Lliswerry area of Newport, south Wales, decided to get a second opinion and, in the meantime, enlist the services of a local cobbler Kelvin Reddicliffe to aid the bird's recovery.

Lucky the duckling sports her on-trend Roman sandal



The duck faced being put down after fracturing her leg but now has a new lease of life thanks to her owner Allison Morgan

Lucky is now able to keep up with Mrs Morgan's two other ducks thanks to a specially made shoe which takes the pressure off her right web and prevents it from becoming too sore.



To further boost the Muscovy duck's recovery, her 44-year-old owner, who is a qualified orthopaedic nurse, also performs physiotherapy 'two to three' times a day on her to keep the ligaments stretched.



Mrs Morgan said: 'When she is walking, because of the position that the leg is fixed to the side, she is walking on the outer part of her toes.



'The two outer toes get really sore so I thought of something to protect those toes while we are waiting for the next stage.



'It does not do anything for the feet but it does protect her toes.'



'Obviously she is not walking straight and properly but it is enabling her to get around the garden and follow the other ducks.'

Mrs Morgan gives Lucky physiotherapy two or three times a day to help keep her ligaments stretched



Cobbler Kelvin Reddicliffe made Lucky's orthopaedic shoe



Mr Reddicliffe said it was the first time he had been asked to make a shoe for a duck after 39 years in the trade.



The 54-year-old said: 'My colleague and I once did some work repairing a bearskin rug but nothing like this.'



He added: 'I was asked if I could do the impossible and make an orthopaedic shoe for a duck. I was not sure if it was something I could help with but then I had a lightbulb moment to base the shoe around a Roman sandal.



'I was more than happy to help. With the credit crunch and various things going on in the world it is a bit of good news.'



Mrs Morgan, a mother-of-one, first offered to take care of Lucky after hearing of the bird's plight not long after she was hatched two months ago.



'It came to me with the break,' she said. 'It was bought in a pub and whoever bought it must have dropped it.



'I sort of rescued it. The plan had been for it to be released but it would not have survived in the wild because it would not have been able to fend for itself.



'With the leg in that state it would not have been able to run from a fox or a dog. She is a very lucky ducky.'



Mrs Morgan is now trying to raise the £500 needed for an operation which entails Lucky's right leg being broken again and set correctly. Since the damaged leg is now seven millimetres short, Lucky will also have rods inserted around it to lengthen the limb a small amount every couple of days until it is in line.



'It is quite complicated but it works on humans and the vet is quite confident it will work,' added Mrs Morgan.



'Lucky is a real character and full of life. That is why I didn't want to go with the first vet's opinion about being put to sleep.

