Egg Yolk Peritonitis

[smisteph]

Hi there!
I'm new to this site and have been scouring through old entries, but I'd love to get a little advice! I have a 2 year old Golden Hybrid 300 duck who we noticed was very swollen in the belly. Initially it was warm to the touch, but other than that and her belly touching the ground while she was standing, she seemed to have no other symptoms. We had noticed a couple weeks before that we had a duck that was laying eggs with yolk smeared on the outside of the shell, I now assume that this was her. I've been giving her warm baths with epsom salts and a couple drops of frankincense 2x a day, inserting Puremedy into her vent (as far as I can reach) after her bath, spraying her backside that is exposed with Vetericyn, and giving her 3 droppers of Soverign Silver 4x a day orally. She doesn't seem to be getting better, but she doesn't seem to be getting any worse either. She is still eating, drinking, and pooping normally. She preens and waddles around with all of our other ducks chasing bugs, and her belly feels less hot to the touch than it did initially. Is there anything else I should be doing? Should I just keep up on the baths until I notice an improvement? Thanks so much!!

 

[QueenMisha]

It certainly sounds like egg yolk peritonitis. Sounds like you are keeping her in good shape but know that there is no cure for this issue. It may take weeks or months but eventually she will succumb to it. In the meantime it sounds like you are taking good care of her. The best thing you can do is keep her from getting stressed or excited and keep her on a good quality diet. Make her life as simple and easy as you can.

 

[Deleted member 94844]

I had a hen with EYP in my last batch... she never laid eggs and just kept absorbing them. I tried draining the fluid, but nothing helped. She got so fat and bloated that she eventually couldn't get up on the roost bar. Even her toes were swollen. I kept caring for her because I couldn't believe she survived it, but in the end her quality of life had gotten so bad that I realized the most humane thing to do was euthanize her. It was a sad day.

EYP is awful and there is no cure. If I had another hen who developed it I would cull it once confirmed and save the feed and energy for healthy hens who can produce.

So sorry you have to deal with this

 

[smisteph]

Thanks! This was my concern. I mostly just don't want her to suffer. Right now she seems unaware that she is ill, but it sounds like it may just be a matter of time before it becomes very obvious that she's not doing well.

 

[smisteph]

It's very strange as I've had this duck for over 2 years and she didn't have any issues prior to this. I think I'll give her a little more time, but we head out of town next week, and I don't want our friends who will be caring for our ducks to have to deal with her should she take a sudden turn. Sounds like we'll need to take care of things before then.

 

[Amiga]

Pet Duck had a duck with EYP and she pulled through. I believe Baytril was the antibiotic prescribed.

 

[Deleted member 94844]

Thanks! This was my concern. I mostly just don't want her to suffer. Right now she seems unaware that she is ill, but it sounds like it may just be a matter of time before it becomes very obvious that she's not doing well.

Definitely see if she improves... it could be a temporary issue, especially since she was laying. As Amiga said, Baytril can work wonders. I have found that a bath in Epsom salts can also be very beneficial to sick birds. You just need to monitor and keep them from drinking the water. Hope she pulls through!

 

[Amiga]

Here's the story - - - this took place a few years ago, over a very tense several days, eventually over a period of weeks.

I don't think I will ever forget this.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/833809/urgent-soft-shelled-eggs-and-a-lethargic-duck