4 mo Welsh Harlequin with Swollen Abdomen?

[Aunt Angus]

Hi, there. Poor Marmalade looks a little low in the belly, am I right?

She is 4 mo and not yet laying. They get layer feed plus crushed egg shell free choice.

No other symptoms that I've noticed. I'll snag her out of the duckie house tonight and look more closely.

I have Baytril on hand.

Thoughts?

 

[KaleIAm]

I think she looks like a normal reproductively active duck. You may have another layer soon. Since she isn't showing symptoms I wouldn't be concerned.

The abdominal inflammation can vary in your ducks, and still be normal.

 

[KaleIAm]

I was able to catch her. She feels a little water balloonish. I felt my Swedish and Saxony for comparison. The Swedish isn't balloonish at all. The Saxony is a little fuller bodied, so there was a little padding.

I will probably call a vet, but of course it's a Friday night. Is there anything I can do in the meantime?

Oh, maybe that changes my answer then. I'm really bad at feeling the difference, but my vet can tell immediately. When my duck had ascites my vet drained it weekly using an ultrasound to guide her. In between drainings they didn't have me do anything at home even when I asked.

 

[cheezenkwackers]

4 months old is when several of mine started laying.

 

[shawluvsbirds]

I may have to wait a week anyway because of vet availability.

I've been watching her for a couple of hours now. She seems normal. I really wish I had another bird to compare her to (besides my runner).

This waiting game sucks. But I'm sure y'all know that.

Here, look at my saggy bottom girls. This is normal for mine.

 

[shawluvsbirds]

That is reassuring!

And those girls are gorgeous!

Thanks! They're big fatties.

 

[KaleIAm]

Another question: Did they ever figure out what was going on with your duckie? Did she have drainings continually, or did the water build up eventually stop?

I still think the photo looks like my duck when she's about to lay an egg. While my other duck who lays has much smoother abdominal inflammation when she's about to lay. One of my ducks had an abdominal ultrasound a few months ago and the vets said she had a normal amount of abdominal fluid built up. *shrug* But safe is always good.

I wouldn't panic/be concerned unless you see other symptoms like lethargy/anorexia/diarrhea.

4 months does seem young. I wish I remembered exactly when my ducks started laying. I was surprised. They were very young. It seems like late summer/fall ducklings take a long time to lay and early spring ducklings start very early.

Regarding my sweet Clover, she had ascites for about 6-7 months and got drained weekly the whole time. Her entire abdomen was quite tight, like a very full balloon, and she had watery diarrhea. Despite extensive testing we couldn't figure out what was wrong and when she became uncomfortable we euthanized her at the vet in my lap. Her necropsy revealed that she had a type of inoperable reproductive cancer. She was about 3.5 years old.

I hope this doesn't scare you. I think it is very very unlikely to be the case with your little one.

 

[shawluvsbirds]

Looks like she's getting ready to start laying to me also.

 

[shawluvsbirds]

My runner (same age as Marmalade) started laying a couple of weeks ago. I'd compare their abdomens, but runners are built so differently. It'd be like comparing a watermelon with a zucchini....

The soonest the duck vet is available is Friday. There are 2 other vets a couple of towns over who see duckies that aren't open until Monday. On the plus side, I found a duckie vet who is close.

Is there anything i should be doing while waiting?

If she's still acting normal, eating drinking and pooping fine I can't think of anything you'd need to do.

 

[KaleIAm]

If she's still acting normal, eating drinking and pooping fine I can't think of anything you'd need to do.

x2

And look for an extra duck egg!

I misunderstood and thought the other duck abdomens you felt were already laying. Laying girls definitely have a different feel to them than non laying girls.

I also don't want to discourage you from going in if she needs it. Today my duck has a recheck and I'll be mentioning that she's been extra grumpy.... So.... Yeah.