Duck has swollen belly - any suggestions???

[Sarah and Joey]

Its a natural pond, has fresh running water. Drains down from the hills into the main pond which then drains out into a overflow pond on our land - not exactly sure where it drains out to from there!!!

It's certainly been a roller coaster ride with her, she's been up and down these last couple of weeks.
I'd been putting her outside with the other ducks (in the pen, not letting her on the pond) during the day which seemed to perk her up so tried leaving her outside one night last week and that seemed to make her worse again - she looked terrible the next day. So back indoors she came!!
She couldn't steady herself, the more she tried to walk the more she fell over and the more stressed she was getting so back to the vets we went. A steroid shot later she looked a lot better - the following day she was standing by herself, managing a few steps and stood up while flapping her wings!! So after another night of TLC we tried her outside again in the pen. She looked to be doing fine and then later in the afternoon she was on her back, scrunched in a corner looking very stressed, so inside she came again. Think she'd got over excited seeing the other ducks, thrown herself around the little pen and hurt herself!!
She's had another couple of days with vitamins in her water and surrounded by towels & pillows - now tried her in the little shed at the side of the pond with one other duck in there for company - the shed floor is a bit more stable for her to walk on - put some straw in there so hopefully if she falls she won't hurt herself.
Brought her back inside last night to monitor her but she just didn't settle all night, think she was missing the others, so I've left her in the shed with a friend for tonight and we'll see how she is in the morning.
Checked on them about a hour ago and they were huddled close so think they'll be OK - just seems strangely quiet in here tonight!!

Don't know what to do with myself tonight now - fingers crossed she's on the road to recovery

 

[Miss Lydia]

The X-ray showed that there weren't any metal objects in her little body, vet thinks it maybe some toxic in the pond! To test specifically for lead costs more money, given lots of vitamins & antibiotics and seeing small improvements so gonna give her a couple more days and see how she is!! My ducks must b fussy eaters as I've tried the apple & they wouldn't touch it!!

Its a natural pond, has fresh running water. Drains down from the hills into the main pond which then drains out into a overflow pond on our land - not exactly sure where it drains out to from there!!!

It's certainly been a roller coaster ride with her, she's been up and down these last couple of weeks.
I'd been putting her outside with the other ducks (in the pen, not letting her on the pond) during the day which seemed to perk her up so tried leaving her outside one night last week and that seemed to make her worse again - she looked terrible the next day. So back indoors she came!!
She couldn't steady herself, the more she tried to walk the more she fell over and the more stressed she was getting so back to the vets we went. A steroid shot later she looked a lot better - the following day she was standing by herself, managing a few steps and stood up while flapping her wings!! So after another night of TLC we tried her outside again in the pen. She looked to be doing fine and then later in the afternoon she was on her back, scrunched in a corner looking very stressed, so inside she came again. Think she'd got over excited seeing the other ducks, thrown herself around the little pen and hurt herself!!
She's had another couple of days with vitamins in her water and surrounded by towels & pillows - now tried her in the little shed at the side of the pond with one other duck in there for company - the shed floor is a bit more stable for her to walk on - put some straw in there so hopefully if she falls she won't hurt herself.
Brought her back inside last night to monitor her but she just didn't settle all night, think she was missing the others, so I've left her in the shed with a friend for tonight and we'll see how she is in the morning.
Checked on them about a hour ago and they were huddled close so think they'll be OK - just seems strangely quiet in here tonight!!

Don't know what to do with myself tonight now - fingers crossed she's on the road to recovery

Seems if something was in the pond doing this the rest would be having trouble to some extent. but it maybe something leaching in and maybe she is the one more susceptible to it. Here in the US we can buy test kits to check for contaminants in our water do you think you might have something like that there which may give you some idea if it is the pond. Bless her heart I hope she will be fine outside with her friends tonight, I know you are worried. Please let us know how she is doing after being out tonight. I'd dif keep up with the vitamins can you get activated charcoal there? here you can buy it where the antacids are sold in pharmacies and stores like Walmart it can be put into her water and if it's a toxin it will help remove it from her body.

 

[Sarah and Joey]

She seemed a lot better this morning - think the company of the other duck is doing her the world of good!!
I had been bringing another duck in on a evening but the company duck seemed more stressed out than poorly duck and this seemed to make her worse - so haven't brought another one in for a few nights.
But she's made some improvement over night, was standing up today and took a few steps forwards, still very wobbly but lots of fight still left in her as she's nibbled me when I've tried to go near her today and even though she's not 100% she's made it clear to the other duck who's the boss in there!!!

And on top of that I managed to get a full nights sleep last night - yeeeeaaahhhhh!!!

 

[Miss Lydia]

She seemed a lot better this morning - think the company of the other duck is doing her the world of good!!
I had been bringing another duck in on a evening but the company duck seemed more stressed out than poorly duck and this seemed to make her worse - so haven't brought another one in for a few nights.
But she's made some improvement over night, was standing up today and took a few steps forwards, still very wobbly but lots of fight still left in her as she's nibbled me when I've tried to go near her today and even though she's not 100% she's made it clear to the other duck who's the boss in there!!!

And on top of that I managed to get a full nights sleep last night - yeeeeaaahhhhh!!!

That's great news!! both of you recovering.

 

[Sarah and Joey]

Just a update, my little duck has now spent a week in the shed with another duck for company.
The shed is right next to the pond so during the day I've been opening the door and putting a cage in front of the door, so they can have fresh air, see the other ducks but can't get out. Because the little one has been wobbly on her feet she hadn't been preening properly and when I've tried her in a small water tub she's fine for a few minutes but then its as though her feathers soak in the water so I haven't been letting her on the pond for fear of her drowning. She's been fretting to get out there with the others all week. We've swopped the company duck a couple of times so that she's been with different ducks.
She is still a little wobbly but has made a big improvement since last week, managing to walk again and flap her wings without falling over. So I've put her back in the large pen with the rest of the ducks tonight. She's been in and out of the pen for almost a month now. I spent some time in there with them just to keep a eye on her and it was as if she wasn't sure how to interact with them again. A couple of times the larger ducks pushed her away from the water and almost ganged up on her. As she's still wobbly they did knock her over a couple of times. She did have a go back at them and after a while they seemed to settle down a little - think this was more though because she found a spot away from them and settled herself down.

She does now look quite small at the side of the others, don't want the others picking on her knocking her confidence and making her worse again but on the other hand will it be harder to integrate her back in to the flock the longer I keep her seperate from them??

Will see how she is in the morning, I'm thinking probably best to give her a water tub bath when the others go for their morning swim and maybe best to put her in the shed still during the day to keep her from the pond - but will this make it worse putting her in the pen each night? Am I best keeping her seperate until she's made a full recovery?

Any hints and tips on getting her back in the flock would be appreciated xx

 

[Miss Lydia]

Just a update, my little duck has now spent a week in the shed with another duck for company.
The shed is right next to the pond so during the day I've been opening the door and putting a cage in front of the door, so they can have fresh air, see the other ducks but can't get out. Because the little one has been wobbly on her feet she hadn't been preening properly and when I've tried her in a small water tub she's fine for a few minutes but then its as though her feathers soak in the water so I haven't been letting her on the pond for fear of her drowning. She's been fretting to get out there with the others all week. We've swopped the company duck a couple of times so that she's been with different ducks.
She is still a little wobbly but has made a big improvement since last week, managing to walk again and flap her wings without falling over. So I've put her back in the large pen with the rest of the ducks tonight. She's been in and out of the pen for almost a month now. I spent some time in there with them just to keep a eye on her and it was as if she wasn't sure how to interact with them again. A couple of times the larger ducks pushed her away from the water and almost ganged up on her. As she's still wobbly they did knock her over a couple of times. She did have a go back at them and after a while they seemed to settle down a little - think this was more though because she found a spot away from them and settled herself down.

She does now look quite small at the side of the others, don't want the others picking on her knocking her confidence and making her worse again but on the other hand will it be harder to integrate her back in to the flock the longer I keep her seperate from them??

Will see how she is in the morning, I'm thinking probably best to give her a water tub bath when the others go for their morning swim and maybe best to put her in the shed still during the day to keep her from the pond - but will this make it worse putting her in the pen each night? Am I best keeping her seperate until she's made a full recovery?

Any hints and tips on getting her back in the flock would be appreciated xx

keep rotating ducks the ducks with her so they all spend time with her, if she isn't preening then her feathers are water proof, your doing good by not letting her in the pond. Seems if all get to spend the night and time with her through out the day she isn't going to be a stranger, I'm thinking her being wobbly is what causing them to act towards the way they are, any time one is sick or hurt they will do this. Sometimes even killing the injured one not saying this would happen with yours but it does happen in the wild. or they run them off. if sick or inured. Let her spend time in some water so she starts to preen again just don't let her get soggy out where it's cold and she get chilled. If you feel she can hold her own with the flock then try it at night, but if they are running her off that's not good.

 

[Sarah and Joey]

Thanks again Miss Lydia, will try rotating the others a bit more with her tomorrow

 

[Miss Lydia]

Thanks again Miss Lydia, will try rotating the others a bit more with her tomorrow

Thanks for updating and glad to hear your seeing improvements. Hopefully she'll get 100% again but have you thought about if she doesn't, that this maybe her norm for the rest of her life? I am so hoping she does completely recover but it is something to think about. You've been so great in caring for her.

 

[Amiga]

Sara and Joey, it is an encouragement to see you caring for her like this. I sure hope things turn around for the better for her soon. Bless you.

 

[Sarah and Joey]

Thanks to everyone for your advice & support while I've been caring for this little one.
Good News, for the last couple of days I've been putting her into the shed at the side of the pond during the day (door is open with a cage across so she can't get out but can still see & hear the others) with a buddy duck. I changed the buddy over a couple of times through the day so that each duck can spend time with her and she's not a stranger to them. I've then put her into the pen with the rest at night when I feed them so they're distracted by the food and don't realise there's a extra duck back with them. She's eaten the food from the dishes with them but then as the others have dug around searching for more food she seems to have gone and stood away from them looking a little unsure of what to do!!
The weather here today has been very windy so I've kept them all in the larger pen together all day (they won't go onto the water when its wild anyway)
Kept checking on them throughout the day and I haven't seen them picking on her at any point and tonight when I fed them they all grouped around the dishes together and she wasn't pushed out or anything. I couple of the other ducks keep having little squabbles amongst themselves and if she's near them and gets knocked she wobbles and falls easily still.
Just a little concerned that she keeps going and standing alone in the corner & worried if I let her out on the pond then she won't follow the others. When she was in the shed she seemed to stay close to which ever duck was in there with her and now she seems a little confused as to how to act with the full group.
Will this come back with the more time she spends with them all??
Should I keep her off the pond until she does seem to be bonding better with the others?



Miss Lydia, I've still fingers crossed at the moment and hoping not to have to cross that bridge that she'll never 100%
recover - I don't think my other half is keen on the idea of a house duck as a pet

On another note I now have squatter ducks on my pond - these appear late at night and enjoy a good sing song right outside my bedroom window around 3am, then have their morning splash around at 6am before flying off and disappearing again for the day