Duck SUDDENLY bleeding from belly and vent

[Papaye]

Hello.

One of my one-year-old Indian Runner hen has just suddenly started to bled for her BELLY!!

The situation is...


• 4 to 6 weeks ago :

This hen has started to limp...

When I noticed it, I made her a Epsom Salt bath to relieve her... but I did not made her another after it : I was told her leg was in fact sprained; and since I don't know if Epsom Salt is recommended for sprains, I did not want to take any risk with it...


• During the following days :

My hen's left leg had turned completely black (from orange).

I was told it was normal for a sprain, and to let her enclosed (alone) in a small run to prevent her from moving too much - for about 6 weeks.

So, I put her in a run, and I replaced her usual food to easy her to eat : instead of her mix of wheat and duck pellets (+ grits in another feeder), I have been feeding her duckling crumbs since I have separated her from the other ducks...


• About 2 weeks ago :

I started mixing food grade Diatomaceous Earth to her food, hoping it might help her...


• 5 days ago :

I have noticed my hen could not move the fingers on her left leg anymore.

Thinking I could help her, I have then made her bath in warm water, and started to clean her leg from dirt she has accumulated on her leg (since she has been crawling on the ground since she has started to limp)...
...but then, part of her black skin (gangrene) started to fall off around her, and I had to remove (a part of) it myself.

Since removing part of the skin made her bleed around the ankle, so I disinfected the wound, put Green Clay on the wound just to be careful, and bandaged her leg.


• 4 days ago :

I cleaned the wound, then disinfected it and bandaged my hen's leg.
(I did not use Green Clay anymore!)

I have noticed my hen had REALLY, really dark gray poop. Almost black, in fact...
It could actually have been a while since she has pooped so black, but honestly, I had not noticed until now it was "gray", and not her ordinary coloured duck poop!


• 3 days ago to yesterday :

I cleaned the wound, disinfected it, and bandaged it everyday.


• Today :

I have catched my hen in her coop : she was sitting on her eggs, and whistled at me when I got her out of her coop.
I thought she was starting to go broody (even though she could not have turned the eggs with her bad leg), but then...

When I have brought her in my house, I started to remove the bandage around her leg, and she just... cried/yelled, and then emptied ALL of her poop on my floor (there were so much...!!), and suddenly bled PROFUSELY from her BELLY at the same time!!

Poop was still the same very dark gray/black colour, and smelled really BAD!!

And the blood has come from her belly, right side... (No maggot or nothing : the wound has really opened SUDDENLY!!)


• So :

I have just removed the bandage on my hen's left leg...
...I have then disinfected her leg AND the wound on her belly... but I have not bandaged her before putting her in her coop, because : not 2 MINUTES after bleeding so much from her belly, she has started to bled from her vent!

Thus, I have just put her in her coop to let her die in peace; BUT I am praying I am mistaken and she will actually survive...


• NOW :

Please, help me understand what is happening here...!!
(And if I can actually save my duck...?!! I feel so bad for her...!!)

Is it the gangrene that poisoned my hen?
...Would it then explain her so disgusting poop...?

Or could she have an egg break inside of her just now?
If so, would it really cause a hole to explode from her belly?!!

...Is is something else?
I have never seen IT!!

(I precise she could not have eaten something dangerous for her - like a nail or a screw -, because she has been enclosed in a SMALL run since she has started limping, and half of the ground is covered by plastic grattings!)

In my opinion - for what it's worth -, my hen has been dying from some time : I think her poop has been a sign of it, and I should have monitored her more carefully. (I have not, because until some days ago, I really trusted what I was told : that she was suffering from a mere sprain, and should be absolutely let alone... and since she still has been laying eggs, I had really not thought it could be more severe!!)


(THANK YOU in advance to the ones who reply to this thread!!)

 

[Papaye]

In case it is relevant, I add that this duck :
• has probably not eaten or drank today, because her waterers - that I have cleaned this morning - were still clean this evening;
• has been staying inside her coop most of the time these last few days, even though she prefered laying outside (in the run) before...

For the time being, she is surprisingly still alive...
So maybe there is hope...?

(For the record, I am NOT culling my duck. The last time I was told to kill a dying animal, he actually survived and healed completely, against all odds!)

 

[Papaye]

Hi.

My duck is still alive this morning.

She has drank and eaten during the night, and honestly looks fine from what I can see : she doesn't look in pain or uncomfortable - her feathers are not ruffled -, and she does not appear to be laying in a pool of blood - at least, from what I am able to see without approaching her too much...!

She had to get out of her coop to eat and drink, and even then, there is NO trace of blood in the run...!

...I really don't understand what is happening here, and I wonder if my duck is actually dying or not...?

In any case, I am not touching her anymore for the time being : I am much too afraid to accidentally hurt her if I do.

 

[Papaye]

Hello!

An update on my duck...

She is, in fact, really broody.
Which explains her behaviour, and - I guess - her dark and smelly poop.

She had 16 eggs that I removed yesterday, and then replaced by 10 fertilized eggs from my other ducks.
(...Not sure she will be able to hatch them, since she has only one leg that she can use to turn them - her left leg being completely dead...)

While I removed her eggs yesterday, I have been able to see the inside of her coop; and I can thus confirm she has not bled anymore : there was no trace of blood on the eggs, nor on the straw.

So : I really don't know what has happened to her.

I was pretty sure she was dying, because she had bled so much from her belly... and then, just after I managed to stop the bleeding there, MORE so from her vent...
(I precise the hemorrhage was NOT even caused by a prolapse!)
...but then, seeing her today : had I not seen her bleed, I would not even know she had another issue apart from the gangrene...!

I don't understand what has happened to her, but at least, I now feel she is not dying...