Extreme Abdominal Swelling In 3 Week Old Duckling!

strawberricatt

Crowing
5 Years
Oct 4, 2016
1,101
2,809
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I have a three week old duckling named Daisy, who was the only one to hatch out of three eggs. She's imprinted on my and gets very stressed when I leave her(she's harness trained, and loves going adventuring).

So two days ago I was cleaning out the chicken coop, and Daisy was roaming the yard, and my neighbors cat caught her, I threw something at the cat and it dropped her, she had two punctures, one on her neck and one close to the base of her tail, which I sprayed with BluKote. Anyway, yesterday night I noticed slight swelling on her abdomen, close to her thigh. The swelling is squishy and makes a noise kinda similar to foamy soap if you press on it. The vet was booked out for the rest of the week, and its closed during weekends (this weekend is a long weekend, so it'll be closed until Tuesday) the swelling has spread, and gotten larger,

Is there anything i can do for her? Unfortunately i simply can't afford the emergency vet, so I'm hoping she pulls through until Tuesday.

Photos attached, the swollen side is pretty obvious.

IMG_20191025_171711.jpg
 
It sounds like she may have a ruptured air sac, also called subcutaneous emphysema. It is common in birds and poultry usually from blunt trauma. If she is having distress breathing, or it continues to spread, you may want to disinfect the skin and take a large bore sterile needle (an 18 gauge) or large sewing needle, and puncture the skin and try to press out the air. Here is some reading and a video about air sac ruptures and treatment:
https://www.birdtrader.co.uk/emergency-care-for-birds-air-sac-rupture/
https://wagwalking.com/bird/condition/air-sac-rupture

 
Thank you everyone, Ill be taking her to the vet tomorrow, as i have a major phobia of needles,, and I doubt I'll be calm enough to actually help her. I had to get my mom to drain an hen with ascites a few weeks ago because iIcouldn't stand the needle.
 

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