RIP Curiosity Duck, June 2018 - January 13th 2021 [Warning! Contains Graphic Images!]

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Hi friends, my beloved Curiosity Duck unexpectedly died today!
I was a bit worried about her yesterday, she has always been a very quiet duck, but yesterday she just laid down in the sun at the house and slept the whole day, but still looked exhausted when she walked into the duck-house in the evening. This morning she came out of the house with the other ducks and ate some cat-food, so i just thought she had a bad day. In the afternoon when i went out to collect the eggs i found her dead in the house. ☹ She was 2½ years old.

I have examined her a little bit before i buried her on the duck cemetery under the huge Tulip-Tree and found some unusual things, however the images are kind of graphic, so don't open them should you just enjoy some food…

First there is a bald spot on her back, that i have not seen or noticed yesterday. We had a problem with the neighbors dog, ducknapping her hatch-Sister Nona, last week and i wonder if the dog tried to grab Curiosity first and injured her:

Spoiler: Warning! Images of a dead animal!

Does that look like it could have been caused by a dog?

Next, there is her vent area, it looked like she had tried to push her insides out. I have never seen a prolapse, is that a prolapsed vent?

Spoiler: Warning! Images of a dead animal!

My theory is, that she had an egg in her belly and was ready to lay - she always laid her eggs late - when the dog grabbed her and broke the egg-shell inside of her body. Then the dog lost her and grabbed Nona Duck and ran off with her. Does that make sense?

 

[Weeg]

Could have been egg binding too. Animals with egg binding, if they can't poop because of blockage, they wont survive longer then two days. Stress, like a dog attack, can easily cause egg binding. It does look like a minor prolapse.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Thank you very much everyone for your comforting words! Her death stings a lot, especially because she was one of the very first ducks we got in Summer 2018. Now only Limpy, Nona and Katharina are left from that group and Nona is still not out of the woods, she was shivering outside this morning. - Spring can't come fast enough this year!
As for the bald spot on her back, it is difficult to see, but most of the missing feathers have not been pulled out (like a drake would do), but they were broken off, right above and in the skin. Which looks doggy suspicious to me, there were no scratches or bite-marks though.

Spoiler: Gross detail, don't open with a full stomach!

As for her vent area, i have not seen a prolapse before, but there was a clear slimy liquid dripping out of her which looked like decaying egg-white and smelled horrible.

 

[nuthatched]

I'm so sorry about your lovely duck. That does look like ripped out area and that sounds like a probable cause, if an egg broke, it could have cut her up inside.

 

[Duck mommy 2019]

i’m so sorry

 

[Magnolia Ducks]

So very sorry about curiosity. She waddling across the rainbow bridge and I'm a little teary too.

 

[Weeg]

So sorry for your loss! It is so hard! I have lots many ducks, and you never miss them and love them so much until there gone. *Hugs and more hugs * Avery

 

[KaleIAm]

I'm very sorry for your loss of Curiosity Duck. :-(

 

[Daphne_loves_mealworms]

I am so sorry for the loss of your beautiful duck!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Very sorry for your loss