# waterbelly 911



## JeepGirl

I have a 3 year old Pekin duck who I believe has waterbelly.
 At first I thought she was eggbound  because  she hadnt laid in several days, but after epsom soaks as well as manually checking ( i.e. I stuck my finger up there) I'm sure that's not it. Then she laid soft shells yesterday AND today despite her getting layer feed AND oyster shell.

 Her poor belly has become huge in the last week, feels like a balloon, and she has labored breathing.

 I decided to try to draw some of the fluid out, and instead of getting the clear yellow fluid I expected, I got black liquid. 
Does this mean there's an infection? 
Do I continue to draw that fluid out?

I used a 20g x 3/4" needle (that's all I had) and went down & to the right of the vent.

I cannot justify a vet bill, as much as I love her.
so Cephalexin is all i have as far as antibiotics.
I'm sure I could get some fishmox though.


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## Baymule

I have no idea on what to do for her, but just wanted to let you know I care.


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## JeepGirl

Baymule said:


> I have no idea on what to do for her, but just wanted to let you know I care.



thank you!
even if she wasn't my best layer, she's close to my heart. I lost half my flock to a fox a few weeks ago so this is tough.


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## Baymule

Half your flock, now this to your pet. Really sorry. I haven't had to deal with this problem, hope there is something you can do for her. if not, you may have to put her down to end her suffering. It's tough.


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## Sheepshape

I hope I'm wrong. 

I had a young hen, under 2, who suddenly began to swell and to stop laying. Though her plumage looked good and she was still eating, I noticed her belly was very swollen. A 'diagnostic tap' showed some  smelly black fluid. I suspected she had egg yolk peritonitis which, as you probably know, is when the developing egg, instead of going down the oviduct when released from the ovary gets loose into the body cavity and becomes infected (often with E.coli) Black fluid is usual in this condition, whereas yellowish fluid, looking like urine, is more likely with cancers of the reproductive system.

 Egg yolk peritonitis really only gets better if found very early and treated aggressively with antibiotics. As poultry are  prey species they hide their illnesses very well until they are severely ill so as not to be seen as the weak member of the flock by predators. Often when we notice a bird is unwell they are in the very advanced stages of a disease.

We decided to euthanise my hen....over a litre of the same black fluid and a couple of lumps of what looked like egg yolk. I was thinking  'typical egg yolk peritonitis'  when I found the intestines all matted together and studded with secondary deposits from an ovarian cancer.

I'm SO sorry to hear that your duck has this free fluid in her belly. She may need to be euthanised, but, if you don't want to go down this route, then, with very strictly sterile conditions, drawing off approximately 200mls of the fluid will make her feel a lot better. (Don't draw off all of the fluid as this can cause 'shock' due to fluid volume loss.


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## JeepGirl

sheepshape
thank you so much for the insight.
Depending on the quality of life she will have I may or may not euthanize. 
I want to give her the chance and she is still eating/ drinking/ foraging etc, but I am expecting the worst case scenario.

what kind of antibiotics, I have cephalexin and that fishmox  (amoxicillin...i know the fishmox can be sketchy but it's all I can do)?

or should I double up with both?


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## AmberLops

I'm sorry! I've never had that happen so I don't know what to do...
But black liquid is never a good sign. Black is usually 'old' or digested blood, meaning that there would be some kind of internal bleeding somewhere in the body.
Is the black fluid thick? Or more liquid?


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## JeepGirl

AmberLops said:


> I'm sorry! I've never had that happen so I don't know what to do...
> But black liquid is never a good sign. Black is usually 'old' or digested blood, meaning that there would be some kind of internal bleeding somewhere in the body.
> Is the black fluid thick? Or more liquid?




it's thin liquid, no smell.
I had worried about a bleed but we will see.
I'll update though for the sake of someone else who might deal with this.


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## Baymule

JeepGirl said:


> it's thin liquid, no smell.
> I had worried about a bleed but we will see.
> I'll update though for the sake of someone else who might deal with this.


Thanks for this. We all learn from each other, coming back to update is VERY much appreciated.


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## Sheepshape

Just to say that over here we use enrofloxacin usually (Baytril) for EYP.

As Bay says, thank you for providing updates. If there's a post and someone suggests a treatment we all would like to know if it worked or what the outcome was (good or otherwise). This way we learn. Prey species don't show their illnesses until very late, so not spotting an illness in the early stages is to be expected. 

Whichever management course you decide top follow....good luck.


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## casportpony

@JeepGirl, my experiences with this are very similar to @Sheepshape's, and sadly, most of these are not curable, though draining them can offer immediate relief and often can extend their lives for many months.

I agree that the antibiotic enrofloxacin (Baytril) would be best for this, and this link shows where is you can get it without a prescription: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/baytril-enrofloxacin-sources.74374/

When draining, I found it much easier to do with a large needle, so now I use a size 18 or larger.

Since she is laying multiple soft shelled eggs giving her some oral calcium and D3 might help with that.

I am really sorry you're going through this, I know how heart breaking it can be. Let me know if there is anything I can help you with. 



JeepGirl said:


> I lost half my flock to a fox a few weeks ago so this is tough.


Very sorry for your losses.


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## JeepGirl

Not much to update so soon, but I will say that I was able to drain just under 300ccs off of her (didn't drain everything so I don't induce shock) used an 18g needle with 60cc syringe.
Filled up the syringe then disconnected from the needle - so I didnt have to stick her multiple times - and let it flow freely for a bit.

The next afternoon she laid a normal hard shell egg for the first time in a week and was breathing so much better.
Shes still walking around with the flock and acting normal, but im sure it will kill her in the end.
I will start her on baytril ASAP
Someone suggested CBD oil for discomfort, they said they have had success with that. Might be worth a shot.

ill update again after shes been on antibiotics for awhile.
wish me luck!!

Picture of my gorgeous girl added- hope it shows up!


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## AmberLops

Wow she's beautiful!!
I'm glad to hear she's doing better  I read that oregano also helps with pain and infection....that might be worth a shot. I know at tractor supply they have oregano for chickens to help with respiratory infections but It might help her!


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## B&B Happy goats

Nice to read good news !  Very pretty duckie you have there


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## Sheepshape

That's wonderful news.

Get her some Baytril as soon as you can and drain her again as needed.

Even if the treatment has only been palliatory, then you have made her so much more comfortable. Well done!


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## casportpony

Thanks for the update, glad to hear she is feeling better!


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## JeepGirl

Wanted to update real quick since I said I would!

I drew off around 200 cc's on 5/29 (I think) from her abdomen. After getting the fluid out she was already breathing better and moving more.

Kept her inside overnight and then put her back out with the flock the next day.
The next morning I saw she had something on her back and when I went to look it was a huge hole with maggots in it!!
 no idea how it happened Literally overnight so she ended up staying inside for about two weeks while I doctored THAT, too.

I was able to find some oxytetracycline and gave her that for the duration of the two weeks.
So around the second week in June and she still has a little belly and I decide to try to drain it again, I didn't get but maybe 30ccs .

Currently it's July 15th.
She's been outside since last month and I try to keep her separate from the boys unless I'm out there (other than her hubby, Rex... he's too old and lazy to try anything with her).

She is also laying hard shell eggs again. Every two days or so I get an egg.
I don't eat them even though they look and smell fine, I just throw them out for the opossums to eat.

I might try to get some fluid off of her again because she's riding a little low this last week, but honestly much better results than I thought I would get.
For now she has a great appetite she still plays in the stream and the kiddie pool and screams at me when I give her kisses in front of the other ducks

Including a pic!


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## AmberLops

Yay! Great news!! 
She's so cute with that little muddy bill


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## Sheepshape

That's amazing. I would not have thought that she would ever lay proper eggs again. Egg yolk peritonitis occasionally does get better, though about as rare as hens' teeth!

Well done you for all your hard work (especially with the maggots)......and I'm sure her eggs are fine to eat.

Thank you SO much for letting us know about her great progress.


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## JeepGirl

Thank you!
And a huge thanks to everyone for your insight & experiences.
 It definitely helped me to make some executive decisions


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## Baymule

I admire your love and dedication. Glad that she is better!


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## JeepGirl

Updating nearly a year later for anyone who is interested - I guess not every case is a death sentence!
My waterbelly girl is still here and she is doing awesome.
Active, eating, and still laying about 4x per week...I haven't had to take any fluid off her abdomen for months (since July or September, maybe?).
I really though she wouldn't make it through the winter.


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## Baymule

Thanks for the update! We appreciate knowing what happened with her.


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## Sheepshape

Incredible news. 

Her infection must have resolved totally and she is now back to normal. Very rewarding.

Can we see a pic. of her?


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