Petunia went to the vet on Saturday to make sure she is doing okay after laying that weird stuck egg last Monday. Also we wanted to confirm that the midge fly larvae was in the pond, and not somehow possibly in Petunia. The vet confirmed that that kind of larvae cannot live within a duck’s system, so it must have been on the surface of the pond.
Petunia does not like to go to the vet, and tries to find a way down from the table when no one is looking. The vet didn’t see anything wrong with her, and thinks she looks just fine. Petunia’s vent was a little irritated, so we got some nolvasan cream to put on her vent until it looks normal. She had a negative fecal test earlier in the week.
To check Petunia, I flip her over and lay her on my lap. I call this “Petunia Loaf.” For some reason she doesn’t move when she’s placed like this, so I have to pat her belly and scratch her head a bit before letting her get back up. Her vent looks just perfect now and hopefully it will stay that way.
She is a good little duck loaf, so I am glad she is feeling okay.
This is a great example of a typical day around here at Flapper’s house. This is pretty much how this whole year has been.
Monday morning I get up a little late for work per usual. I go out to care for the ducks and find that Petunia does not want to come out of her pen. I pick her up and turn her over and find that she seems to have a stuck egg and a slight prolapse and she seems to be in pain.
Not good.
So I tell her I’m going to go call the vet and I set her down in the big, clean pond which I just refilled the night before.
I call the vet’s office and find out that all avian vets are out of town at their big yearly conference. Some avian vet in Des Moines is still in town. I do not know where Des Moines is. They ask if I want his number and I say I’ll call back. I’m actually thinking to myself “If he’s not at the conference, he probably sucks.”*
I go outside to see Petunia has laid a soft-shelled egg in the pond, but there are a few weird strands of red with it, and I swear they are moving.
NOT GOOD!
I call the vet’s office back and say Petunia passed the egg, but I swear I see some kind of parasite or worm or something moving. I confuse them with questions and they suggest I bring in a fecal sample to test. I go back out to see that both Chewy and Flapper are swimming in the pond with the egg and creepy crawlies. Awesome! Now if it’s a parasite, everyone has it! (Oh well, they probably already all had it anyway.)
I put Petunia in a pet carrier on a fresh towel and tell her to poop on the towel while I get ready for work. I go inside and shower and get ready for work and come back outside to see if Petunia has a fecal sample for me to take to the vet.
I let her out of the carrier to find that she has decided not to poop on the towel. Great. I call the vet back and tell them it might be tomorrow when I bring in the fecal sample because Petunia is not coopera… hold on. She just pooped.
I’m on my way.
Drop off Petunia poop at the vet’s office. Go to work. Very, very busy at work. Had to cancel trip this weekend to Utah for my 20-year high school reunion because work/pets/school are all far too busy. Call the vet’s office and ask them to ask the vet about a specific antibiotic for GI-tract issues when they talk to her at the conference she is at. They tolerate me but think I am koo koo. I’m fine with that.
Get a call at the end of the day that the fecal tests are both negative, and that what I probably saw was just a bit of blood. And I probably just imagined it was moving because it was in the water.
Hmmm.
I have a vivid imagination, but I doubt I imagined red moving things. I make an appointment for Petunia to see the vet this Saturday, once avian vets are back in town.
Petunia seems fine today. I checked her vent and it looks okay. But I know I didn’t imagine the red moving things. There were probably 4-6 of them. They’re still in that pond. Cannot drain the pond Monday evening because I have a graduate school paper due on public-private partnerships. Awesome!
Go to work Tuesday. Funny client does not like sound effect we used on website. Says it sounds like “a magical wet poop.” It’s poop week! Come home from work Tuesday evening and start draining the 120-gallon pond to search for 4-6 tiny red things in the bottom with the mud and pond sludge.
By the time the pond is empty it is dark. The ducks are in bed for the night. I am kneeling by the pond with a flashlight, scooping the bit of sludge off the bottom of the pond to see if I can find 4-6 tiny moving things. I scoop sludge onto a paper plate with a smaller paper plate. All the while I wonder “where did I turn left in life when I should have turned right? What decisions led me down the path that resulted in me kneeling in mud with a flashlight covered in pond sludge looking for a parasite or worm in the dark? How did what came out of my duck’s butt become the biggest focus of my week? What does that say about me and my progression as a human being?”
I clean the pond and leave it empty to dry overnight. Then I take my paper plate of pond sludge into the house to look for the tiny red thing.
Eureka! And, EWW!
In the 120-gallon pond I somehow manage to find this tiny thing. I do not know what it is, but it is still moving! I only find this one. The others have probably bored holes into my brain by now.
See? See it moving? Know what that means? I didn’t imagine it!
After watching this thing move and getting a clear picture of it, I compare it to photos on the Internet and decide it is midge larvae, also known as a bloodworm.
It’s not a parasite.
It’s fine. It’s the larvae form of a gnat or midge fly and it’s common. It’s a very popular fly fishing lure in fact. I name it “Madge the Midge” and put it in a syringe full of water to take to the vet to confirm that it is indeed a midge larvae/bloodworm at the lab.
So… It’s normal. That’s good.
Except… what is this thing doing in the oviduct of Petunia? Why are there no midge larvae in her feces but in her oviduct with a soft-shelled egg?
I cannot find any information anywhere on the Internet about midge larvae in waterfowl oviducts. Really weird stuff. Doesn’t belong there. Should not be there.
Petunia will see the vet on Saturday. She’s fine until then. She has been to the vet three times in the past year. She has had a weird vent issue before as well. Hopefully we can figure out what is so weird about her and those midge larvae.
And there you have it! That is the story of Petunia and the Very Typical Day.
I could use a few days of absolutely nothing going on. Boredom is my new goal in life.
*That’s just what I was thinking. Not necessarily accurate.
UPDATE: Possible smart theory from smarty person. “I feed Wafflez blood worms. I am wondering if maybe they were in the water and they all came up to eat the egg?” Could that be possible that they did not come from Petunia at all but were just in the pond? I had just cleaned the pond the night before so there wasn’t much in there for them to eat. Maybe they were freshly laid midge larvae that night? Interesting theory, smarty person.
Hi Flappy.
“Hi, Mom.”
You’re looking very sweet today.
You too, Malley.
“Thanks.”
We just had a normal weekend around here. A little too busy, but always plenty of time for the feathered family. Everyone is doing pretty well. We’re going to get way too busy to update the blog much for a few weeks, but we’ll check in when we can.
Sunny the duck and Racquel L’Oreal & Olivia the chickens finished their 10-days of medication today. That means they’re out of quarantine and hanging with the rest of the kids. Racquel and Olivia were hunting for bugs while Sunny took a dip in the baby pool. Flapper and Chewy were cooling off in the sprinklers while O’Malley had just finished swimming. Petunia was keeping an eye on the chickens.
(It’s always a good idea to keep an eye on the chickens.)
They are excited that we found a good forever home for them.
And they’re flapping around the yard and running through the sprinklers to celebrate.
“Where is Victor flying now?”
“You two kids stop that right now!”
“Hey Flapper?”
“What is it?”
“Victor says talk to the butt, ’cause the beak don’t want to hear it. Ha ha ha!”
Ha ha, good one Victor and Emilio.
“I walked right into that one.”
“This is my Victor impersonation.”
Hee hee, that is pretty good, Flapper. He is a little chubby.
Okay, enough joking you guys.
Emilio? You be a good boy in your new home, okay? I know you will love it there.
And Victor? You keep an eye out for Emilio. He’s a little guy. And maybe lay off the treats a little, eh?
“I think I’m going to miss these guys.”
You are, O’Malley?
“Well… I will miss yelling at them. NO VICTOR DO NOT TOUCH MY POOL!”
That sounds more like it.
“Good luck, Emilio & Victor.”
“Yes, good luck.”
“We might miss you a little bit. But treats will help us feel better.”
Emilio & Victor went to their forever home this morning. Their new home is only about 40 minutes away, and they used the drive time to take a nap. Actually Victor got a little car sick and threw up a few pieces of lettuce. But then he ate them again so it was all good. (Gross, Victor).
They settled right into their new pool and ate some treats when they arrived.
Victor, do you like your new pool? “Do I have to share these treats with Flapper?”
Nope. Not anymore.
“Then I LOVE it.”
“I like it, too. Hey what are those other ducks doing?”
They’re a little wary of the new kids in the pool, but I bet they’ll come over soon and say hello.
“LISTEN UP! I am in charge here. You are to leave the pool immediately. Cease and desist!”
“Whoa! That did not sound like hello.”
Well, I am sure he will be nice once he gets to know you two. But until then, you’d better listen to him. Consider him the new O’Malley, okay guys? “Definitely.”
Victor and Emilio’s forever home is just perfect. They have three other rescued duck friends, some wild ducks that visit each day and some other animals, too.
These two rescued 30-year-old+ macaws have a huge, beautiful outdoor aviary near the ducks.
There are even some rescued Plymouths.
We wish Victor and Emilio all the very best in their new forever home. We’re grateful to their new human and really happy they lucked into such a great place to live. We’ll get a check-in note from them soon, so we can make sure they’re settling in okay. But as long as they listen to the new boss duck, we know they’ll be just fine.
Be safe and good and happy, you guys! Lots of love! XOXOX
O’Malley? Do you really think Petunia wants your tail wagging in her face while she tries to nap? “I am protecting her.”
Oh, I see. I’m sure she appreciates that.
Flapper, are you threatening the camera? “It is threatening to disturb my nap.”
Yes, I guess it is. I will put it away so you can nap in peace.
Let’s take a look inside the aviary to see what’s up.
Rescues Emilio and Victor have finally figured out how to use the astroturf ramp to get in and out of their tree trunk baby pool.
Victor shows off his big wings, and his bigger belly. He is a tubby chubby boy. At 9-weeks-old he is larger than Flapper. This is one solid pekin duck.
Emilio is more svelte and sleek, especially by comparison. He idolizes Victor and follows him everywhere. He is a very affectionate duck and loves to be held, but only if I hold Victor at the same time.
Here they are playing outside the aviary for a bit. That orange line in the background is the extention cord to Flapper Cam, which is now inside the aviary.
They are both sweet, cute boys and we hope to find them a great forever home. Until then, they’re making the most of their time at Flapper’s house.
Chewy is not sure what to make of the new boys, so he keeps his distance. Emilio follows Chewy a little bit, and I think it gives Chewy flashbacks to his last shadow, Juno the call duck. Chewy is trying hard to make sure he doesn’t get another shadow on his tail.
All the ducks had a great day playing in and out of the aviary.
O’Malley and Petunia enjoyed a dip in their clean pool.
“Eeps, shark!”
Then O’Malley did his shark impression to play a joke on Petunia. Nice one, Malley.
The sunny weather is expected to continue for yet another week in Seattle. We’re really getting spoiled! It’s been weeks since we had rain. And all the sunshine makes for a rare occurrence in Seattle: Beautiful sunsets.
Good night, everyone. Sweet dreams.
Note: Earlier today at the vet’s office with Meelee, I was sitting in a patient room while she had her ultrasound done. I thought I heard someone say “Chewy Magooey” through the wall, so I opened the door and said “Did someone just say Chewy Magooey?” Everyone stopped and looked at me for a second. That’s when I realized what an ODD question that was, especially if no one said Chewy’s name. But the receptionist admitted she was going through my file and admiring all the silly names of my pets. Normally the ducks have a separate vet, but when they have emergencies, they all go to the same all-night clinic. I’m glad I didn’t mistakenly hear Chewy’s name, as that would have been really awkward.
Petunia hung out with me a bit this morning. She is not really a lap duck. But she’ll put up with me now and then if I scratch her head feathers and tell her how sweet she is.
Years ago, she would get scared if I picked her up. But now she’s grown to tolerate me… and it’s possible she might even like me.
Hey hey. You boys aren’t chasing Petunia, are you?
“Who us? Oh no!”
“We’re um… hanging out.”
“We might be trying to impress her a little bit.”
Good luck with that. “Thanks!”
“What’re you up to, Mom?”
Well, I came out to tell you we might be getting some new foster ducks tomorrow.
“Oh really?”
Yep. I don’t know much about them yet, but they’ll be staying here while we find them a forever home. We’ll know more tomorrow night.
“Okay, Mom. Sounds good.”
You’re a good boy, Malley.
“I’m good too, right Mom?”
Yes you are, Choo Choo.
And Flappy? You’re the best duck ever.
More information on the new foster kids as soon as we know more. We’re supposed to meet them Saturday night. They will not be permanent residents here at Flapper’s house, but we do hope to find them a good forever home.
