Quail with ascites?

[Anonymous]

Hi,

I have a quail that has a mass on her abdomen that is soft, squishy, and hot to the touch. She is making green watery droppings which makes me suspect liver failure... I drained the liquid from her abdomen (under pretty sterile conditions since I did it in the lab). But, the liquid was not yellowish as I have seen documented in websites describing ascites, but rather bloody. I removed quite a lot of fluid and the quail seemed like she was in a bit of pain, but relieved afterwards. I checked on her this morning and there is still some fluid, but it seems to be in the same condition as I left it yesterday (after removal of fluid). I thought it might be a ruptured air sac at first, and when I drained it, I was surprised about the state of the fluid in the cavity... but as I had never dealt with a ruptured air sac I didnt know what to expect either... If anyone has any ideas as to what it might be, I would be interested in knowing. Im quite worried about my poor quail. Thanks.

Katie

 

[foxy]

I have dealt with abdominal ascites in ducks but not quail. It is not easy for an air sac to rupture, would likely need some sort of trauma. In this case needs the advice of a vet to give an accurate diagnosis particulary as there is evidence of an infection, maybe a peritonitis which would account for the bloody aspiration. Green droppings are usually the sign of bile not being diluted so I presume she is not eating?

 

[Anonymous]

No, she was not eating, and this persisted for a few days. I finally euthanized her and did a necropsy myself. She had massive internal bleeding and large clots between her heart and liver. The heart and liver, however looked very healthy and normal, so it was not ascites, thankfully. I assume the trauma occurred from the quails flying into the sides of the cages with quite some force. I already had one break its neck a few days prior. I think I will need to clip their wings to keep them from flying around so much. Thank you so much for your reply, I appreciate the information.

Kind regards,
katie