Darin Welker, an injured Iraq war veteran, has been issued a citation for owning 14 "therapeutic" ducks, and now he could loose them all. Welker says the ducks help him with PTSD and depression.

Darin Welker said officials in the village of West Lafayette told him to get rid of the ducks in May and cited him for a minor misdemeanor on June 23 for failing to comply. Walker is scheduled to appear in Coshocton Municipal Court for a hearing Wednesday and could face a $150 fine.

His town, West Lafayette is 80 miles east of Columbus, has banned residents from "keeping fowl and other farm animals." Welker has had the ducks since March. "They're quite a relaxing animal, and they help comfort me in different situations," Welker recently told the Tribune as he held one duck like a baby and stroked its neck. "(Watching them) keeps you entertained for hours at a time."

While serving in Iraq in 2005, he came back with a major back injury that required surgery. The Veterans Administration paid for the back surgery but declined to pay for counseling. His ducks live in a penned up area in his back yard with a kiddie pool.