Duck bumble foot surgery

[Hamzahchickens]

Hello,

The pictures I have attached are graphic!!

I’ve been looking at posts regarding bumble foot and feel like I understood what I was suppose to do until I was actually doing the surgery. Am I supposed to dig this area out? Every time I would scratch it with the blade it would start to bleed and it was too tough for the tweezers to do anything. I’ve been giving her a 30 minute epsom bath a day. I’m having doubts on how to help my duck and there is no vet around me that can help.

Before

During surgery

 

[CoriM]

You have gotten the scab and likely some infection out. A bumble that size will take weeks to months to heal. I hope you packed it with triple antiobiotic ointment and wrapped with a gauze pad and vet wrap and have kept her foot dry and clean for a couple of days. At that point I would rebandage and apply a big gob of epsom salt poultice to the open wound and then gauze and bandage. Do this a couple more days, then give her a little break if it's fully scabbed, to swim in clean water, then bandage again. You may have to go into the foot again, or after a couple weeks of bandaging with the poultice it might be much better. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001OE3L8...amp=&crid=3S4AEXC6N32JN&amp=&sprefix=epsom+sa

 

[CoriM]

Here is a thread I started a couple years ago when I had a pekin with a bumble in a similar spot. When I wrap the foot I use a square of gazue that's folded over to be soft, then two pieces of vet wrap 15-18 inches. Wrap gently around the ankle and criss-cross through the toes while trying to keep them spread out so the foot remains flat.

 

[Hamzahchickens]

You have gotten the scab and likely some infection out. A bumble that size will take weeks to months to heal. I hope you packed it with triple antiobiotic ointment and wrapped with a gauze pad and vet wrap and have kept her foot dry and clean for a couple of days. At that point I would rebandage and apply a big gob of epsom salt poultice to the open wound and then gauze and bandage. Do this a couple more days, then give her a little break if it's fully scabbed, to swim in clean water, then bandage again. You may have to go into the foot again, or after a couple weeks of bandaging with the poultice it might be much better. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001OE3L8...amp=&crid=3S4AEXC6N32JN&amp=&sprefix=epsom+sa

should I keep cutting? When I was poking the edge of the scab I noticed a separation between the bumble and the foot. It looked like I could cut deeper but I was alarmed from the amount of blood she was losing, so I stopped and bandaged her. Will the salt dry the infection?

 

[Hamzahchickens]

Here is a thread I started a couple years ago when I had a pekin with a bumble in a similar spot. When I wrap the foot I use a square of gazue that's folded over to be soft, then two pieces of vet wrap 15-18 inches. Wrap gently around the ankle and criss-cross through the toes while trying to keep them spread out so the foot remains flat.

Hello thank you for the reply! Is there a link to this thread? I haven’t seen any bumbles like the one I’m dealing with so I’m getting a bit scared.

 

[CoriM]

I would not cut anymore that tissue looks good. I would use antibiotic ointment a couple days then switch to the poultice.

 

[CoriM]

When I get home I can find the thread

 

[CoriM]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/should-i-pull-this-scab-off.1415545/

 

[Hamzahchickens]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/should-i-pull-this-scab-off.1415545/

Thank you this will definitely help! All those months of care must have been tough, I hope everything worked out for you and the duck!