Attention Nettie, I need you, please!

[TennesseeTruly]

I have a year old Pekin with beginning stages of Bumblefoot, I believe and want to talk to you about your shoes.

Thanks darlin'

Laurie

 

[Duck_feeder]

Quote:
I'll let her know you want to talk but in case I forget, you should contact her at: [email protected]
She checks her email at least once a day, but doesn't always hop on BYC.

 

[TennesseeTruly]

Thanks hun. I couldn't remember the web addy.

Laurie

 

[nettie]

Hi Laurie!

If your duck is at the beginning stages of bumblefoot, (if that bumps are still small, have no or a very small scab, or if the ducks doesn't seem to be limping, etc) sometimes a course or antibiotics and some cushioning can help clear it up. If you caught it early, then you might be able to prevent having to do minor surgery on the foot. However, your ducky might have to wear shoes for a long amount of time while it get better. My duck ming mei had a mini relaspe of her bumblefoot and it cleared up by putting a solution on her feet and having her wear shoes (she now wears shoes almost everyday to help prevent her from cutting herself and getting the infection again, she has a skip proof ramp in her pen that seems to scuff her feet causing the cuts). The solution I use came form my vet and has 1cc of baytril, 1 cc of meloxicam, and 8ccs of DMSO, which are the antibiotic, pain relief, and the DMSO helps make the first two more absorbable. If you don't have a vet or they can't make that solution, i recommend neosporin without pain relief. You can buy corn cushions for feet and place one around the bump. Then fill the cushion with the neosporin, and bandage with a waterproof or fabric large bandaid (like the kind for scraped knees). Once everything is secure, you can put the duck shoes on to help hold the bandage in place, keep the feet dryer, and provide some cushioning for the healing foot. This method does take a while, (a couple weeks) and the duck will have to be monitored to make sure it doesn't get worse or go systemic. In these cases I recommend at least 2 pairs of closed toe shoes, so while the duck wears a pair, the other pair can be cleaned. I usually change shoes once a day, after the duck is allowed to swim. You should not let the duck have access to swimming water while wearing the shoes. They will get soaked through and hold moisture against the feet, and the duck might have a hard time getting out of the water with it's nails covered and from the extra weight of the shoe. If you have multiple ducks and use a kiddie pool, for the time being, it's better to just put out the kiddie pool for a period of time each day, or you can sequester the duck with the bumblefoot away from the others until it recovers. I recommend limited the swimming and access to water as it's easier on the ill duck. Ducks don't need swimming water all day, they basically just need one bath per day to clean and preen feathers. I'll pm you the prices and options!