bumblefoot and my duck...emergency

[Kristina]

ok so I think my duck has bumblefoot...well I'm pretty positive. It is on the rear pad of her foot. It is swollen and hot so I assume there is infection. What would be a good course of treatment? The vet is not an option. They won't see ducks. Can I clean the area...treat with antibiotic ointment...wrap...round of oral antibiotic? Will I need to lance it? I'd rather not if possible but if necessary I will. I really don't want to lose her so I'll do what I can. Sorry mods if its in the wrong section but I need quick advice and this section gets more traffic than other poultry.

 

[Dodgegal79]

Check and see if you can see a hole where something has entered into the foot, thorn or splinter will cause an abcess. You may need to lance it, or just apply heat to it and it may burst itself.

 

[pollysmum]

This is one way of treating Bumblefoot:


Bumblefoot


This is a condition affects the pads of the feet.
Bumble foot affects all birds
It is caused by the bacteria staphylococcus aureus, which is present wherever there are chickens.

Avoidance
Bumblefoot is difficult to cure.
Make sure the roosts are rounded and not too high off the ground.

Sand off any potential splinter areas.
Ensure plenty of litter, 3-4 inches or more deep in the coop
Don't use wire bottom cages, unless you really have to
Give vitamin supplements, especially Vitamin A.
For problem flocks Biotin and Vitamin E+C levels should also be checked - and where feed is low (or has been in store for more than 21 days) a supplement should be given.
Staph enters the foot through injury to the pad - either by bruising or breaks in the skin caused by sharp objects, a small cut, bruise or any small opening
Avoid high roosts
Avoid sharp litter

Symptoms
Most people notice swelling of the footpad, and if you look at the pad and note a dark, blackish scab, it is bumblefoot.
The swelling is due to an abscess in the pad.
It causes, lameness, swollen foot, a scab on the foot pad

Pre - Treatment
Isolate the bird
Make sure it is out of drafts and direct sun, but with fresh air
Fresh food and water to be available at all times
Put a deep layer of fresh clean SOFT litter for the bird to stand on
And if the bird is laying supply a nice clean soft nest area also

Have on hand the following:

Betadine, hydrogen peroxide or Lysol (*Lysol – see bottom of page for more information), Neosporin or bacitracin, sterile scalpel or 14g needle, coban, sterile 2x2 gauze pads, surgeon's gloves, Epsom salts, anti bacterial soap, small scrubbing brush
Have a cage ready to put the chicken in when you're finished, or a small dog kennel carrier with scrap towels for bedding
Make sure you have deep litter in the cage
I have used Terramycin or Baytril in the water for a week - follow the directions on the package.

Treatment
Wash the legs and feet thoroughly with warm soapy water with some antiseptic in the water, not too much you don’t want to burn the legs
Or you can - Soak the foot in an Epson salts solution as directed on the package for a human
Then lightly scrub the affected area with an anti bacterial hand soap
Scrub it good enough to remove most of the scab, but not hard enough to damage the leg and make it bleed
Rinse the leg(s) and feet and dry thoroughly

Then spray the affected area with Lysol then apply bacitracin and bandage.... keep the bird separated in a small cage. (Or you can use a dog kennel carrier, put some scrap towels for bedding and do this every night right before roosting time for 3-5 nights

If you don’t think that will work then you can try :-

Thoroughly drenching the feet in hydrogen peroxide, full strength for seven days, twice a day

If the foot has any open wounds DO NOT USE HYRDOGEN PEROXIDE, use iodine (Betadine lotion), only use the peroxide to do the initial cleaning out of the wound, not as an ongoing treatment
If any open wounds apply an antibacterial or antibiotic powder

Give the bird a broad-spectrum antibiotic in the drinking water for the next 5 to 7 days
Also give the bird 2 tablespoon of yoghurt (plain unsweetened culture) to keep the bird from getting diarrhea due to the antibiotics, as it upsets the natural flora (bacteria) of their bowel

When it has healed clean the area where the bird was staying with bleach solution and keep the bedding clean 2-3 times a day until the skin on the pad has rehardened.
Then go back to normal care.

It has been found that many of the antibiotics that they used to use are no longer effective against Staph, below are some that I recently found that may be effective (Oct 2005)


Ani – staphylococcal Penicillins
Staphylococcal infections

Generic Name
Flucloxacillin –
Dicloxacillin –-
Cloxacillin
Nafcillin -
Oxacillin

Brand Name:
Floxapen
Dynapen
Diclocil
Tegopen

Methicillin – No longer available

 

[pollysmum]

This is another way of treating Bumblefoot:

Sounds like she has bumblefoot, whereby a tiny bruise or cut has allowed some staphlococcus bacteria into her foot and it causes swelling, pain and a cheesy pus to form in the pad of the foot.

Nasty and potentially dangerous if not treated.

Treatment
Get ahold of some coflex (vetwrap, coban... all the same stuff) bandage, some gauze (preferably 2x2, but a 4x4 cut into pieces will work too), some bandaging tape (I'd say hockey tape, but maybe that's not as easy to come by there in Australia like it is here in Canada), some plain white sugar and some iodine.

In a container, put about 2 tbsp sugar and mix with a few drops of iodine.

Keep putting in iodine until you no longer see crystals, but a thick brown paste.

Spread this paste onto a piece of gauze and place that over the hen's swelling.

Forgot to mention, cut a 1" wide, 6" long strip of vetwrap to have ready to wrap. So after the gauze is placed onthe foot, begin wrapping the foot with the vetwrap, going inbetween the toes and figure-8-ing around the foot so it stays on good.

Sometimes it helps the hen to put a little piece of cotton on the sole of the foot (under the bandage) to cushion the foot so she can walk a little easier.

After the foot is all wrapped and taped, give her a shot of penicillin G procaine (worked really well for staphlococcus infections) at a dosage of 30 000IU per kg (not very much...) given IM or SC with a 20 gauge needle.

Rewrap the foot everyday, making up new iodine/sugar poultice and give her a shot of Pen G procaine everyday.

After 5 days you should notice a marked improvement in her foot.

Keep wrapping and poulticing until all heat is gone and swelling is more or less gone.

Keep her on Pen G for 5-7 days, or until all signs of infection are gone.

If she shows no improvement after 5 days, you may have to cut the foot open and manually flush out the cheesy pus that is in there.

Often, with good poulticing, though, you can avoid this invasive procedure...
Good Luck,

 

[GloriaH]

It seems I never catch it early and have always had to lance. I usally hold the foot in warm water and pull the scab off. Then gentley squeeze untill I push out the infection. I then clean the foot well and dry it. Keep bird in an area with clean bedding untill it heals. I never put any ointment on the foot. I like to keep it clean and dry.

 

[Kristina]

Thanks everyone, and thanks gloria. Thats what I was looking for...more of a " this is what I did thing". I know all the technical stuff but I like to hear first hand. It is not nasty looking or anything. no scabbing but it is visibly swollen and I can see what I believe to be the puncture wound. I'll see what I can do with her today.