Bumblefoot? Cut it or wrap it?

[FarmerSeth]

Hello community.
my Peking duck can hardly walk. She has a swollen foot, mostly isolated to one toe. The whole foot is warm to the touch. The swollen part is hard. I can’t see a clear wound or cut.
I’ve been reading about bumblefoot and it seems some recommend lancing the hard swollen part to pull out the infected “plug.” Others just recommend salves, antibiotic ointment, epsom salt, etc.
Can anyone recommend treatment? I do not intend to take her to the vet. Thanks.

 

[spunky-chicken]

I recently tried the epsom salt treatment on a chicken and it didn't work very well. If you can, do the surgery

 

[-Clementine-]

That is defidentaly bumblefoot. Funny story, all my six ducks got bumblefoot about two weeks ago, and are at the end of their treatment. The way I did it is I got this anti bacterial clay and put it on their bumbles after using vetricin to thoroughly cleanse the foot. then after putting clay on, you can use non-painkiller neosporin instead, i put gauze over the clayed part, I had cut puppy pads that I wrapped around the foot to make a sort of 'cone' then folded the edges down and used waterproof tape to tape it onto the foot. After that, i put gauze on the ankle before I vetwrapped the foot and put more tape over that. I have no clue if any of that made sense, but try wrapping the foot first for a couple days before going to surgery. But based on the severity of it and the fact that you can see the swelling on the top of the foot, surgry might be a better option. Next time I wrap my ducks I can take some photos if you want, or you can look up youtube videos on wrapping and doing the surgery.

 

[Isaac 0]

Soaking in cases like this doesn't always work because the bacteria are encapsulated under the skin, and thus is protected from the outside environment, contrary to the cases where you have a core, and the soaking can "seep" into the necrotic tissue, and loosen it up.

From the picture, it looks like her whole foot is pretty swollen, not only the underside, and you can really see how much weight she is putting on the other foot, in an attempt to distribute the weight off the swollen foot. She is in pain, so it may be best to be a little harsher with your treatment, and start her on antibiotics to kill off the infection, then do surgery on the area to excavate any puss present, then bandage.

Antibiotics such as Clindamycin, Cephalexin, and Enrofloxacin, are useful for Bumblefoot and can be obtained online, in fish, and birds form without an RX needed.

https://allbirdproducts.com/products/baytril-10
https://www.chewy.com/fish-aid-antibiotics-cephalexin/dp/185208

Soaking the foot in Epsom Saltwater, administering B, and Omega 3's vitamins, and keeping her on soft grounds may be beneficial as well,

 

[FarmerSeth]

Soaking in cases like this doesn't always work because the bacteria are encapsulated under the skin, and thus is protected from the outside environment, contrary to the cases where you have a core, and the soaking can "seep" into the necrotic tissue, and loosen it up.

From the picture, it looks like her whole foot is pretty swollen, not only the underside, and you can really see how much weight she is putting on the other foot, in an attempt to distribute the weight off the swollen foot. She is in pain, so it may be best to be a little harsher with your treatment, and start her on antibiotics to kill off the infection, then do surgery on the area to excavate any puss present, then bandage.

Antibiotics such as Clindamycin, Cephalexin, and Enrofloxacin, are useful for Bumblefoot and can be obtained online, in fish, and birds form without an RX needed.

https://allbirdproducts.com/products/baytril-10
https://www.chewy.com/fish-aid-antibiotics-cephalexin/dp/185208

Soaking the foot in Epsom Saltwater, administering B, and Omega 3's vitamins, and keeping her on soft grounds may be beneficial as well,

Thanks for the reply. How do you determine application of the fish antibiotics for ducks? Do you put it in their water? How much? Thanks very much.

 

[FarmerSeth]

Seems to be better today. I had her soak and then did an epsom salt poultice and wrapped the foot. It’s not swollen so tight today, although it’s definitely still swollen. I’m not opposed to cutting it, but I can’t see where to cut. There doesn’t seem to be a clear wound location...
Photo below comparing yesterday to today (don’t mind the green color — that’s the epsom poultice)

 

[FarmerSeth]

Soaking in cases like this doesn't always work because the bacteria are encapsulated under the skin, and thus is protected from the outside environment, contrary to the cases where you have a core, and the soaking can "seep" into the necrotic tissue, and loosen it up.

From the picture, it looks like her whole foot is pretty swollen, not only the underside, and you can really see how much weight she is putting on the other foot, in an attempt to distribute the weight off the swollen foot. She is in pain, so it may be best to be a little harsher with your treatment, and start her on antibiotics to kill off the infection, then do surgery on the area to excavate any puss present, then bandage.

Antibiotics such as Clindamycin, Cephalexin, and Enrofloxacin, are useful for Bumblefoot and can be obtained online, in fish, and birds form without an RX needed.

https://allbirdproducts.com/products/baytril-10
https://www.chewy.com/fish-aid-antibiotics-cephalexin/dp/185208

Soaking the foot in Epsom Saltwater, administering B, and Omega 3's vitamins, and keeping her on soft grounds may be beneficial as well,

I ordered the antibiotics. Should be here in a couple days. Thanks again.

 

[Isaac 0]

Thanks for the reply. How do you determine application of the fish antibiotics for ducks? Do you put it in their water? How much? Thanks very much.

The antibiotics will be given orally, not in water. If you let me know what antibiotic you ordered, and the weight of your duck, I can give some info on dosing.

 

[FarmerSeth]

The antibiotics will be given orally, not in water. If you let me know what antibiotic you ordered, and the weight of your duck, I can give some info on dosing.

I ordered the Cephalexin that you recommended, from chewie.com. My duck is a full-grown jumbo pekin (9 months old), but I’ve never weighed her... I could try to do that tomorrow. Thanks so much for your help, Isaac 0!

 

[Isaac 0]

I ordered the Cephalexin that you recommended, from chewie.com. My duck is a full-grown jumbo pekin (9 months old), but I’ve never weighed her... I could try to do that tomorrow. Thanks so much for your help, Isaac 0!

Great! Let me know her weight when you can. Also, did you order the 500mg, or 250mg pills?