Bumblefoot, first time treating it

[RJKnott]

So never treated Bumblefoot before. Can’t tell if it’s getting better or worse


These are some before images


and these are some taken today



the left foot the scabs seem like they have gotten thicker but are starting to peel. The right foot, The picture doesn’t really show it well but the scab has gone from black to more of a brownish tint and is also peeling off

 

[RJKnott]

It does seem like its getting better. Keep us updated, and good luck

I will. This site has been awesome for support with my ducks. The Bumblefoot was my only concern with taking her in as a rescue. I want her to get better and live a happy healthy life. Poor girl has had a rough time

 

[HappyDuckie]

It does seem like its getting better. Keep us updated, and good luck

 

[CoriM]

I've never seen bumblefoot as a long scab along the foot like that (not that I'm an expert and have seen lots of cases, but I've looked at a lot of posts on BYC). @Isaac 0 - do you think this is definitely bumble? Didn't you say that when you rescued her she had been stuck in the water and unable to get out? This makes me wonder if her foot shouldn't be bandaged constantly, unless there's an open wound of course. I don't know for sure, but my vet did tell me that a wet bandage is worse than no bandage at all. So maybe applying the iodine or meds and putting a bandage on at night when she will keep it dry is a good start - unless of course you've peeled back scab and raw skin might get infected. I've never dealt with the edge of the foot, but one thing I find works well in bandaging is to wrap the vet wrap around the foot and a wrap around the ankle, then come loosely over one side of the web in between two toes. I keep this loose so the webbing doesn't pull back when the duck walks. After you come between the toes, just continue to wrap around the foot and ankle to secure it. I just try to make sure my duck's foot is pretty flat so she can walk normally. If you want to see a picture I can post one tomorrow when I do my duck's foot, so you can see what I mean. Maybe you've already solved the issue!

 

[CoriM]

Poor thing! So glad she's found a home with people that care and are helping her. Thanks for your amazing duck rescue!

 

[RJKnott]

The long scab along her right foot fell off last night and she had an open sore all along the side of the foot under it. Treated it and bandaged it, thankfully the bandage stayed on all night and this is how it looked this morning. It’s mostly closed with just some new scab forming on the back end of it. Cleaned it and treated it and bandaged it again this morning and hoping it’s mostly healed by tomorrow

 

[RJKnott]

What have you been using to treat it?

epsom salt bath a couple times a day with a little iodine Then dry it off and put some first aid spray and neosporin/first aid antibiotic cream on it. I wrap it up but she usually takes the wrappings off during the day. She tends to leave them on at night

 

[KaleIAm]

What kind of surfaces do you have for her to walk/stand on?

My ducks used to get bumblefoot and I took my ducks to the vet. She stressed that soft surfaces were very important for during healing, and after for prevention. She recommended grass for outside, and as close to grass as possible for inside the barn - 4 inches of hay or straw.

If you have her inside the house I imagine thick layers of towels will be ok. I've done that before when I have to keep someone inside our bathroom after surgery and I haven't had problems.

I actually thought my vet was nuts. I was using wood chips in my barn that seemed quite soft to me. But I decided to do what she recommended anyway, since I was paying her so much money. After having repeated episodes of bumblefoot my ducks haven't had any for years since changing the environment. It was really like flipping a light switch. Constant struggle with bumblefoot for a year. Change the environment. Bumbles heal, no more bumbles for 4 years.

I also used neoprene boots to help with keeping medicine on the foot and providing padding. My ducks were experts at taking their foot wraps off, or I'm really bad at wrapping duck feet.

 

[RJKnott]

What kind of surfaces do you have for her to walk/stand on?

My ducks used to get bumblefoot and I took my ducks to the vet. She stressed that soft surfaces were very important for during healing, and after for prevention. She recommended grass for outside, and as close to grass as possible for inside the barn - 4 inches of hay or straw.

If you have her inside the house I imagine thick layers of towels will be ok. I've done that before when I have to keep someone inside our bathroom after surgery and I haven't had problems.

I actually thought my vet was nuts. I was using wood chips in my barn that seemed quite soft to me. But I decided to do what she recommended anyway, since I was paying her so much money. After having repeated episodes of bumblefoot my ducks haven't had any for years since changing the environment. It was really like flipping a light switch. Constant struggle with bumblefoot for a year. Change the environment. Bumbles heal, no more bumbles for 4 years.

I also used neoprene boots to help with keeping medicine on the foot and providing padding. My ducks were experts at taking their foot wraps off, or I'm really bad at wrapping duck feet.

The pen has a nice layer of straw in the ground that’s nice and soft. I have a drake that has very weak legs and he likes the straw so about 3/5 of the pen has a nice thick layer of straw

the rest is the ground but the dirt is soft in that part of the yard.
We tried keeping her inside for a bit but she just kept honking and was so sad. She wants to be with the other ducks in the worst way.

she keeps her wrappings on at night for the most part so I think the other ducks are helping her take them off during the day

 

[RJKnott]

So her scabs haven’t been getting any worse but they haven’t been coming off really either. A little on her right foot at the front was flaking and peeling a bit but the rest of it just was hard and crusty still. Til this morning when after her Epsom salt foot bath the top part of it came loose. I was afraid to peel it all off cause the bottom was still firmly attached and even after soaking a while longer, it just wouldnt come off.

so I put neosporin and first aid spray on it. Making sure to get it in the wound.

no pus or anything came out. One of her smaller scabs on her left foot fell off and it looked completely healed underneath

when I give her her next epsom salt bath later, how ok, or how bad, would it be to pull the scab?
I don’t want to risk causing more damage to her feet. And she slips her bandages pretty easily. She has regular sized feet but her legs are like tree trunks so no matter how much I tape her bandages she can work her foot out eventually