Bumblefoot in a Silver Appleyard duck

[onaharley]

I changed Hailey's bandage tonight. I could not believe how good it looked. The incision is nearly filled in completely, and I wouldn't have seen it if I didn't know it was there. I am going to give her another week in it because I am paranoid, and then I might take it off permanently. I am so happy.

 

[shawluvsbirds]

I changed Hailey's bandage tonight. I could not believe how good it looked. The incision is nearly filled in completely, and I wouldn't have seen it if I didn't know it was there. I am going to give her another week in it because I am paranoid, and then I might take it off permanently. I am so happy.

And I am so happy for you!!

 

[Julie Birb]

I'm so happy for you and Hailey burd. She deserves great health.

 

[BantyChooks]

I took Hailey's bandage off completely today. I can't even tell there was a cut there before. It looks just like the other.

 

[CayugaJana]

Whoop whoop!!!

 

[room onthebroom]

I took Hailey's bandage off completely today. I can't even tell there was a cut there before. It looks just like the other.

Has she been in the house this whole time, or out with the flock in duck tape galoshes?

 

[Julie Birb]

I took Hailey's bandage off completely today. I can't even tell there was a cut there before. It looks just like the other.

Yay. Her web is healed.

 

[BantyChooks]

Has she been in the house this whole time, or out with the flock in duck tape galoshes?

Out with the flock. Way too much work having a house duck for that long.

 

[Liz Birdlover]

Awww, she is beautiful!

Let me share my bumblefoot experience, although mine is with a chicken. She is now doing very well after the worse bumblefoot experience I've ever encountered.
This little hen was in an overcrowded, dirty environment, so when I got her home I saw her foot was badly swollen, and she didn't even want to put pressure on it to walk. Her other foot was not swollen but it was not looking good, kinda raw.

I set her up in a cage indoors, that way she could eat and drink without having to hobble around or get picked on by anyone, plus I ended up bandaging both of her feet with gauze and the tape that sticks to itself, made "boots" to keep clean and absorb what was oozing out of the bumblefoot. I read that bumblefoot was a type of Staph infection, so I also put her on Penicillin. This was a 2-3 week ordeal, poor baby, since that foot must have been like that a long time before I got her.

First, I gave her a nice warm, sudsy bath with tea tree shampoo, since she had lice and smelled so bad. She loved the bath and especially being dried with my hair dryer, just sitting on a cushy towel, preening herself, then shutting her eyes and fluffing up. From where she came from, I am sure this was the only loving attention and pampering this girl had ever seen, and she was loving every minute of it.

This is what helped get that nasty, hardened plug out.
I soaked in warm water with Epsom salt, and when the plug came out, it was like a hole I could see into, and when I got the bright flashlight I did see there was plenty more gunk in there. The entire pad of her foot was so swollen. It was not soft, so even soaking it did not help that part. I have a long, needle nose type of tweezer, and since the plug hole was so big (like a straw you drink out of would've fit) it was easy to maneuver the tweezers to grab a chunk of stuff (looked like cheese).

Every day when I got home from work, she'd sit calmly in my lap while I removed the bandage, soak her foot in warm Epsom water, then work on her foot, try to work the cheese gunk out, pluck chunks out with the tweezer, etc. She was such a wonderful patient! I'd work on her for about 45 min, and she'd actually make a sound and squirm a bit to let me know to put her down so she could poo. After I would get more "cheese" out, I'd clean with peroxide, then sterile saline wound wash, then actually squirt a few drops of Penicillin into the gunk "cave" followed by a blob of Bacitracin then wrap her up with a non stick pad, wrapped by gauze, then finish with the sports tape "boot" so she'd be comfortable and cushioned enough to stand up and walk a bit in the cage.

At the end of the week 2, I was soaking her foot in the Epsom and I felt the pad of her foot, and it was not nearly as hard, plus it felt like something was moving a bit, finally loose. This time, I grabbed a bit of cheese with the tweezers, and I could not believe the size of the chunk that came out. I swear it was like half a human finger size, and it really stunk! Then I pulled a 2nd one out! It was really unbelievable, how that much crap could've been stuck in there. I soaked her foot more, then cleaned with peroxide, then rinsed with sterile saline, then shot a few drops of Penicillin in, another blob of Bacitracin and re-wrapped. I let her heal for 3 days, then unwrapped and checked. She just had a little scab, and the foot was looking normal, no swelling. I soaked anyway, squeezed just to see, but she was finally totally drained of bad stuff. I cleaned and wrapped again, and when I checked in 3 days, I could barely tell where the opening had been.

She is going fantastic now, and her feet look great! As much as she enjoyed being pampered, I am tempted to paint her toe nails. Just kidding, she is a very friendly girl now, though, she changed from running away in terror to running towards me for pets now, what a difference!

 

[BantyChooks]

Awww, she is beautiful!

Let me share my bumblefoot experience, although mine is with a chicken. She is now doing very well after the worse bumblefoot experience I've ever encountered.
This little hen was in an overcrowded, dirty environment, so when I got her home I saw her foot was badly swollen, and she didn't even want to put pressure on it to walk. Her other foot was not swollen but it was not looking good, kinda raw.

I set her up in a cage indoors, that way she could eat and drink without having to hobble around or get picked on by anyone, plus I ended up bandaging both of her feet with gauze and the tape that sticks to itself, made "boots" to keep clean and absorb what was oozing out of the bumblefoot. I read that bumblefoot was a type of Staph infection, so I also put her on Penicillin. This was a 2-3 week ordeal, poor baby, since that foot must have been like that a long time before I got her.

First, I gave her a nice warm, sudsy bath with tea tree shampoo, since she had lice and smelled so bad. She loved the bath and especially being dried with my hair dryer, just sitting on a cushy towel, preening herself, then shutting her eyes and fluffing up. From where she came from, I am sure this was the only loving attention and pampering this girl had ever seen, and she was loving every minute of it.

This is what helped get that nasty, hardened plug out.
I soaked in warm water with Epsom salt, and when the plug came out, it was like a hole I could see into, and when I got the bright flashlight I did see there was plenty more gunk in there. The entire pad of her foot was so swollen. It was not soft, so even soaking it did not help that part. I have a long, needle nose type of tweezer, and since the plug hole was so big (like a straw you drink out of would've fit) it was easy to maneuver the tweezers to grab a chunk of stuff (looked like cheese).

Every day when I got home from work, she'd sit calmly in my lap while I removed the bandage, soak her foot in warm Epsom water, then work on her foot, try to work the cheese gunk out, pluck chunks out with the tweezer, etc. She was such a wonderful patient! I'd work on her for about 45 min, and she'd actually make a sound and squirm a bit to let me know to put her down so she could poo. After I would get more "cheese" out, I'd clean with peroxide, then sterile saline wound wash, then actually squirt a few drops of Penicillin into the gunk "cave" followed by a blob of Bacitracin then wrap her up with a non stick pad, wrapped by gauze, then finish with the sports tape "boot" so she'd be comfortable and cushioned enough to stand up and walk a bit in the cage.

At the end of the week 2, I was soaking her foot in the Epsom and I felt the pad of her foot, and it was not nearly as hard, plus it felt like something was moving a bit, finally loose. This time, I grabbed a bit of cheese with the tweezers, and I could not believe the size of the chunk that came out. I swear it was like half a human finger size, and it really stunk! Then I pulled a 2nd one out! It was really unbelievable, how that much crap could've been stuck in there. I soaked her foot more, then cleaned with peroxide, then rinsed with sterile saline, then shot a few drops of Penicillin in, another blob of Bacitracin and re-wrapped. I let her heal for 3 days, then unwrapped and checked. She just had a little scab, and the foot was looking normal, no swelling. I soaked anyway, squeezed just to see, but she was finally totally drained of bad stuff. I cleaned and wrapped again, and when I checked in 3 days, I could barely tell where the opening had been.

She is going fantastic now, and her feet look great! As much as she enjoyed being pampered, I am tempted to paint her toe nails. Just kidding, she is a very friendly girl now, though, she changed from running away in terror to running towards me for pets now, what a difference!

Oh, the poor girl! I am so glad she was okay.