Bumblefoot

[DucksAndGardens]

Ok so I've got something going on but I don't know what. Every single duck I have has bumblefoot sores on their feet. So far only one is really seriously infected and I had to cut her foot open and pulled out a huge wad of cheesy pus material. She's in the house being treated individually since hers was the most advanced and her foot is super hot so she's on antibiotics. However I don't want the others to get that bad but I don't know why they have bumblefoot. They are free range in a field of weeds and grass and there's nothing in the field to injure their feet. At night they are on clean dry straw. They only ever cross rough terrain when we go over to their grazing area but they just walk across the road and there's no gravel or sharp stones, it's a paved road. I don't know what is causing the bumblefoot. Right now I'm having everyone soak at night and then I apply iodine to their feet but with 11 ducks this is a pain and they are REALLY not happy with me. Anyone have any ideas as to what's causing them all to get bumblefoot?

 

[Keah]

Hi,

That does sound like a pain. It is very strange that ALL of your ducks have bumblefoot. The only reason i can think of is if they land from a height. but this sound s like a hard question to answer, if there is no sharp object then i don't really know what else there could be causing this infection. I am sorry to hear about your ducks Sorry i couldn't have been much help

 

[Amiga]

I am wondering if just the pavement is abrading their feet.

What gives bumblefoot is bacteria. Just thinking, here.

Do they get to swim?

I would work on boosting their immune systems, with vitamins once a week for starters.

 

[Amykins]

I am wondering if just the pavement is abrading their feet.

What gives bumblefoot is bacteria. Just thinking, here.

Do they get to swim?

I would work on boosting their immune systems, with vitamins once a week for starters.

It can be a mix of things. The thing that causes the infection is a bacteria, but it usually needs a method of entry like a foot injury, or just the skin softening and eroding from standing in poop. The ammonia will eat away at the skin and there ya go. That's how Wobbles got it. That's why I now use pine shavings. On carpet. In my bedroom. Sigh...

Anyway, you say you're certain that there is NOTHING they could be walking on that could have caused this, but...well, there has to be, because all of your ducklings have it. You sure that road isn't harming them? You sure the weeds don't have nettles or anything spiky that could be puncturing their feet? Is the straw really dry? I'm not saying you're a bad duck mama. If you were you wouldn't be doing all you can working tirelessly to treat 11 little wiggly birbs for bumblefoot! But I do think that their environment needs a second look.

 

[DucksAndGardens]

Well I walked the field last night and I found one patch of little black berry plants, they are about 4 inches tall and that's the only place I can think that they could be getting abrasions on their feet, basicaly walking on the thorns, I pulled them out. I didn't see any nettles and there's was one thistle out there but the plant was 3 feet tall so they couldn't walk on it but I went ahead and pulled it out anyway.

I know the straw is dry because I spread it out everynight when I get home and before they go to bed.

There's one place that they can stand in poop and that's on the decking that is at the entrance to their duck pen. I hose it off every night but every morning they all stand at the door and poop there until I let them out so they would be standing in poop for a few hours before I let them out for the day. I can't put straw there because there is a depression in the ground for drainage so I put a wood pallet down over it and then this vinyl dog decking on top of the pallet that way I can hose down the pen if needed and the decking and the drainage hole doesn't get filled with poopy straw and back up.


My neighbors just ripped up some carpet and asked me if I wanted any, I guess I will cut a piece long enough to stretch across the road and make a carpet path that I can roll out and back up every night and morning.

They do have access to water in their pen, just a bucket by the decking so the water goes down the drain.

In the grazing area they have 3 concrete mixing tubs, a water bucket, a cat litter box, and 15 gallon watering tub that are all filled with water. Plus they have a misting system set up on hot days. I can't imagine that they aren't getting enought water.

I've added poultry drench to their water to boost their vitamin intake so hopefully that helps. They've also been eating all of the windfall fruit from the neighborhood trees. My neighbors bring them apples, plums, peaches, pears, asian pears, and grapes that fall so they have had a wide and varied diet this season.

The only duck that seems to be unaffected is the wild mallard duck that stuck around with the flock and my Goose. Their feet are just fine.

 

[Amykins]

Ugh, I hate blackberries. They're EVERYWHERE up here and you can't get rid of 'em! Good o you for pulling them out, and I love the carpet idea, hehe! Your ducks sure are getting the star treatment. You're awesome. <3

How are they doing, by the way? Are their feet responding to treatment?

 

[DucksAndGardens]

Well Buttercup has the worst infection and it looks like the foot is starting to heal. She still gets soaked in epsom salts twice a day and then clean bandages and antiobiotic ointment and oral antibiotics. She got an injection of Tylan 50 to help because her whole leg was burning up. Now just the swollen area is warmer than it should be but the swelling is down. She's not happy because she's inside by herself but I don't want her to get that foot dirty.

The others are getting better. They mostly just had scabs on them and a small bit of swelling but no rampant infection like Buttercup. I haven't pulled any scabs off yet because I don't want to risk giving them an open wound so for now I just herd them all into the house into the tub and fill it with epsom salts and warm water for their soaking and I scrub their feet with a toothbrush and vetericyn. Then as I take them out I dry their feet and paint their feet with iodine and blow them dry with a hair dryer and then I herd them all back out to get in bed in their pen. And the whole time you would think they were being killed with the fuss they make.

 

[Amykins]

Well Buttercup has the worst infection and it looks like the foot is starting to heal. She still gets soaked in epsom salts twice a day and then clean bandages and antiobiotic ointment and oral antibiotics. She got an injection of Tylan 50 to help because her whole leg was burning up. Now just the swollen area is warmer than it should be but the swelling is down. She's not happy because she's inside by herself but I don't want her to get that foot dirty.

The others are getting better. They mostly just had scabs on them and a small bit of swelling but no rampant infection like Buttercup. I haven't pulled any scabs off yet because I don't want to risk giving them an open wound so for now I just herd them all into the house into the tub and fill it with epsom salts and warm water for their soaking and I scrub their feet with a toothbrush and vetericyn. Then as I take them out I dry their feet and paint their feet with iodine and blow them dry with a hair dryer and then I herd them all back out to get in bed in their pen. And the whole time you would think they were being killed with the fuss they make.

LOL! Yeah...poor dummies don't realize that you're making them healthy again! Where did you get the vetericyn, if you don't mind my asking?

 

[DucksAndGardens]

I ordered it off of Amazon. I got it for a really good price. The feed store wanted almost double for it.

 

[Amykins]

I ordered it off of Amazon. I got it for a really good price. The feed store wanted almost double for it.

....Huh. Amazon, of all places. Good to know!