Bumblefoot

[3daisys]

What is the best way to treat bumblefoot in a Pekin Duck??

 

[TwoCrows]

A picture would help to see how bad the infection is. However if the pad is really infected, you will need to do surgery on the pad. You want to get that pus ball out of there. So first you want to clean the foot off really well and use alcohol to sterilize the area. You would wrap up the bird and lay them on your lap on their back. With sterilized instruments, (a scalpel, dental pic, tweezers, etc) you want to peel off the scab and dig and squeeze, dig more, squeeze more, until you get that pus ball out. Sometimes there is no pus ball, but usually there is. Once you think you have gotten it all out, you can use peroxide this one time on the hole. I like to inject it in the hole with a syringe. But only use this the first time as while peroxide is a good medicine to use on dead tissue, it also kills healthy tissue as well.

After the peroxide, pack the hole with neosporin (without the pain killer) or some triple anitibiotic ointment. With vet wrap that you have sliced to make it about 1 inch in thickness, and a small piece of gauze on the hole, you want to wrap the foot, starting just above the foot on the leg and go around the food and webbing. Not so tightly that you cut off circulation, but enough no dirt can enter. Wrap well. But the bird down and in 5 mins, feel the foot. If it is cold, you wrapped too tightly.

Keep the bird on clean bedding, no water bathes for a few weeks. You will want to unwrap it daily for the first week and check it. If the scab stays red, then just apply more neosporin and rewrap. If the scab turns yellow, it is still infected. Sometimes you need to go back in after that first time. If the swelling is really bad, you can also apply some preperation H after applying the neosporin as this helps greatly with swelling.

If the pad is healing well, you can after a week, go to unwrapping it every 2 or 3 days, still keeping it wrapped and ointment applied. Keep it wrapped until it is completely healed and the scab is about ready to fall off. Let it come off naturally.

If you have other duck questions you can post in our Duck section here on BYC...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/42/ducks

Good luck with your baby!

 

[gander007]

 

[sourland]

Welcome to BYC - do a forum search on 'bumblefoot'. Many threads and much information on treating the situation will appear. Good luck at achieving a resolution.

 

[drumstick diva]