Different Bumblefoot

[HeatherKellyB]

Honey Boo Boo is an 11 month old Pekin. Some of you may remember me posting about her at the beginning of the year. She had what we believe was bumblefoot that her waddle masked limping that turned into a bone/joint infection. It took months of treatment (antibiotic ointment, oral antibiotics, foot/joint soaks, and eventually lead to having to surgically remove the pus multiple times) but the infection was finally gone and she quickly gained her weight back. She didn't have swelling or heat coming from the area anymore and although she's getting around almost perfectly, she has a little bit of a limp. I don't let her free range anymore but she has a fenced in yard that she is carried to in the morning and then taken to her duck house to join the rest of the ducks at night. Recently with life being crazy and my failure to check her feet, I discovered her foot (not her joint like before) swelling. I started soaking her foot in epsom salt and warm water and then a thick coat of neosporine and medihoney (which now that I'm almost out, I find is only available with Rx :-/) and wrapped up. The swelling is almost gone, but this horrible scab remains. I tried picking it off last night and there is a lot of pink smooth skin (it's not really raw looking but it does look like new tender skin) under the scab in the loose places, but the places where it's attached, it bleeds like crazy! How would you suggest I continue treating? She's still laying everyday and I mention this because she stopped laying with her joint/bone infection back in Jan/Feb. She still gets around really well and her limp isn't any worse. I know that I have to continue treating this, but this bumblefoot is different than what I've dealt with before in my other duck and Drake. They had less total area involved and it was obvious where the pus was so I could easily tell how to remove it. I'd really appreciate any advice you have for me.
@Miss Lydia
@Isaac 0
@WVduckchick
@Pyxis

 

[Isaac 0]

Sorry to hear you're having problems with her.

Would you mind posting an updated photo of her foot so we can see a current picture?

Bumblefoot is not easy or quick to treat, especially cases like yours where the Bumblefoot had time to start to progress up the leg.

Maybe others will have different input, but if she were mine I'd continue to soak the foot daily, to try to loosen the scab up, apply an antibiotic ointment on it every several days, and rebandage. After some time the blood should start to recede, and the scabbing should become more pliable and easier to take off. Really, you just want to slowly work on the scab, as much as you can, and if bleeding occurs, apply pressure with a moist towel, and try again in a few days.

 

[HeatherKellyB]

The picture I posted above was taken tonight, around 10pm. Thank you so much for replying @Isaac 0

Her foot didn't look so bad when she went through that horrible experience in Jan/Feb. This time is looks horrible

 

[HeatherKellyB]

Sorry to hear you're having problems with her.

Would you mind posting an updated photo of her foot so we can see a current picture?

Bumblefoot is not easy or quick to treat, especially cases like yours where the Bumblefoot had time to start to progress up the leg.

Maybe others will have different input, but if she were mine I'd continue to soak the foot daily, to try to loosen the scab up, apply an antibiotic ointment on it every several days, and rebandage. After some time the blood should start to recede, and the scabbing should become more pliable and easier to take off. Really, you just want to slowly work on the scab, as much as you can, and if bleeding occurs, apply pressure with a moist towel, and try again in a few days.

I am so worried about her going through that again. Treatment didn't seem to go so slow with my other two but I believe they both had a Thorne that got infected. I believe Honey's slight limp might be the culprit behind what started this infection. Knowing that treating her this time possibly being a slow process, certainly helps ease my worries. With the swelling down, that does show some improvement, right? I know that I am nowhere near completion of treating this, but knowing that I'm not allowing it to progress further helps.

 

[Isaac 0]

The picture I posted above was taken tonight, around 10pm. Thank you so much for replying @Isaac 0

Her foot didn't look so bad when she went through that horrible experience in Jan/Feb. This time is looks horrible

I am so worried about her going through that again. Treatment didn't seem to go so slow with my other two but I believe they both had a Thorne that got infected. I believe Honey's slight limp might be the culprit behind what started this infection. Knowing that treating her this time possibly being a slow process, certainly helps ease my worries. With the swelling down, that does show some improvement, right? I know that I am nowhere near completion of treating this, but knowing that I'm not allowing it to progress further helps.

My mistake.

Maybe it looks different up close, but from the photo, it looks pretty swelled up. How long what she on antibiotics, and what kind?

 

[HeatherKellyB]

My mistake.

Maybe it looks different up close, but from the photo, it looks pretty swelled up. How long what she on antibiotics, and what kind?

You're right. There is still some swelling but it's not like it was earlier in the week. She has not had oral antibiotics recently, only neosporine ointment and medihoney ointment. In February she was on Clavamox for 5 days (so not a full treatment but that's all I had) then amoxicillin for 2 weeks at an incorrect dosage (a vet told me the incorrect dosage that was about half the dosage she was supposed to get) then another 2.5 weeks on the correct dosage, then Enrofloxacin for 2 weeks.

 

[HeatherKellyB]

@Isaac 0 OH MY GOODNESS!!! After taking your advice and finally accepting that treating Honey Boo Boo may take a lot of time, I got comfortable with treating her. I wish I would have thought to take a picture last night! I am still shocked at everything that came out of her foot! I didn't have any help, which I have always relied on having someone to help me when it comes to doing anything other than meds, but I gently wrapped her in a towel, laid her on her side in my lap and got to work. After thinking about her foot nonstop since last night, I'm wondering if some of the pus I removed last night could be from her bumblefoot turned joint/bone infection back in Feb? Anytime it started to bleed, I applied pressure and it stopped bleeding as fast as it started, then I was able to do more without any blood. The crater left in her foot pad was cleaned really well and filled with neosporine and then bandaged really well. I figured she might be sore today so I didn't do any further digging. I need to look through again to make sure there is no pus, kernel, remaining, but when do you suggest I do this? I also decided to start her on Enrofloxacin again, since it was much worse than I anticipated. Do you suggest anything else? She's not free ranging and being kept in a grassy fenced in area. She still doesn't seem to be limping, but Im sure it's tender. The edges of the crater were nice looking but it wasn't raw, bloody like it would seal up if stitched together. Do I need to prepare the edges and suture, gosh I really hope that's not necessary?

 

[Isaac 0]

Hey, glad to hear it worked, that's awesome.

A lot of the questions you have, would depend a lot on how the sore looks now. So if you could, I would take the bandage off some time tomorrow, post a few pictures for us, and look for any remaining gunk that needs to be further cleaned. It's very important everything is cleaned out.

As far as postoperative care, first, make sure the wound has been cleaned thoroughly, then all you really want to do is continue to take the bandage off regularly and apply a triple antibiotic ointment to the wound, and rebandage until the wound has started to close enough, that the possibility of reinfection has decreased.

Administering B vitamins, keeping her in a soft padded area, and allowing her to swim in deep clean water regularly would all be beneficial in some way to her recovery.

 

[HeatherKellyB]

Hey, glad to hear it worked, that's awesome.

A lot of the questions you have, would depend a lot on how the sore looks now. So if you could, I would take the bandage off some time tomorrow, post a few pictures for us, and look for any remaining gunk that needs to be further cleaned. It's very important everything is cleaned out.

As far as postoperative care, first, make sure the wound has been cleaned thoroughly, then all you really want to do is continue to take the bandage off regularly and apply a triple antibiotic ointment to the wound, and rebandage until the wound has started to close enough, that the possibility of reinfection has decreased.

Administering B vitamins, keeping her in a soft padded area, and allowing her to swim in deep clean water regularly would all be beneficial in some way to her recovery.

Thank you so much! I will definitely get a picture tomorrow, but there's a chance it might be around this time. One more question, do I need to continue doing epsom salt soaks, or is that mostly for softening the kernel and drawing it to the top layer of skin (and for inflammation of course)? Just removing the bandage, cleaning, and applying meds before bandaging again will go much faster if I'm not having to soak her foot. I don't mind doing the soaks, especially if it helps. Do you think I made the right choice in starting Enrofloxacin? The thing that bothered me most is that there was a little odor coming from her foot. That scared me a lot so I immediately started Enrofloxacin. Should I order another med or do you feel like this will probably cover it? Honey sure is a trooper. She amazes me so much, with dealing with so much going on with her foot. Of course she is a bit worried whenever she sees me coming for her, but she is still a sweetheart and such a beauty. I'm a lucky ducky mom

Yep, I a total softie

 

[Isaac 0]

The soaking may help with reducing inflammation in her legs, and help "clean" the core out during the soaks. I think she might benefit from a few soak/s a week, so, yes, I would.

No, I don't think starting her on the Baytril was a bad idea at all, just go with the recommended dosage, and for the recommended period of time.

Baytril is a strong antibiotic, it should cover it fine.