Duck with Bumblefoot

[Amiga]

This is pre- and postsoak of the worst one. She does seem to have a few spots on her feet, another Cayuga girl does too. I soaked and iodined both of them and squeezed around a bit, no scabs coming off today. I also gave some acv in their water. They already get garlic in their food, so hopefully both of those will boost their immune systems. A friend also suggested lavender or oregano eo, or possibly a burdock root wrap. I don't want to do too many competing things though.

http://m.imgur.com/a/O8rpZ

Does this look like I can wait a few days or does she need imminent further assistance? I don't want things to get out of control. I made the mistake of reading one thread where they were talking about if the infection made it to the leg bone it was too late

.

A couple other ducks have little small cuts on their feet. Is that normal? I'm at a loss as to what to do for prevention. Sweetgums and pinecones are rough on feet and everywhere in the landscape.

Thanks so much for assistance so far!

Edited - my pics won't upload

Looks fairly mild to me. Infection is tricky - so I cannot make a diagnosis, exactly. But it seems you have caught it early. I would keep up with the treatment (in other words, wait a few days, see if you can soak and loosen the scab and get that off).

There seem to just be seasons when foot problems crop up. If there is any way to keep them to areas with fewer foot risks, I would.

 

[Kangasox]

Day 5, we did another soak and iodine swab. I've been looking at their feet daily and after the soak today, one duck has smaller "bumbles", and one area is pinkish new skin now. The other duck (from the pictures) still has the big bumble, but it is getting pinker around one edge, and scaling up on the edges, if that makes sense. I could not get anything to peel off. Her foot is also less warm. Is the fact that it isn't peeling it off ok @Amiga? Should I try again in a few days? Thanks for all the help!

 

[Amiga]

Sometimes it takes more time...

Also - Haunted55 applied the iodine only once then waited 5 days or so, she did not apply it daily. If the scab did not loosen, or it did not take all the yuck, she would soak and apply iodine again, then wait several more days. I don't know how much difference that would make. But pinkish new skin sounds like a good sign.

 

[Kangasox]

Me again

. Tonight we did another soak. Three bumbles seem to be resolving/shrinking with one totally gone. the biggest, I was able to get the scab off. There was no satisfying goo, but more like whitish chunky chips,the best comparison is like mashed up peanut bits? I dug around as much as possible and pulled as much out as we could. It seemed impossible to get it all out. There was definitely raw skin/bit of blood behind. I was able to get a full qtip head in the hole left and swabbed it well with iodine, packed it with triple antibiotic, and wrapped it in vet wrap. Is all this normal? I wasn't expecting the blood or inability to get every bit out. I wrapped it just because of the gaping wound. how long would you keep it wrapped? Should I resoak and antibiotic again soon? @Amiga @Miss Lydia? Thanks for helping me through!

 

[Amiga]

Sounds about standard for a big bumble, based on what Haunted55 has written.

I believe she had to treat twice.

The pus in a duck's bumble is not gooey, it is chunky, from what I have been told. That's why lancing doesn't do anything helpful most of the time.

I am not sure about using both the clear iodine and antibiotic ointment - the way it worked for Haunted was just the clear iodine after a soak, without wrapping, also.

 

[Kangasox]

Checked and rinsed again tonight. Got another BIG chunk out, so hoping that is the end of gunk. I just don't want to hurt her.

 

[Amiga]

Understood - please keep us posted!

 

[Doulos]

How do you all catch your ducks? Mine go wild when I try to pick them up. I can get close to them, they will eat from my hand, but they will not let me pick them up for the lives of them. I have had to do it twice, and I wrapped them in a towel, but I feel the risk of them flapping around and running into the fence may be worse than the foot injury?

 

[Amiga]

For my little trio who are not as trusting, I do this:

Set up a Limousine (ours is a large dog carrier with plastic poultry fence affixed to the sides to keep little heads from poking out.

Set up temporary fence (I use puppy playpen panels) wide at one end, narrowing down to the width of the Limousine door at the other end - like a funnel or a cattle chute.

Place the Limousine, door open, against the narrow end of the funnel / chute.

Slowly herd the ducks into the fenced area - sometimes treats help lure them in. Herd them right on into the Limousine, and close the door.

Once they are confined like that, it is not difficult to reach in and get a good firm but gentle grasp that prevents them from flapping their wings. From there I can handle them, and there's not much fuss. After handling them, I give treats again, and then get them back into their normal environment.

 

[Doulos]

That's a good idea. I've got a large 4' x 3' dog crate coming in the mail for when I hatch some of my first eggs, so I could use that as hospital when I get a duck with an injured foot. Some of mine are more trusting than the others, even though they were from the same group. When I herd them into their pen at night, there are a couple that I will just pick up and set inside and they don't make much of a fuss. Hopefully when I hatch some more they will be friendlier since they will imprint.

Do you happen to know if mixing a duck that's imprinted with others after several weeks will make it less friendly?