Duck with swelling on foot--help please!!

[CarrieM]

Yesterday I noticed our duck had started favoring one foot. Within an hour or so she would barely put any weight on it, and spent as much time as possible sitting down. Hubby and I looked at her foot and discovered a rather large swelling on her middle "toe." (Is that what you call it on a duck?

) Anyway, I came on here searching for answers and we thought maybe it was bumblefoot--but there is no trademark black spot at all. Just a large swelling. It is definitely warm to the touch, so I think it's likely infected. We put her on the pond for the night, hoping that would help. This morning it's still swollen--maybe a little bigger even than yesterday. (Sorry I don't have a picture of it yet.) So we are just not sure what to do. Should we lance it to drain what we presume to be infection? I hate to see her in pain and want to do something to help her. I read the thread about using a soak made from that stuff for fish (sorry, I don't remember the name right now) and that sounded interesting, but the problem is here and now, and that would take a while to get here, having to order it online. Any advice would be appreciated very much!!! Thanks!!

Edited to add: We've looked her foot all over and can't see any injury--we thought she might have stepped on a thorn or something, but there is no mark that we can see, no splinter to pull out, etc.

 

[chickensioux]

Hello. I would not lance it. If this was something I was dealing with my first thought would be that the toe is injured, perhaps even broken. Lancing it could start a whole new problem. I would keep her up in a small crate and let her rest that foot. You can disolve 1 baby aspirin in a cup of water (that's the dosage) for her to drink to help with pain. Just make sure she continues to eat and drink.

 

[CarrieM]

Thank you sooooo much!! Do you think I should wrap it/make a support for it? What about the possibility of infection--is there anything I should be giving her for that? I don't even have a clue where to get meds for ducks. Should I let her swim around in a tub of water now and then or just keep her in the crate till she seems all better? She has been swimming on the pond some, but not using that foot to swim at all--she's just keeping it tucked up out of the way. She is eating and drinking normally, so that's good. Thanks also for the tip about baby aspirin. I will see if I have some and if not, then I'll get some later today. I just feel so bad for her!

 

[chickensioux]

You can bind the foot if you like. I don't think she needs antibiotics unless you are seeing some signs of infection. An injured toe internally does not necessarily mean there is or will be infection. Watch her eating and drinking, if the swelling gets bigger, or she shows signs of depression or lethargy, I would just keep her nice and quiet for a while.

I would not let her swim for a few days and let her rest that foot totally for several days first. If you want to bind it, you can get some Vet-wrap (they have it at TSC or Walmart) its a kind of tape that sticks to itself and is easily removable. Just gently wrap her foot with the vetwrap. Don't let the bandage get wet and change it if it does get wet. Wrap her foot and leave that on for about 4 days, gently check her foot in 4 days, re-wrap if it needs it. Try not to manipulate the toe much.

She will probably be fine either way in time.

 

[CarrieM]

Well, we were not able to get her off the pond till this morning. So now she is resting comfortably and we plan to keep her contained for several days, as you recommended . . . but her foot looks worse.

The swelling has increased and her leg is somewhat swollen too. It is also very warm to the touch. I was in town so I went by the Agway store and asked about antibiotics for birds; they gave me a packet of sulfadimethoxine powder, but I am honestly not sure if this is the right stuff? Or how much to give, if so. Or if I should hold off longer before giving her anything? She still seems to be eating and drinking normally and doesn't seem lethargic. We put our drake in there with her--she seemed really agitated without him (we only have the two ducks); do you think this is OK? When they're together they seem a lot more content and relaxed. I can try to take a picture of her foot/leg and post if that would help. Thanks!!

 

[chickensioux]

Since you were unable to catch her until this morning she may have been using the foot too much and the swelling got worse. A pic would be great. If you are still not seeing any injury, I still would not lance it yet. Putting the male in with her will keep down her stress level as long as he is not doing anything to make her use that foot. If they are lying quietly with each other, it should be fine.
Baytril is the best antibiotic to use but it is a prescription drug and very expensive. She may need veterinarian intervention. You can buy injectible penicillin at TSC. 1/2 cc into the breast for 3 days might help if you can give her a shot. It's easier than you think.
You can soak her foot/leg in warm water and Epsom salt, rub prep H on her leg may also reduce some of the swelling. If you soak her leg, make sure the container you soak it in is not too big that it allows her to drink any of the salt water.
Post a pic if you can. I would not wait too long after trying some of these suggestions before seeing a vets care. If she worsens at all, I would take her to see someone.

The powder you purchased is for chickens, turkey and cattle. I did not find anything that said it was safe for ducks so as a precaution, I would not use it.

 

[CarrieM]

I really appreciate all of your help! Here are a few pictures that we just took. (I hope they work--I haven't tried putting a picture on here yet.) The swelling is actually starting to go down and the leg, especially, is looking better to us. Also, it doesn't feel any warmer than the other leg at this point--yay! I took the powder stuff back as it just didn't sound right to me either, even before getting your comment. Thanks for letting me know where to get the injectible penicillin if we end up needing it--hopefully we won't. Can syringes to inject it be bought at TSC too?

Here is what it looks like from the top:

And from the bottom (she does appear to have some callouses here and there but I assume those are normal?--they don't really look like injuries to me):

And here is a comparison picture of both feet--swollen foot on the left--sorry it's a little blurry. She didn't appreciate having her picture taken.

She has been lying down and resting pretty much all day. Still eating and drinking well also. Hopefully we won't have to take her to a vet (I'm not even sure if any of the ones around here will see ducks) but we will keep that in mind if it doesn't seem better soon. I'm encouraged that it really does look a lot better since this morning, though.

 

[chickensioux]

That looks as though the toe has been injured. I could be broken. Does she walk on that foot, put weight on it? It could be sprained, dislocated. With all the animals I have, someone is always limping. Usually upon inspection it is nothing serious. I'm glad the swelling has not gotten any worse, perhaps she is one the road to recovery and time will tell. You can purchase everything you need to give injections from TSC. I would buy a few 3cc syringes and some 20g 1/2 inch needles. If you need to. Perhaps after a few days of bed rest, she will be much better. Keep me posted!

 

[Amiga]

I don't see the usual "center" of a bumble, but I would still smooth triple antibiotic ointment on the foot - it won't hurt and may help. The fact that it's heating up makes me lean toward some kind of infection - not to contradict, but there may be more than one thing going on.

I'd also start giving vitamins.

 

[CarrieM]

Yes, she does put weight on it some. Not much today though, since we have had her confined. Usually since she started limping, she will start to try to walk with it, then pull it up quickly and try to regain her balance using her wing. It was painful to watch! I noticed tonight when she was standing up once in the crate, she was standing on it a little (more than she had been). But mostly she's just been lying down, which is good! I will definitely keep you posted. Thanks for the advice re: syringes and penicillin . . . hopefully we won't need them, but it is good to have that info just in case. We have a TSC coming into a nearby town soon (10 min. away) and I am super excited about that--right now the closest one is 45 min.

Thanks again, so much!!