Early bumblefoot

Since I am not going to be there to ask questions, I feel nervous about them taking it out there, as I feel iffy about aftercare.
I'll let you know what they presribe.
Vet prescribed an antibiotic and anti-inflammatory med. Said the leg felt a bit warm. She also said that the bumble didn't feel all that hard. Said that the meds and antibiotics should take care of this. She also said no swimming and keep substrate dry. I'm going to keep soaking for now, 2 x a day, although maybe for 5-6 min instead of 8.
 
Hopefully that will take care of it but I haven’t ever seen it dissolve with out having to open because it’s like the infection encapsulates and with as many bumbles I’ve delt with mainly my chickens one duck I’ve always had to removed the core.
 
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Yah, that was always what I had understood from the gleanings at BYC. This is the second vet I've gone to who has not opted or recommended cutting it out. I also just spoke with someone in my neighborhood who took a chicken with a very advanced case of bumblefoot to Oakley medical center for birds, which deals specifically with Avian pets, and they didn't even give her meds...just said to soak 2 times a day in Epsom salt. She said eventually, after just a week of soaking, she peeled the scab off and the plug came off with it...no digging at all and no blood. My sixth sense says to use cutting as a last resort, especially on tissue that is not healed and will produce blood, but then my freak out meter regarding a possible bone infection makes me want to ignore my sixth sense. Eventually the body will figure out what needs to be done if the immune system is in general good shape and if your bird is otherwise healthy. One of my other birds also had 3 large dark scabs on her feet. She was on antibiotics and anti-inflamm meds for a scratched cornea. The doc eventually told me that if her leg/foot wasn't warm and there was no redness, soaks wouldn't do anything. I took a leap of faith, stopped soaking and eventually the scabs went away and were replaced with nice tissue. After all of that, I just don't know anymore except to listen to your sixth sense (which is always messed up because of my freak out meter) and watch your pet like a hawk (but a good one).
 
She was limping very badly this morning, so I've gone ahead and made her an appointment. Because of Covid-19, I'll have to drop her off and pick her up. They won't allow me in the exam room. : - ( I'm hoping at least that I can get her some anti-biotics and meloxicam, at the very least. Just out of curiosity, will that small dot grow into something larger with time, that I will eventually be able to peel off to get at the yuck inside?
Yes, I believe so. Mine started out just like that, as a tiny dot. When soaks weren't helping, Miss Lydia advised me to start getting in there. I did it a little at a time and eventually it was a bigger hole and scab, which I pulled out and the kernel was attached. She's now getting much better!
 
I agree with @Miss Lydia about needing to get it out. My Pekin duck has been dealing with a bone/joint infection for over a month now and we're still tending to her multiple times a day, every single day. This all escalated quickly and I truly believe she was hiding her suffering from bumblefoot for a while before she could barely get around. She lost over 2lbs in a very short time. It was bad. Ducks hide any discomfort for a long time, so I've found that I need to treat quickly and aggressively (I wouldn't want to do surgery either unless all other options were unsuccessful). You've got some amazing and knowledgeable folks here that have quite a bit of experience treating this, plus support from your vet. I wish you all the very best
 
I agree with @Miss Lydia about needing to get it out. My Pekin duck has been dealing with a bone/joint infection for over a month now and we're still tending to her multiple times a day, every single day. This all escalated quickly and I truly believe she was hiding her suffering from bumblefoot for a while before she could barely get around. She lost over 2lbs in a very short time. It was bad. Ducks hide any discomfort for a long time, so I've found that I need to treat quickly and aggressively (I wouldn't want to do surgery either unless all other options were unsuccessful). You've got some amazing and knowledgeable folks here that have quite a bit of experience treating this, plus support from your vet. I wish you all the very best
I am definitely keeping bone infections in mind, but I'm hesitant to start digging in there when the 'scab' is a little bit bigger than a pinhead. She's getting 2 epsom soaks a day, topped with neosporin and her antibiotics. I'm keeping her in the duck run when it's sunny (so no free-ranging) and when it's raining, in her duck house. When the course of anti-biotics is finished, I'll re-assess. So far her bumble is not reddened, so I think it's in the early stages. She is also still super active, has a great appetite and is pooping normally.
 
Solrikka's foot is showing no improvement with the antibiotics. The vet is not being helpful. She told me that if she didn't respond to the antibiotics, that there's something else going on and that I should take her in for x-rays and blood tests. It doesn't give me much confidence that she's going to help my duck out. The little dark pinhead on her bumble is getting bigger, however. I tried soaking her foot for longer one day, with the hopes of peeling off the scab and getting at the infection, but there were not edges yet for me to pull on. Should I wait longer for a better scab? Solrikka is limping, but she still has a great appetite, and she still gets around. Her leg/foot is warm, but not blazing. I'm keeping her in the duck run, which has softer substrate than the rest of my yard. Will that scab get larger, or should I just bite the bullet and start digging?
 

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