HELP! swelling in my ducks foot!

[Treasured-Cloud]

Hi, Im woundering if anyone can help me. My one year old kharki campbell duck has swelling on her outside toe it also feels quite hot and I think the toe next to it is swollen too.

 

[Amiga]

Welcome to the Duck Forum! Sad to know your duck is ailing.

It is likely bumblefoot, a staph infection of the foot. If you have caught it early enough, it is treatable with triple antibiotic ointment. Treatment takes weeks to finish the job, so take a deep breath. If it is not stopped early, it can go systemic and potentially be fatal. But let's hope this is early.

If you can take and upload a photo that helps us see, but we can try to suggest things based on your description.

I like to rinse off the foot with mild soapy water, then slather top and bottom with triple antibiotic ointment. The first few days I do this twice a day. Within that time the swelling should go down just a little, and the hot feeling go away. Then I do at least once a day, in the evening, and that may take another month of treatment.

Use the ointment without pain killers, as those can harm the duck.

 

[Treasured-Cloud]

Thanks for the advice i am ordering some ointment for her. But in the meantime i washed her foot like you said and sprayed it with a natural antbactirial spray for animals and they swelling has gone down a bit. Also I could not see any cuts or anything on her toe so would it still be bumble foot?

 

[Amiga]

Often I see no cuts with bumblefoot. You could also, with help, make a warm compress with Epsom salts water. That may help.

I use compresses because Epsom salts is a laxative and you do not want the duck drinking the water. So I put some Es water on a clean cloth and wrap the foot and hold it for a few minutes. That is why I suggest you get help.

 

[Treasured-Cloud]

thanks

 

[bunchickaduck]

hi, I might also have this problem. I have a Rouen female. She limps on her right leg, some days are worse than others. It appears her middle toe is swollen but I can't see any sores or splinters. I was looking on the site to see if I could find any info and read your comment. What causes bumble toe? Is it a condition that comes and goes? thx!

 

[Amiga]

It won't go away without help, and in fact, if it becomes systemic, the outlook is not good. It could turn fatal, longer term.

So. The good news is that caught early, it is treatable. I would say easily, but it depends on your and your duck's tolerance for boring routines that involve picking up the duck and wiping any poop off the foot, then smearing it with ointment. For us, it's almost a nonevent.

The way it works for us is, the first few days (until limping stops), two or three times a day, pick up the duck, clean off the foot (wipe it with hydrogen peroxide, povidone iodine a.k.a. betadyne, or slightly soapy water), dab it dry, take a good look top and bottom, feel the foot and leg for warmth or anything out of the ordinary. Then smear the whole foot and ankle top and bottom with triple antibiotic ointment (not the pain relief kind, which I am told is bad for ducks). Done. I feel it is especially important to get the nighttime treatment done, as ducks are less active, and just in the shelter overnight.

If you see improvement over the next several days (this goes away very slowly), keep it up until the bumble is gone. It has taken as long as six weeks in my limited experience.

 

[clucky3255]

OK i think i have a similar problem.... my sister has a khaki Campbell duck and she is limping heavily on her left foot.

it takes him longer to do anything! get to food and water,get in the pool and up the ramp into the coop. it is not her foot.... but that knob right before the feather..(Idk what it is called) is it called a knee? it is swollen a little bit and it is splayed out to the side a little bit.




PLEASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSEEEEEEEEEEEE HEEEEEEEEEEELPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!

 

[Amiga]

Oh, sad to read your KC is having trouble.

The swollen joint could be a few things. The leg needs to be checked for any injury (in one case, an old leg band had not been removed . . . but it was so far up the leg it had not been seen). Baths in lukewarm water deep enough to swim in, preferably three times a day, but I understand it may not be possible. The idea is to get weight off the foot, improve circulation and strengthen muscles and relax the leg.

Check out the foot. Are there any bumps with dark centers on the bottom? Ducks have callouses that are fine, but a bumble is puffier.

If there is no bumble on the foot, you may be dealing with a different kind of leg injury. You could try triple antibiotic on the foot and leg for several days to see if there is improvement. In a perfect world, you would be able to get the duck to a vet for a good diagnosis. If that is not the case, you need to make your best guess. I am told that the oat doctors take involves the idea, "first, do no harm."

Something else that can help sometimes is an Epsom salts compress. Es is a laxative so you don't want the duck eating it or drinking Es water. So I put a few tablespoons of Epsom salts in a shallow dish (unbreakable is good) with a quarter cup of warm water. I get a very clean rag or some paper towels. I get my beloved to hold the duck, and I wrap the rag or paper towels around the foot and leg and we all sit there together as long as we can stand it, somewhere between three and five minutes.

I did this twice a day when Romy was recovering from an infection caused by a splinter. She was pretty good about it once she discovered I was serious.

Epsom salts is a very good thing to have on hand and does not cost that much, if I recall correctly.

 

[Treasured-Cloud]

im prety sure that my ducks toe is broken but she isn't limping very much and is happy enough, so im leaving her be. but if you catch it early you may be able to ment it.