Help - what is wrong with my duck?

[BrukeyBrooke]

Hi there!

I have noticed one of my girls has been a little crabby lately. I thought she was upset about the addition of the ducklings. However, today she didn’t come right out for free range time, and then I noticed she’s walking slowly. I picked her up (easier to catch than usual), and noticed an abnormality on her right foot. This doesn’t look like bumblefoot, but I am totally new to raising birds. Please weigh in with opinions and suggestions for treatment!

Thank you!

 

[Magnolia Ducks]

Looks like bumble to me, just not scabbed over yet.

 

[BrukeyBrooke]

So that’s an infection right?

 

[Magnolia Ducks]

Staff infection. You can search for treatment on here. To be honest, I've only had it once and the soaks and treatments got too much for me, so I went to the vet for antibiotics. But lots of folks on here treat it successfully themselves.

 

[BrukeyBrooke]

My vet’s office has a doc who sees ducks, and they could get her in in a few days. She just looks miserable.

 

[Magnolia Ducks]

If the vet is an option, I would go for it. You do need to start treating her soon as this can move to the bone and become untreatable. Until you can get to the vet, you can try Epsom salt soaks for her foot and paint it with clear iodine to try and draw out the infection. If it had a scab or gets one, you can soften that up, remove it and pick out the infection, which looks like a cheese curd you can find clear iodine at the Wal-Mart or drug store. Its what you use for toe nail fungus and may be in the foot are section.

 

[Isaac 0]

Pododermatitis, which is basically Bumblefoot, but without any core or laceration present. It is often dealt differently than Bumblefoot since there is no "core' to take out. Treatment tends to consist of correcting any predisposing environmental factors, starting the bird on an antibiotic, and administering an NSAID. Or, a sprain, or break may have occurred at the digit joint, but that seems unlikely, IMO.

Let us know how the vet visit goes, and what they say.

 

[BrukeyBrooke]

Thank you for the replies! I took your comments and started researching home remedies and landed on a “natural” one. I soaked her foot in epsom salt and warm water, discovered the scab I couldn’t see before, removed that, soaked again, but I could get the kernel out, if that’s what I was looking at.... I treated and wrapped her foot, with a plan to revisit in a few days, probably tomorrow.

To my surprise, she laid an egg yesterday morning - I figured she’d be too stressed. But, this morning no egg, and what I believe was the membrane of a soft shell egg that I can’t figure out when she laid - maybe last night... My two layers are cooped over night until I collect eggs since they otherwise plop them wherever and get trampled. But I had to remove this membrane from one of my ducklings’ mouths this morning outside the coop. How did it get there? IDK. I’m guessing the occasional soft shell during a time of stress is not big cause for concern?

 

[BrukeyBrooke]

I took Daisy to the vet tonight - finally got an appointment with the doc who sees exotics. Doc said I noticed the bumblefoot early enough that we’re just doing a continuation of my keeping it cleaned and bandaged with some meds for pain and antibiotics. Probably won’t need surgery. The best news is that she actually seems to feel much better after a few soaks and bandage changes (enough better that I almost wondered if I had overreacted), and the doc was even less concerned because she isn’t limping anymore or favoring that foot. She’s also acting more normal with her crew. Thanks again for the support BYC!!

 

[Isaac 0]

Glad to hear! Thanks for the update.