Is this bumblefoot and is there any way time save this bird?

[Misty Troyer]

I am a brand new quail owner. As green as they come. My child found a domesticated male cotournix a couple of months ago abs after an amazingly difficult search we found a female to go with him. My youngest is especially attached to the female "Buddy. A while ago I noticed that her foot was swollen but ha d no idea it would turn into this. Now through research I find out that this is most likely bumblefoot and a huge deal to get rid of. How in the world can I help this poor bird? We have soaked the foot three days ago abs tried to remove the scab and any foreign body or infectious material but got nothing. Now the scab looks bigger and the swelling has not improved. Ladt night and tonight we have soaked in epsom salt and applied neosporin but Im so afraid ive done more harm than good and I hate the idea of Buddy and my child suffering. A vet is not an option in our area so I'll take any and all advice please please please.

 

[azygous]

Yes, it's bumblefoot, but no need to panic. You've been doing the right thing by soaking in Epsom salt, but you need to remove the scab and all the solidified puss under it.

Sometimes, after soaking a good while, 20-30 minutes, the scab will pull off after loosening it with a finger nail. Often the dried puss, the kernel, will come out of the wound with the scab.

Try to remove as much of the infected stuff as you can, finish with a good cleaning with peroxide or soap and water or Betadine and rinse. Then spray with Vetericyn and put triple antibiotic ointment on the wound. Bandage with a non-stick gauze pad and elastic vet wrap cut into half-inch wide strips for that delicate little foot. If you do a good job with the bandage, no dirt should be able to get into the wound and you can let the patient return to normal life.

You should re-soak again in two days, repeating the bandaging. Check every two days for progress. Sometimes healing can happen in just a few days. Stubborn infections require a month or more.

 

[Misty Troyer]

Well, I'm afraid it did not end well. My son found our poor Miss Buddy had passed this morning. I now have a screaming male quail and a mourning child. Thank you for the advice. We removed the scab last night but we're unable to drain anything. I hope I didn't do more harm. If you know of any healthy female quail for sale in the north Georgia area I would love a lead in where to get one.