Knot on my duck's foot--please help

[TwoDogFarm]

I also posted this in the duck forum so I'm sorry for any repeat posts.

So my husband and I just finished treating one of our ducks for an infection and now, we have another problem with another one of the ducks.

One of our Pekin ducks has something going on with her foot and I don't know what to do to help her. I've noticed her limping a lot lately, but every time I've looked at her foot, I haven't seen anything wrong with it. Today, I noticed that she was having trouble walking and didn't want to get up when I threw some scratch to all the ducks. She just laid there, unlike herself.

When I looked at her foot, I noticed a huge knot on it sticking up on top and when I picked her up, there was a quarter-sized knot on the underside that looked like it was about to burst open. I immediately thought bumblefoot, but I knew I couldn't do anything about it until my husband could help me. We cleaned her foot when he got home and there isn't a scab on it. He took a needle and stuck it in the top of the knot, thinking that if it was infected, puss would come out. The only thing that came out was blood. He then stuck the needle in the bottom of her foot and the same thing happened. He said it felt really hot to the touch and really hard and tight.

Does anyone have any idea what this is or what to do about it? I can tell she's in pain with it as it is and I don't want her to suffer.




Just so you know, the two black spots in the bottom picture are the places my husband stuck the needle in.

 

[seminolewind]

It may be an infection. I would cut it open as if it's a bumble. Something's growing in there. You may want to soak the foot a lot for a few days to make it easier. Maybe soaking can get some of that swelling down.

 

[TwoDogFarm]

It may be an infection. I would cut it open as if it's a bumble. Something's growing in there. You may want to soak the foot a lot for a few days to make it easier. Maybe soaking can get some of that swelling down.

Cutting it open really worries me. My husband and I had a similar problem that happened to a duck of ours back in the spring and we almost lost her. She had a tumor-like growth on her foot and we cut into it, thinking it was bumblefoot, but all we found was blood, blood, and more blood...and at the time, we didn't know how to get the bleeding to stop. She lost so much blood that day that her eyes started closing and we were sure she was gone, but luckily she pulled through...

This one is a little different in that it is embedded (if that's the right word) into her foot, rather than growing off from it, but I'm really not sure where to even start if there's no scab there... I just feel like I'm at such a loss with it. We've had mallards for over a year and haven't had problems with their feet as of yet, but the domestic ducks must have a lot more foot issues...Any suggestions?

 

[A_grace5]

I also posted this in the duck forum so I'm sorry for any repeat posts.

So my husband and I just finished treating one of our ducks for an infection and now, we have another problem with another one of the ducks.

One of our Pekin ducks has something going on with her foot and I don't know what to do to help her. I've noticed her limping a lot lately, but every time I've looked at her foot, I haven't seen anything wrong with it. Today, I noticed that she was having trouble walking and didn't want to get up when I threw some scratch to all the ducks. She just laid there, unlike herself.

When I looked at her foot, I noticed a huge knot on it sticking up on top and when I picked her up, there was a quarter-sized knot on the underside that looked like it was about to burst open. I immediately thought bumblefoot, but I knew I couldn't do anything about it until my husband could help me. We cleaned her foot when he got home and there isn't a scab on it. He took a needle and stuck it in the top of the knot, thinking that if it was infected, puss would come out. The only thing that came out was blood. He then stuck the needle in the bottom of her foot and the same thing happened. He said it felt really hot to the touch and really hard and tight.

Does anyone have any idea what this is or what to do about it? I can tell she's in pain with it as it is and I don't want her to suffer.




Just so you know, the two black spots in the bottom picture are the places my husband stuck the needle in.

Did you have any luck with this? I have a duck with the same issue and i’m not sure what to do? Doesn’t look like bumble foot to me, but swollen on her toe just like your picture

 

[Kmbrimberry]

Cutting it open really worries me. My husband and I had a similar problem that happened to a duck of ours back in the spring and we almost lost her. She had a tumor-like growth on her foot and we cut into it, thinking it was bumblefoot, but all we found was blood, blood, and more blood...and at the time, we didn't know how to get the bleeding to stop. She lost so much blood that day that her eyes started closing and we were sure she was gone, but luckily she pulled through...

This one is a little different in that it is embedded (if that's the right word) into her foot, rather than growing off from it, but I'm really not sure where to even start if there's no scab there... I just feel like I'm at such a loss with it. We've had mallards for over a year and haven't had problems with their feet as of yet, but the domestic ducks must have a lot more foot issues...Any suggestions?

What ended up happening with this duck? I have a pekin with an almost identical lump that doesn't look like bumble that we have treated before. I dont want to cut her open.

 

[Isaac 0]

What ended up happening with this duck? I have a pekin with an almost identical lump that doesn't look like bumble that we have treated before. I dont want to cut her open.

It is very likely your duck's foot is infected. To promote healing, it's probable one way or another the area will need to be cut open to excavate out any caseous, or necrotic material. If you don't feel like cutting the area open, it may be best to get in contact with a vet. There are treatments for bumblefoot without involving surgery, but when the epidermis in contact, it can be hard for anything to penetrate through the surface and reach the bacteria.

If you have more questions, it may best if you post a thread over on the duck forum :

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forums/ducks.42/