My ducks SUPER swollen :( What do i do??

[My duckies]

We were noticing her limp the other day and thought it would be a good idea to take a look at her foot. When we got her inside we saw her toe was HUGE and she had a big ol' thorn in her foot! We did some research on it and it said it was probably an infection, so we managed to get the torn out with some warm water and tweezers. We bandaged her foot up and let her back outside in a separate area from the rest of the flock the next day. After a few days, it still didn't seem to get any better and she still seems like she's in lots of pain. She's been eating and drinking everyday and we've been giving her warm baths and keeping it bandaged up. We still don't know what to do though, other online sources have said to use a scalpel to cut it open but we wanted to leave that as the absolute last resort. If anyone has some advice or ideas please reach out! I'll try to put some images as well.

 

[Isaac 0]

Unfortunately, yes, oftentimes when the epidermis is punctured with a splinter, that allows bacterial penetration into the tissue, which can subsequently cause an infection. Oftentimes, the infection is encapsulated inside the skin and may require lancing to remove any puss present and allow any ointment to penetrate the bacteria. If it's only been a few days, you may continue to bandage and soak the foot in Epsom salts and see if it improves. If not, the area will likely require lancing, soaking, then bandaging with an ointment. A diluted DMSO gel can be applied to the area to help reduce some of the swelling going on. Some folks have reported good success using Melafix on the skin for improved antibacterial penetration into the tissue.

 

[My duckies]

Okay, thank you for your input. Do you have any suggestions or advice on how to lance it?

 

[Isaac 0]

Okay, thank you for your input. Do you have any suggestions or advice on how to lance it?

A few soaks in Epsom salts to help loosen the tissue up, then a straight cut across the tissue may work. Another option, I didn't mention, would be starting her on an antibiotic such as Cephlexin, or Clindamycin. Both can be obtained online in fish form.

 

[Myrshine]

Make sure to weak gloves! You never know if you can get the bacterial infection as well. Staphylococcus is the most common when dealing with pus related handling!