Need Input on Bumblefoot Treatment in Ducks

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

i have tried to read everything i can on treating bumblefoot at home. The last duck that had bumblefoot i took to the vet. She did a great job, but it was over $350. Now i have another duck with bumblefoot, but no spare money. So far i have started her on Baytril 1ml twice a day. i have been soaking the foot in warm water with epsom salt once a day. Then i slather on the neosporin, wrap it, and put on a duck shoe to keep it dry and clean. She is staying in a hutch inside the house.

i have tried picking at the scab and have trimmed some of the dark top layer off. i guess i was thinking the i could just lift out the infection. But the tissue is very fiberous and like it is part of the duck's foot. Is that fiberous material part of her foot or the infection? Also, i have seen pictures of bumblefoot surgery on chickens. But my vet said that ducks are very sensitive to pain, so wondering if home surgery is even possible with a duck.

Would appreciate any input.

 

[kuntrygirl]

You may have already read this link but if not, here ya go.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=496928

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

Thank you so much for the link. i read through everything. i think having that tricide neo on hand is going to help. With this girl, i continued my treatment and then she developed a large bump on her other foot that didn't have a scab on top, i got worried and took her to my vet. i watched as my vet lanced the bump and squeezed out a ton of yellow stuff. It was like the biggest pimple i've ever seen.

Anyhow, she wrapped the foot and i kept her inside for a few more days. Then when i inspected her feet (and the constant quacking was driving me crazy) i decided it was time to put her back outside. She seems fine now, but i clearly need to be inspecting webbed feet on a regular basis to stay on top of the bumblefoot issue.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Glad that she is doing better. LOL @ biggest pimple.

 

[Blackberry113]

Hi! I'm replying to your question about treating your duck's bumblefoot. I'm an urban homesteader and I have five female ducks. My Cayuga (type of duck) got bumblefoot. I went online for info and looked at how a guy treated his chickens. Then, I learned about a new product called Vetericyn that is a spray-on cure for pet injuries, including bumblefoot. The guy with the chickens said on his website that he tried it out, and it worked like magic! I bought some at my local pet store, and this is what I tried.
The duck captured (to prevent extra struggle, wrap duck in towel), I soaked her feet in warm epsom salt water for ten min. and in iodine water for about the same amount of time. Next, I filled the sink with plain warm water to rinse her off. I sprayed the foot with Vetericyn, then sprayed a peice of non-stick gauze and put that on the offending scab, finishing up with wrapping the foot. The next day, of course the wrapping had come off, so I tried to repeat the process but the duck was to squirmy, and for fear of breaking on of my duck's weak bones, I am now trying to just soak the foot once a day and spray it with the product twice a day. Hope this works for you and my ideas have been helpful!

 

[tagamigi]

I can't believe it we just get one duck well and another one our year old has bumble feet both of them we check them freq but I guess when the one got sick we stopped checking then we noticed that she was limping. We are using Epsom salt soaks it is one cup to a gallon 10 to 20 min then triple ung to each spot. She is in a kennel with the other ducks as she became very lonely. We started her on vitamins. We have a tsc but antibiotics for large volumes of water I know she needs antibiotics but where do I get it from if anyone can advise please thanks

 

[tagamigi]

Well our bumble foot is getting better. Soaking it in one cup Epsom salt in one gallon of water. Triple polyisporin applied. Scab came off one swelling gone down. Giving her extra vitamins niacin. She is so much better no limp.

 

[tagamigi]

Hi I have read somewhere about giving pen g for ducks with bumble foot. Toe is still warm and swollen no drainage have not removed scab. Soaking with Epsom salt one cup to a gallon then triple polyisporin. I have I'm pen g available should I give it and how much it is for cattle swine 300 MGM per ml

 

[ilovebirds2010]

I received directions from a avian licensed professional for my pet duck and I am currently treating her right now. You will need oral antibiotics and DMSO watered down solution (1 part DMSO to 9 parts water). You will also need cotton balls, gauze, vet wrap (cut into long 1/2" wide strips), q-tips, syringe for oral antibiotics, hydrogen peroxide, epson salt, waterproof medical tape, scissors, and a bath towel to wrap the bird during treatment. To make things easier for myself, I put all my supplies in a small sterlite container for easy access.

Before initial treatment, soak the foot in epson salt to sanitize the area. Dry the foot with a paper towel. If the bumblefoot has a scab (usually black in color), you can remove it with your fingernails. DO NOT CUT is what I was told. You can remove any puss if it is visible but do not dig any out. Apply oral antibiotics to the entire area of the foot (using a syringe filled with the dose they would receive orally). You can cup the foot to make sure none of it runs off. Next, take a q-tip and dip it in the DMSO solution and apply over the antibiotics. The DMSO solution will make the antibiotics soak through the skin and then into the blood stream. Make sure DMSO dries completely then wrap the foot (process described below). I have already seen a difference since I started treating her yesterday.

The hardest part about this whole process, is getting the bird to stay still while you try to treat them. The more you can have at your fingertips, the better. I found having 2 pieces of pre cut tape and sticking it on the wall above where I am working, speeds up the process (especially if you are doing it yourself).

I was told to repeat this treatment once a day. If there is not much improvement, treat twice a day. My duck has an inoperable hernia and must bathe daily to help process her digestive tract. I start her day with a bath (keeping the bandage on). I then drain the tub and take off the bandage (once empty and tub is rinsed) and then fill it back up with the Epson salt (just high enough to cover the foot). I then repeat the process and wrap the foot with fresh bandaging and put her in her cage to dry. It is important to keep the duck dry and the area clean. I always dress mine in a duck diaper harness and pad once she has finished drying from her bath.

A final note on bandaging...

I looked on the internet and searched everywhere for the process of properly wrapping her foot. Most of what I found was info on chickens. I did find a couple of websites on geese showing the complete wrapped foot but did not show the process. I tried a few methods and this worked best for me...

1. Fold the gauze over to make and elongated shape that will go across the width of the foot and hold flat in place.
2. Wrap 1 long vet wrap strip around the foot (pressing the foot flat to make it span the entire width). Continue wrapping up going around the talon (do not cover it as they need for balance) and around the ankle and part of the leg.
3. Wrap medical tape around the foot (staying close to where the vet wrap starts) and leg (close to where the vet wrap ends) to keep the wrap in place (make sure the foot stays flattened while this is done so the tape isn't too tight).

.

 

[cazsteggles2012]

Hi I would like to know how you used the DMSO please? I have used all of the above & nothing is helping for long. She seems better for a few days then hides away again. Definately bumblefoot. I disinfect the yard, keep their bed & shed squeaky clean. do epsom foot soakes & have been puting 1/2 & 1/2 DMSO on her to. Am at my whits end it's been nearly two months now! Been to the vet antibiotics etc etc HELP?