Pekin Duck Limping - Red lump and bumble foot

[Rounduck]

I've had this Pekin duck for 7+ years since 2015 as a family pet. He lives in my backyard and has lived alone ever since his other ducks had died. I think he developed bumblefoot in about 2017 but since I was a naive child I didn't understand what it was until it got worse. When I finally realised what his condition was it was too bad to treat at home so I asked my parents to take him to the vet, but they refused to saying that it was too expensive. If I knew that they were unwilling to treat him humanely I wouldn't of ever agreed to keep a duck as a pet. So to this day he has had bumble foot which surprisingly hasn't caused him to limp but seeing how good birds are at hiding their illnesses I wouldn't be surprised. Recently, I noticed a growth above his foot which started out as a black lump but after a few days it has turned into a red larger lump, he has started limping but he is currently still eating, drinking, swimming and preening. I feel really guilty keeping him in such pain for such a long time but does anyone have any clue to what it is and any home treatments? I would really really appreciate it. I am currently soaking his foot in Epson salt.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Possibly the infection is working it's way out of the top of his foot. Soaking until the scab is soft enough to pull away without tearing healthy skin. Then you'll need to remove the infection using sterile tweezers. It looks like yellowish cottage cheese in poultry. After removing the infection put antibiotic ointment in the hole and wrap keeping him from swimming until healed. You'll have to check in about 3 days after surgery to make sure you got all the infection out and rewrap. Nonstick gauze pads and vet wrap is best for wrapping https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/wrapping-feet.1255043/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/another-bumblefoot-post.1492463/#post-24896429
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/bumblefoot-information-in-progress.1388301/
I'd get on this treatment ASAP. and show this info to your parents. Hopefully they will be willing to help you get what you need to treat your duck who is considered a pet and needs the same care as other pets do.

 

[Rounduck]

Thank you for replying How long do I have to soak for to get his skin soft enough? I'm afraid that I have no experience in this sort of thing.

Possibly the infection is working it's way out of the top of his foot. Soaking until the scab is soft enough to pull away without tearing healthy skin. Then you'll need to remove the infection using sterile tweezers. It looks like yellowish cottage cheese in poultry. After removing the infection put antibiotic ointment in the hole and wrap keeping him from swimming until healed. You'll have to check in about 3 days after surgery to make sure you got all the infection out and rewrap. Nonstick gauze pads and vet wrap is best for wrapping https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/wrapping-feet.1255043/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/another-bumblefoot-post.1492463/#post-24896429
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/bumblefoot-information-in-progress.1388301/
I'd get on this treatment ASAP. and show this info to your parents. Hopefully they will be willing to help you get what you need to treat your duck who is considered a pet and needs the same care as other pets do.

 

[Miss Lydia]

You should try and lift the edge of the scab and it should come up easily without tearing healthy skin. It can take many days or longer. Just stick with it until you can get it off.

 

[Rounduck]

You should try and lift the edge of the scab and it should come up easily without tearing healthy skin. It can take many days or longer. Just stick with it until you can get it off.

As of today I woke up and his limping got worse, so far very little energy and he isn't eating much. When I originally wrote this post the days after he got better but the last 4 days his limping has progressively gotten worse and worse. We soaked him in epson yesterday for 1 hour but I think that, contributed with his WIRE cage which my parents refuse to change for a flat surface might be ruining his feet more and more.

 

[Rounduck]

A quick update, he is unable to stand without flipping over to one side, my parents put him in the water without realising that he hasn't had any oil spread over his body so we had to blowdry him dry. He is sitting in a weird position where he sits on his butt with his legs spread out in front. We tried getting him to sit but he only sits on his left leg and not his right. But apparently when we first saw him in the morning he was sitting like a duck normally would so I hope he can figure it out. He didn't seem to be eating so we opened his mouth and put a few grams of oats in his mouth which he ate after we gave him water. Right now he is in a cardboard box, I don't think he'll live long. Also to note: he kept trying to preen himself when we were blow drying his tail but would reach and his left eye had bubbles/mucus with a splotch of greenish colour in the feathers around his eye. My older brother is planning on doing surgery on his right leg but I'm a bit concerned with the potential risks.

You should try and lift the edge of the scab and it should come up easily without tearing healthy skin. It can take many days or longer. Just stick with it until you can get it off.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Can you get some good pictures up again. Is there swelling in his leg also? Sounds like the infection might have gone systemic? I am thankful you have him in a cardboard box and not on wire that is not good at all for their feet.
Surgery on his leg? please explain.
I wouldn't force feed him they can inhale their feed into their lung if he gets to the point where he can't eat then tube feeding is the best way to feed him.
Any chance a vet could look at him?

 

[Rounduck]

Can you get some good pictures up again. Is there swelling in his leg also? Sounds like the infection might have gone systemic? I am thankful you have him in a cardboard box and not on wire that is not good at all for their feet.
Surgery on his leg? please explain.
I wouldn't force feed him they can inhale their feed into their lung if he gets to the point where he can't eat then tube feeding is the best way to feed him.
Any chance a vet could look at him?

My brother ordered antibiotics because he was certain that he had Avian Botulism which is a paralysing disease apparently if you contact this disease you only have 2 days to live and it has been 2 days since symptoms. The delivery didn't arrive in time. Unfortunately he has passed away. I feel so much guilt for being at school and not seeing him at his last moments. We are planning on burying him in the front yard but we're unsure how to. PS. his legs were not swelling, in fact it has never swelled, it might of been the disease after all. He had diarrhoea and he vomited green stuff that looked like poo. Thanks for replying so quickly, Roger has been with my for half my life and I won't forget him.

 

[Rounduck]

The day before. His legs gave up, he flipped over and he was covered in dirt and poop. His neck twisted as his eyes closed.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I'm so sorry you lost him. He was a beautiful duck.
When burying just make sure you bury him deep enough that a dog or predator can't smell him and dig him up.