Pekin Rescue still healing

[wallysmom]

I have been treating a rescued Pekin female duck for severe bumblefoot for about a month now and she gets better everyday , however it now goes from one hock to the other , now that I have gotten ahead of the infection in one hock it moved to the other !! I am starting to think this may now be systemic arthritis ??? does anyone have any personal experiences to share that may be helpful ?? I have treated her with pen g procaine 4 days , and now she is on doxicycline 100mg for about a week , I gave her rimadyl for pain , but didnt seem to help and now have her back on aspirin . I do have meloxicam 15mg ( for my hubby ) and tramadol 50 mg ( also my hubbys ) but am unsure what to give her so didnt give it to her . I am pretty sure that the infection reached her joints which would explain the swelling and heat in the hocks and her ankles are still swollen but not hot anymore . Her feet look alot better and the wound on her leg is looking better but seems to have localized in the hock area and im chasing it from one leg to the other . Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated , I have also put a clay poultice on the legs to cool them and to try to help the swelling . She eats great , drinks great , loves attention etc ... tries to stand and walk but cannot

 

[ducklucky]

Poor baby!!! Sounds like you have tried almost everything. Know it sounds kinda gross, but you may want to think about lancing the sores to drain, keep them covered with AB ointment and a sock. Also have heard to try yogurt, it can replace some of the probiotics she has lost due to all of the meds. Good luck to you, it is heartbreaking, but sounds like she has a really good nurse, and she having an appetitie is always a good sign. Will be anxious to hear what works for you, as will others. Ducklucky.

 

[wallysmom]

So tonight I soaked her feet in warm Epsom salt for 20 min as usual but when I took her out and went to wrap her leg back up this chunk of something hard and really gross came out attached to a black scab that forms on her leg wound , I have removed the same scab before but nothing came out like this it had some pus but mostly a pointy kinda white hard thing ??? Really gross I don't know what it was but I'm sure it's better off not in my duck anymore !!! Could that be the core of infection ?? I will continue to soak everyday but does anyone have a guess as if what that was ?? It actually had 2 pointy things but they were hard and smelly ??? This poor duck , after wrapping / neosporin first she ate like a piggy and went to bed lol I really hope it gets better !

 

[QuackedUp]

Oh my gosh! That is freaky!!!

Did she seem like she felt better after you pulled that thing out? Did you keep it? This might sound gross, but can you take a picture of it so the rest of us are 'scientifically, inquisitive-minded' can see it? This also might help to identify the object. That is truly, truly bizarre....

That poor duck! She is lucky to have you!!!

 

[cskotek]

I would say bumble foot. Severe case of it. I would suggest calling and talking to a vet. I know Nyowpotopop helped me with my runner who has bumble foot along with a vet from saylorsburg Pa. Im having a difficult time too with mine and its not super bad. My runner on the night i noticed it she ran a temp and was acting real weird. She probably hates me but my vet told me to use epsom salt and mix it with water and turn it into a paste. Peel the scab off after a long soaking in epsom salt water and put the paste into the wound after scab is off. You can also use Bag Balm from Tractor Supply and after a epsom salt soak peel scab and place the bag balm into the wound. If the scab dosent want to peel let it go for the night and resoak. I was allowing my duck to sit in the tub with warm water and epsom salt from about 9am to 3-4pm because she loved it and when i took her out she would just yell and anger my mom. So you can try this if you like. And from my duck getting it on the one foot really bad she started to put her weight onto the other foot causing another bumble to start just with out the infection so im watching her other foot with an eagle eye!! So maybe thats why it got to both feet to being with. I hope she gets better!!

This is what it looked like just about 2 weeks ago. Thats the lovely scab after i cleaned the dirt off of it.

 

[wallysmom]

I actually did save it and will get some pics posted before I throw it away !! I looked at it really good because I couldn't believe it just popped off after soaking she did seem to feel better after and this morning her leg swelling went down significantly , I know her case was severe and I will continue treating her until she gets better she is a such a sweetheart

 

[wallysmom]

So 48 hrs ago that chunk of whatever came out and what a difference already her leg is back to normal size with healthy tissue healing so I hope she improves from here she's been off her feet for months now so swimming in clean water everyday to build up her legs strength will be part of her treatment they aren't paralyzed but very weak to stand on didn't get a pix of the chunk

 

[Amiga]

That chunk likely was the core of the infection, so it is wonderful to know that has come out!

I have gained such an appreciation for Epsom salts the last few months. I used an Es poultice on my own case of bumblefoot (yup . . . I picked up a tiny splinter I could not see or remove, and used the Es in some comfrey salve to draw it out and heal the foot), and it worked so well!

Bravo, wallysmom, for taking this on! And sharing what you have learned!

 

[QuackedUp]

Good news!!!!!

 

[Nyowpotopop]

Oh! I am so glad to hear that she's coming along so well! That would definitely fit the progression of healing bumblefoot to a T. :3