Strange swelling on duck's foot

[chippysmom327]

I don't think it's bumble foot. There's no scab, and he's a bantam duck.

He's been limping REALLY BAD for the past two days, so I caught him and checked it out. He's been spending a lot of time in his pool to keep it cool and keep his weight off of it.

What should I do?

I don't think it's broken, but I'm not positive. It's not hot and squishy like there's any pus in there.

 

[Amiga]

Looks like a blister to me.

Are there any venomous animals around? Fire ants? Snakes? Scorpions? Another possibility is a tiny splinter. They are not easy to find, but you may be able to locate a tiny dot and that could be a broken-off thorn.

If you can get to a vet, that would help - even a vet familiar more with chickens would be used to dealing with feet.

 

[chippysmom327]

Looks like a blister to me.

Are there any venomous animals around?  Fire ants?  Snakes?  Scorpions?  Another possibility is a tiny splinter.  They are not easy to find, but you may be able to locate a tiny dot and that could be a broken-off thorn.

Thanks for the quick reply!

Nope, no venomous animals. Would a non-venomous spider be able to do that? A broken off thorn could be a possibility, because they hang out in the weedline where there's thornbushes. I'll look more thoroughly after it gets dark.

If it's not anything lodged in there, and it is a blister, what should I do for it?

There's no avian vet around her sadly

 

[Amiga]

I would go with their suggestion to use a needle to make a small hole and drain it, but please look over this WebMD page first and decide what you think is best.

http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/tc/blisters-home-treatment

I often find that their advice applies to ducks. Not always, but often.

The tricky part is keeping feet clean. shew. So you may want this little in a separate area that you can keep very clean (it is relative with ducks, I know) for a day or two till the foot starts healing up. I would poke it, let it drain, dab it with something like bacitracin cream - no painkiller! - three times a day. Having a buddy in sick bay for company might be a good idea, too.

….another thought

What's the weather like, there? Any chance this is frostbite? That will cause blisters. Walking on ice?

 

[chippysmom327]

Thanks so much for that link!

Should I bandage it at all?

The weather is a lot warmer than it has been, yesterday was 72 so I don't really think it could be frost bite.

 

[Amiga]

I would not wrap it. Needs air.

 

[chippysmom327]

I have two different cages, wire bottom and closed bottom. Which one do you think would be better? I think it would be cleaner on the wire, but wouldn't it irritate his foot?

 

[Amiga]

A couple of old towels over the wire might work well.

 

[chippysmom327]

Okay, thanks so much!

 

[Amiga]

Please send updates when you can.