Swelling on toe

[Sfraker]

Hello:

I have a 18 month old WH female with a swelling on the middle of her middle toe. The swelling is mostly on the bottom of the foot and is about the size of a marble. On Wednesday when I inspected her foot it felt like an abcess or cyst and was not hot. It was not red, did not have a scab, but I thought I could see a tiny puncture mark and it was pretty much the same temperature as the rest of her foot. She was limping on it but not badly. I lanced it with a sterile needle but could not get anything to come out of it.

Jump forward to this morning. The swelling is the same size, however it is now hard and warm and she is not using the foot very much. I called my vet but she is out today and all next week. They do not have any other bird/exotic/poultry vets at my clinic and referred me to a clinic 1 hour away. That clinic is has a certified avian vet who is fantastic, however it is really expensive and generally they are booked full so I can expect a good half day of missed work when I go in with an emergency.

Is there anything I can do to help poor Duck Vader? She is eating and foraging with her friends. I did lance it with a pretty fine needle (because I am a wimp and felt bad) and am wondering if I should use a slightly larger gauge.

Help!
Sara

 

[GitaBooks]

It does sound like bumblefoot (on the toe). It could also be:

A bee sting?
Just swelling from stepping on a thorn
A growth

Try lancing it again and wash it out. What does inside of the wound look like?

 

[Sfraker]

I didn't open up a large enough opening when I lanced it to see inside. We do live in the woods and the ducks enjoy digging through the leaves and downed branches when they forage so I assume she stepped on something pokey or prickly.

I'll tray lancing again tonight.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I didn't open up a large enough opening when I lanced it to see inside. We do live in the woods and the ducks enjoy digging through the leaves and downed branches when they forage so I assume she stepped on something pokey or prickly.

I'll tray lancing again tonight.

Before cutting read this https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/807777/bumblefoot-new-ideas-on-treatment-with-pictures

 

[Sfraker]

I took her to the vet who stated it was bumble foot and lanced it. They only got a little bit of stuff to come out of it, but they flushed the wound, used an antibiotic ointment and wrapped the foot. When I unwrapped it the next day to re-wrap it the swelling was gone and I was only keeping a scab clean. It is amazing how fast duck feet heal.

I generally do drop off before work and pick up after work appointments. The day Duck Vader was at the vets was a day they had vet camp going on. In the past they have requested my ducks come to visit for camp, so since Vader was there she got to meet and visit with all the kids. Apparently she was a good duck ambassador.

I love my WH, they are so mellow, go with the flow ducks. I think my daughter and her friends have exposed them to so much that nothing is a big deal to them anymore.

 

[GitaBooks]

I took her to the vet who stated it was bumble foot and lanced it. They only got a little bit of stuff to come out of it, but they flushed the wound, used an antibiotic ointment and wrapped the foot. When I unwrapped it the next day to re-wrap it the swelling was gone and I was only keeping a scab clean. It is amazing how fast duck feet heal.

I generally do drop off before work and pick up after work appointments. The day Duck Vader was at the vets was a day they had vet camp going on. In the past they have requested my ducks come to visit for camp, so since Vader was there she got to meet and visit with all the kids. Apparently she was a good duck ambassador.

I love my WH, they are so mellow, go with the flow ducks. I think my daughter and her friends have exposed them to so much that nothing is a big deal to them anymore.

I'm glad she is doing better!

Awesome that she got to teach kids about ducks!