What in Ducky Heck is this!?

[microchick]

Y'all are just amazing. I just spent the evening reading this thread. I laughed, I chewed off fingernails, I shared it with my husband, I even shed a tear or two in complete empathy having done more than a few bumble foot treatments on my chickens last summer. One hen, a repeat offender, had double bumble and I kept thinking of her one foot that I soaked and dug and soaked and dug and then dug some more until I had the Meramec Caverns dug in her poor foot. The smell was memorable and once I had all out of her that I could get as far as infection was concerned, had her bandaged up in shocking pink vet wrap booties, I held her up and christened her Princess Stinky Feet and the name has stuck.

My point of this story is that this hen had a 1.5 cm black plug in her main pad with spokes of solid dark old hard pus under the skin radiating to her toes. Once I got the main plug out she was left with what was basically a cavern where the pad should have been. I told my husband who helped me with the surgery that I couldn't imagine it healing and worried I would have to put her down. She never showed any symptoms. No limp, nothing. I found it during a random bumble foot check. I bundled her foot up with a packing saturated in bactracin antibiotic ointment in the cavern and turned her loose after dosing her with oral antibiotics. Didn't touch it for 48 hours. Changed the dressing and the packing had worked out but the wound looked amazingly better. Redressed. Left it alone for a few days, checked it and where wound margins that looked very much like your duck's foot, was new, pink skin.

Our feathered friends are remarkable in their ability to heal themselves.

By the time that Princess Stinky Feet was all healed up the hole was gone completely. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that she can get through this summer without a repeat performance.

Please keep us updated. I've very much enjoyed reading your quest to help your beautiful little girl. I have a soft spot for Pekins. I had two when I was a kid and loved them dearly.

You and your ducky rapid response team have done a great job!

 

[DuckyDoodles]

Alright guys... update and a few questions.

1) local CVS told me Friday (when I called to check on ducky scripts) they didn’t have any. Called vet and they personally called it in again. It’s just a pain pill and antibiotic cream (silver nitrate or something lol). Stilllllll haven’t heard anything from them so I’ll call again today.

2) Shes hooping along sooooo much better. Like fully on both feet all the time now. Just a little hitch in her waddle along.

3) the booboo? Hadn’t seen it this weekend (I’m terrible, I know) but it didn’t look any worse on Friday so there’s that.

4) interestingly, she hadn’t laid an egg since Friday morning. I’m okay with it but I’m paranoid about an egg binding. She’s got a droopy underneath/bottom (like a soggy diaper ) but I think she’s just “meh” on the whole thing. I know stress can affect and I’m certain she felt stressed being touched LOL

So here’s my two questions (though I have others that I will start separate thread for):

I’m going to go out and do my wiping of her hole and put some neosporin on it (better than nothing) but I had a thought regarding the pain pills (miloxicam or something)... since she’s doing a lot better in her use of that leg, is it ‘worth it’ to try and arm wrestle her to pop the pill?

The videos and advice posted above me were super helpful and gave me a tiny bit (verrrrrrry tiny) of confidence in the process. But if I don’t have to deal with that part of it, I’m sure she and I both would have no objections.

I don’t want her in unnecessary pain but I also sortve feel like the Epsom salt baths and good old nature might be just as well? Don’t know. I don’t want to be a jerk but I remember laughing when the vet just threw it out there for ducky pain pills so it’s sortve 50/50 On my thoughts.

Secondly, the weather in my neck of the woods is improving a bit and I’d like to get them back out in their run for some whole hearted sunshine and ducky style living. Do we think I should do it with her little hole? I can apply the stuff before and after, that doesn’t bother me at all. But didn’t know what y’all thought of it getting muddy?

I have such a time trying to determine what is an “appropriate” amount of poo/mud/water/muck, whatever, to ensure that they’re thriving. I can’t imagine mud would be bad considering the whole story/knowledge of this hole but I also know this hole had that demon plug that may have prevented further muck from getting in?

(Isn’t that gross? I’m sitting here questioning whether the plug of doom, which was abscess crud and dirt presumably, was actually helpful )

Let me know your thoughts guys. I always appreciate them and take them to heart.

<3

 

[Miss Lydia]

I think you've got a good plan only concern would be if she gets really over active like running all over with her flock it is going to take longer for her leg to heal or set back the healing that has already started. For the pain pills well if she doesn't seem painful then I'd hold onto them for another emergency because masking the lil pain she may have might get her over doing. Is there some way you can put them all back out but put her and a buddy into a small confinement so she doesn't over do and also get nasties into her hole of doom? Maybe just for this week give leg and hole more time to heal?

 

[biophiliac]

ince she’s doing a lot better in her use of that leg, is it ‘worth it’ to try and arm wrestle her to pop the pill?

I would say no. Agree w/ @Miss Lydia that mild to moderate pain will prevent her from doing to much too soon. As long as she is eating and drinking and moving about I would say the pain is not severe.

Re the 'demon hole', I prefer to view it as a move by the organism to isolate foreign material possibly infection originally, from getting into the blood or harming internal organs. Appears to have been working. It would be nice to get it cleaned out but you can take your time while keeping an eye on it imho.

For pain associated with injury I use the homeopathic remedy Arnica Montana 30C. I don't think your duck needs this now as she is healing under your diligent care.

I'm always trying to minimize stress while giving meds. I wonder if you could hide a pain pill in a small fish? ...if you had to medicate an uncooperative duck?

 

[Miss Lydia]

I use a small piece of bred [not the crust] place the pill in the middle and smooched the bread around the pill. I always give the duck a plain small piece first then the one with the pill she gobbles it down and has no clue there is a pill inside. I break the pill into halfs before giving it to her.

 

[Nardo]

I've been waiting to see if the story had a sad ending.

So here is the answer to something the OP asked way back. St. Cuthbert

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/0/23096274

Eider ducks are known in Northumberland as Cuddy's ducks. Cuddy is a familiar form of Cuthbert.
Cuthbert's protection and gentle admonition of birds and sea creatures is derived from the Celtic tradition, which was also highly influential in the production of the Lindisfarne Gospels, almost contemporary with the death of Cuthbert.
Cuthbert's affinity with nature continues today through his association with Eider ducks, as a colony nests on the Farne Islands, where Cuthbert had his hermitage.

 

[biophiliac]

I use a small piece of bred [not the crust] place the pill in the middle and smooched the bread around the pill. I always give the duck a plain small piece first then the one with the pill she gobbles it down and has no clue there is a pill inside. I break the pill into halfs before giving it to her.

I forgot how much they love bread! Much simpler.

 

[DuckyDoodles]

Not going to lie; I was considering hiding the pill in a small tomato piece. Bread seems much more awesomer

Had a ‘better’ idea pop up... instead of putting them in the run... with our light rain and 60+ degree temps... I’m thinking put her in the tiny pond out front? It’s SIGNIFICANTLY smaller than the back pond so if she gets tired or doesn’t want to swim, she can just come right back to edge of bankment.

It has a poop ton of small koi (or goldfish or whatever the pretty white, black and orange decorator fish are) and the frogs prefer that pond seemingly (I’m thinking yummy tadpoles).

We think a swim would be okay? Acknowledging afore mentioned supervision for no exacerbating of sprain, but I’m thinking a buoyant swim would be nice and lord knows ducks love mud and water. Just didn’t know if pond water was any better or worse than muck mud?

Pic of pond:

 

[DuckyDoodles]

I wonder if you could hide a pain pill in a small fish? ...if you had to medicate an uncooperative duck?

I have been super curious about whether they were allowed/should eat little fishies? There’s a YouTube video of a guy who has 5 adolescent sized ducklings and they gobbled up 200 fish in under 60 seconds. It’s quite awesome to watch really... super cute.

 

[Miss Lydia]

200 wow that may give a belly ache from the bellies dragging on the ground after.

Is that your small pond?? Oh my goodness ducks, geese and me beautiful