Bumblefoot?! Marek's Disease?! HELP!! *pics*

[DuckFanatic]

Lately we have noticed that our americauna pullet has been limping. First it was just when she ran, it looked like she was cantering like a horse or something... Then I noticed her limping even when she was just walking. I looked at the foot she was limping on and the pad is much larger than her other one. I have heard that in bumblefoot, there is a 'plug' on the swollen area. She has a dark 'scab' on both of her pads but I think all of my chickens' feet have that. Also, we have recently added a new runner duck to the flock and she has been limping too... not as bad as the americauna but it is still noticeable. I haven't gotten a chance to look at the runners foot but I can go out there today to see if I can find anything out of the ordinary. I can also post pics of the americauna's foot.... If it is bumblefoot, what are cures for it an can ducks get bumblefoot? I would greatly appreciate any ideas and help.
Thanks!

 

[Judy]

In bumblefoot there is typically a dark scab on the bottom of the foot. The plug is inside the foot, behind the scab. It is essentially dried pus. It has to be cut out. Read here:

http://www.firststatevetsupply.com/poultry-health/bumblefoot.html

Speckledhen is a Mod on here and has ongoing problems with this; you could also read some of her posts. She says the systemic antibiotics never seem to be any help; she just cuts the core out and separates the bird and dresses it til healed.

 

[DuckFanatic]

Thanks so much for the website- it was very helpful. I am still not sure she has bumblefoot and i'm not sure how I can be 100% that she does or doesn't have bumblefoot. Can ducks get this? Thanks again!

 

[froggie71]

Yes, ducks can get bumblefoot. We just had a guinea who had it. She did not have the typical black scab on bottom of foot. We just noticed her toe was like 3 times as large as normal. Can't believe it took so long to notice it. Anyway. We cut out the infection. Made a slit with a scalpel and squeezed out the hardish cheese like stuff

soaked foot in epsom salts, got neosporin without pain killers into the wound and covered it with blue kote, wrapped with guaze and covered with a small sock to keep her from picking at the dressing. We did a couple of changes over 3 days and she looks great! BTW to know you got all the pus out you must keep squeezing and working at it til only blood comes out. I must say that I got a lot of help by researching here on BYC about bumblefoot and what others did. I did not choose to get an oral antibiotic. However if she started to show any kind of systemic infection I would have done this. Good luck. It's hard to keep a duck from getting their feet wet.

 

[DuckFanatic]

Thanks Froggie, would you be able to explain further on how exactly to cut out the infection? Tomorrow morning I can get some pics of the americauna's foot and check on my runner. I am just hoping it's not bumblefoot but if it isn't then it will still be a mystery

Thanks again for the helpful advice!

 

[kathyinmo]

I copied this from another Bumblefoot thread, info from Speckledhen: (Hope it helps you.....)

Fold a towel lengthwise and use it to wrap her wings close to her body, but don't get it too tight or she can't breathe. That is what we do. I did it once by myself and that helped alot. And you don't slice across the pad, but cut around the scab all the way, sort of in at a 45 degree angle, then try to gently pull the scab out with the plug. If you're lucky, the entire thing will come out. Solidified infection will look like provolone cheese (white and opaque) as opposed to clear yellowish like the fat in her pad. You may have to squeeze the pad a bit after that to bring stuff up to the surface. Every one is a bit different and what happens one time may not happen the same way the next time. Have paper towels if you get bleeding.

Once we used some PVC pipe as a nest landing bar, but to keep it from being slippery, we put a length of non-skid tape on it, which, being like coarse sandpaper, caused the first case of bumblefoot here. So, remove anything rough. And I would not use treated wood on roosts. Splinters from that stuff will start some nasty infections.

ETA: here is the entire thread:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=209876&p=1

 

[speckledhen]

Kathy asked if I'd comment, but I am not really an expert. And I don't always have great success, especially with certain hens. The scabs on the bottoms of the feet are bumblefoot. If they do not have or have not had bumblefoot, there will be no scab. I have numerous girls who have never had bumblefoot at all and they have very flexible, "collapsed", and scab-free pads. Some are prone to getting it over and over again, like my SLW, Violet, and my very heavy hen, Meg. Why, I'm not sure. Could be those hens scratch at an area with thorny vines or sharp sandstone, etc.

There is a form of it where there is no scab, but it swells up between the toes. That is much, much harder to treat because you sometimes have to go in from the top of the foot, which to me, is scarier to deal with. Just had one like that. The important thing is to get that solid and liquid infection out and pack with triple antibiotic ointment and bandage so dirt cannot get back into the wound.

 

[DuckFanatic]

Thanks speckledhen and kathy. I was looking at my other hens' feet and most of them have the scabs

On my runners foot that she is limping on, there is to swollen areas that have the scabs... I know pics would help hugely so I can go get some real quick....

 

[DuckFanatic]

It doesn't look good.... Most of my hens have the scabs on their feet but their feet aren't swollen.. does that mean that they've had bumblefoot but don't have it now? My runner's feet are probably the worst

Here are some pictures of feet:
my runner's worse foot-

her 'better' foot-

My americauna's worse foot-

her 'better' foot-

one of my barred rock's foot(mind she has a retarded foot)-

Okay so I did some research and we need to get vet rap and rap it around a natural stick to use as their perch instead of a wooden plank.... Which we have for them to use now. Then we need to get a pool for the ducks that they can't touch the bottom in. The ducks get it from walking on plastic, which they would get from our plastic pools we have for them.... Then I need to isolate my runner and put her down on soft grass or grass hay...
Who would of thought that chickens and ducks would be so difficult!?

 

[pips&peeps]

All of the birds have a current bumblefoot infection. You have to pull the scabs off and dig out the "puss" core.

Please refer to the link already mentioned or this will continue to be a problem.