Gander with hurt feet...is this bumblefoot?

[lina500]

My gander has sores on both of his feet, and one of them was bleeding slightly today. Is this bumblefoot? If so, what can I do to treat it? I'm worried about my little guy.

 

[ArcticMermaid]

It looks alot like bumble foot and cutting it out is the only thing i know to do for it and then bandage it then giving them antibiotics. There are video and threads showing how to do the bumble foot surgery yourself.

 

[servpolice]

It looks to be bumblefoot. It is commonly found in obese, inactive and/or malnutritioned birds (with an excess or deficit of certain nutrients).
Maybe a lack of Vitamin A.
If only one foot is affected then it's most likely caused by an injury ( maybe he walked on something sharp).
If you have more geese and he didn't injure himself then it is likely that those geese could get it too. But if only one foot is injured and not the other foot then it could be just injured.
Anything sharp around your place? glass, sharp rock or wires of fencing?
I've sharp rocks that have caused bumblefoot and the limping and the pain will eventually go away but can take months and the bump will always stay there if not removed by a expert.
Please note that if it gets bigger go to the vet because bumblefoot is incredibly painful for any bird.

 

[Miss Lydia]

@lina500 if a vet isn't feasible or you have to wait for an apt try soaking in some nice warm water with Epsom salt mixed in[hope you can get ES in Cambodia]and if you can get colorless iodine after soaking and checking to make sure nothing is imbedded in the places put colorless iodine over the bumble I use a qtip because is is much easier than those dabbers that come with it. Do the soaks every day and the colorless iodine every other day till you can easily remove the scabs. then keep some antibiotic ointment on till healed completely best to keep him on clean bedding to. ES is 1 cup to 1 gal of warm water stir to mix then soak for at least 5 mins longer it he'll let you and I put both feet into the bucket when I soak just easier. Be sure to hold on to him while soaking you don't want him to drink the water ES is also a laxative.

 

[lina500]

Thank you for the advice! He is a big guy, but how can I tell if he is obese? He has it on both feet, the first two photos above are one foot and the third photo is the other foot. I don't know if the weird growth by his toenail in the fourth pic is part of the same thing. We do have some sharp rocks around the pond, so we can get rid of those in the next few days. Here's a photo of him (and the sharp rocks). Does he look obese to you?



Our ducks and geese eat pre-formulated duck food and unhulled rice (standard Cambodian fowl diet). We supplement it with all sorts of greens and treats but our gander doesn't usually get any because he's too busy complaining that everyone else is eating and he's not, if you know what I mean. I will make sure to give them vitamin supplements (we have been lax on this lately and now I feel terrible about it) and I will give him an epsom soak although I am not really sure how to keep him in place for that!

I've been in contact with the vet here but she doesn't have a lot of (any?) experience with geese so I am trying to find out as much as I can in advance of seeing her so I can pass any information along. Anything else you can tell me that I should tell her @servpolice and @Miss Lydia would be very much appreciated. I don't want my big guy to be in pain.

 

[servpolice]

No for a Chinese he isn't obese.
Just to make it short, my sister is a vet and the only way she treats bumblefoot is by getting rid of it so maybe if you ask your vet to see if she could get rid of it? It's not just geese that have bumblefoot it's all waterfowl and poultry.
You know looking at those rocks it is likely that it is the cause of it but to make sure check your other Chinese goose and if she has it it's the rocks.
Where do they sleep on at night?
@Misslydia might help you more with the treatment as she has more expertise in what to do for the treatment
Don't worry about the way your feeding them because you're doing perfect

Don't worry, your gander isn't in pain that much because it only actually hurts if bumblefoot is on the main pad of the foot.
I think it's the rocks especially if they are constantly on them.
The majority of my geese that got bumblefoot were my Chinese and African geese so Miss L do you think that the Swan type breed have weaker bone joints then the greylag types? I see a lot of Chinese geese with bumblefoot here on Byc.

 

[Miss Lydia]

No for a Chinese he isn't obese.
Just to make it short, my sister is a vet and the only way she treats bumblefoot is by getting rid of it so maybe if you ask your vet to see if she could get rid of it? It's not just geese that have bumblefoot it's all waterfowl and poultry.
You know looking at those rocks it is likely that it is the cause of it but to make sure check your other Chinese goose and if she has it it's the rocks.
Where do they sleep on at night?
@Misslydia might help you more with the treatment as she has more expertise in what to do for the treatment

Don't worry about the way your feeding them because you're doing perfect

Don't worry, your gander isn't in pain that much because it only actually hurts if bumblefoot is on the main pad of the foot.
I think it's the rocks especially if they are constantly on them.
The majority of my geese that got bumblefoot were my Chinese and African geese so Miss L do you think that the Swan type breed have weaker bone joints then the greylag types? I see a lot of Chinese geese with bumblefoot here on Byc.

@lina500 they both are beautiful and look very healthy and no obese at all. I'm not sure why some poultry seem to be prone to bumble more than others, so far I haven't had a single waterfowl with bumble and believe me we live in very rocky terrain living in the mountains plus I have river rock all over to keep the mud down. The only poultry I have had with bumble is 3 chicken hens,. I treated all 3 at separate times with the ES soaks and colorless iodine and was able to get the bumble cleared up Main thing is to treat aggressively so the staph doesn't spread to joints . lina I have had to soak some geese feet before though for other injuries so what I do is take a gallon bucket put the ES in and nice warm water 1 cup to 1 gal of warm water mix to dissolve then put both feet and legs of the goose down into the bucket and hold to him. So far once they are standing in the bucket they don't try and get out, try for at least 5 mins but if he really is freaking out try for as close as you can get to 5 min .main thing is to get the bumble to the point where the scab comes off easily [it may take quiet a few soaks and iodine before you can easily remove the scabs] you can get the bumble out which with poultry pus isn't runny it is more the consistency of cottage cheese so you will have to pull it out with sterile tweezers. Then you soak again with the ES and dry and pack with antibiotic ointment. you can try putting a wrap on his foot to keep it clean while the hole fills in. but he should stay out of water till healed. The reason for colorless iodine instead of the reg is the ammonia in the colorless seems to draw the bumble to the surface.

 

[lina500]

@lina500 they both are beautiful and look very healthy and no obese at all. I'm not sure why some poultry seem to be prone to bumble more than others, so far I haven't had a single waterfowl with bumble and believe me we live in very rocky terrain living in the mountains plus I have river rock all over to keep the mud down. The only poultry I have had with bumble is 3 chicken hens,. I treated all 3 at separate times with the ES soaks and colorless iodine and was able to get the bumble cleared up Main thing is to treat aggressively so the staph doesn't spread to joints . lina I have had to soak some geese feet before though for other injuries so what I do is take a gallon bucket put the ES in and nice warm water 1 cup to 1 gal of warm water mix to dissolve then put both feet and legs of the goose down into the bucket and hold to him. So far once they are standing in the bucket they don't try and get out, try for at least 5 mins but if he really is freaking out try for as close as you can get to 5 min .main thing is to get the bumble to the point where the scab comes off easily [it may take quiet a few soaks and iodine before you can easily remove the scabs] you can get the bumble out which with poultry pus isn't runny it is more the consistency of cottage cheese so you will have to pull it out with sterile tweezers. Then you soak again with the ES and dry and pack with antibiotic ointment. you can try putting a wrap on his foot to keep it clean while the hole fills in. but he should stay out of water till healed. The reason for colorless iodine instead of the reg is the ammonia in the colorless seems to draw the bumble to the surface.

Thanks very much for the advice. We will start him on epsom soaks (they don't sell it in Cambodia but I brought some from abroad, luckily). When you say "get the bumble out" I am not sure if I understand. Is it just an infection is there an actual object I am trying to pull out?

 

[Miss Lydia]

Thanks very much for the advice. We will start him on epsom soaks (they don't sell it in Cambodia but I brought some from abroad, luckily). When you say "get the bumble out" I am not sure if I understand. Is it just an infection is there an actual object I am trying to pull out?

Bumble is infection and it will be pus in poultry, so once the scab comes off you most likely will see something that looks like thick cottage cheese just to illustrate it maybe yellow. that is what the bumble is you can use sterile tweezers and pull it out. I'll get you a link that gives pics. That will probably help.

 

[lina500]

Ah, okay. That makes complete sense. No photos needed, I'll wait to see it in real life.