Healing takes time.

June 6th. That’s when we noticed the Cayuga limping and took the first photo of her palmate — the bottom of her foot.

Bumblefoot is an infection of the foot that can cause swelling, pain, and abscesses. Unfortunately, our sweet girl has the variety with both swelling and an abscess.

We needed to consider:

* What is her quality of life?

* What is her current pain level?

* What is her mobility?

* What is the likelihood of recovery?

* What stress will she have from treatment?

These are difficult decisions. Decisions every animal owner eventually faces.

We no longer have a large animal vet nearby (yes, ducks are classed as large animals). We knew if we were to treat it, we’d need help from the vet. Thankfully, we’ve cultivated a lovely relationship with a vet on Vancouver Island and can communicate with them via phone and email. We sent photos and received medications and instructions on how to treat her bumblefoot. Healing, when possible, takes time.

Here’s where we are right now:

* Nightly soaks in water with epsom salts

* Gentle massage

* Tetracycline

* Black goop (Ichthammol ointment)

* Gauze

* Vet wrap

Let’s just say that putting goop, gauze, and wrapping a duck foot is challenging. Fortunately, for the most part, the “boot” has stayed on. Yay!

Some days feel better, some days it seems the swelling is worse. All we can do is treat her to the best of our ability, wait, observe, adjust, and hope she heals.

We’ve been treating her foot for nearly three weeks now. Recovery has been slower than we’d hoped, and there are still more questions than answers.

For now, we’re continuing treatment, monitoring her comfort, and hoping the swelling and abscess resolve. 

Time will tell.

We’ve added a short video about it to the YouTube channel. You can watch the video here. YouTube Video.

Warmly,

Brin

—

Brin writes about the quieter lessons of small farm life – ducks in the morning, goats in the barn, and the slow work of tending a small piece of land. Between animal chores, soap making, and reflexology work, she reflects on what it means to live well, live simply, and discover what “enough” really looks like.