My first case of bumblefoot

[Unepuce]

My older girl Cabotine is a beautiful obese black berk that never got sick prior to a light URI a few weeks ago. For a few days now, I was watching one of her foot as I had noticed a little red spot. Yesterday morning, she was limping and I took another look - :gaah:. I searched for some bumblefoot photos and re- :gaah: . Last night, we took a picture, which I sent to vet - visually confirmed.


So now it's official - I am having my first case of bumblefoot. From what I have been reading on here, it is a nightmare to treat and cure... I was soooo happy never to have gone through this, and now here I am. :?

Any tip is welcome. For the background, Cabotine has been with me since she was 3 months old (she is now slightly over 2 years) and has been on fleece a along. I switched to the DCN metal pans a few months ago, with loose liners in the bottom - but of course, Cabotine learns (and teaches) that it's much more fun to be underneath the liners (even better - inside!!!) than on top. This is how I suspect she got it - that contact with urine, plus the 720 g average of her.

I was so pround she was so healthy despite her weight...

 

[lilspaz68]

Oh it's not a nightmare to treat...unless its a terrible case and hers isn;t too bad. It may never get any worse and might be more like a pressure sore because of her obesity.

Get your hands on Blu-Kote and using a Q-tip put Fat Rat on her back and daub the bumbles with it. Be careful Blue-kote stains like crazy! the antiseptic will dry out the bumbles. If they seem infected she'll need oral abs.

 

[victoria]

Cloud got bumblefoot when we moved here, the Soother Plus ointment they sell at the vet really helped. Before I took her to the vet I had put Polysporin on it and she hated it but after I put the Soother Plus on it once, she actually liked me putting it on and it did help a little with the sore (it stopped bleeding all the time) and a LOT with the pain.

littledevils has a good reference post on how to treat bumblefoot.

Edit: I have bluekote if you want as well, I don't know if it actually works though. I would still use the Soother Plus, I can't say enough good things about it.

 

[lilspaz68]

I have never heard of Soother Plus...where do you get it? Do you have a link?

 

[victoria]

Here's the link from the manufacturer's page: http://www.exoticdvm.com/index.cfm?fuse ... uct_id=251

I get it from the vet, but it's also sold by Healthy Bird.

I used it for Cloud and later for Sophie when she developed a sore that wouldn't heal and her necrotic tumour. It soothes pain with uric acid (SP?) and helps the healing process but doesn't have antibiotics like Polysporin, so if they lick it off they don't get diarrhea/kill off healthy bacteria.

I love the stuff, my only complaint is it comes in a soft plastic tube and all the rats like it, so every time I've used it, I've had to fight rats off because they were trying to eat the tube while I try to apply it to the needy rat.

Here's the Healthy Bird link: http://www.healthybird.net/catalog/inde ... cts_id=131

 

[Unepuce]

Thanks Victoria - Eliza did mention the Heal-X soother cream. I guess I'll be driving downtown tomorrow as I will also need some vet wrap (couldn't find the human equivalent at the pharmacy...).