WHAT IS BUMBLEFOOT?

WHAT IS BUMBLEFOOT?

Bumblefoot is an inflammatory condition of the foot which may be caused by any number of reasons. Bumblefoot may be characterized by some or all of the following conditions of the foot:

abrasion
swelling
ulceration
loss of one or more talon(s).

Early indications of bumblefoot may be simply red, irritated - looking feet.

It is important to catch and treat bumblefoot early. Bumblefoot will not heal by itself. Birds have no way of resting their feet so the condition deteriorates if left untreated. The infection can spread into the bone and will eventually lead to death.

What Causes Bumblefoot?

Bumblefoot can be caused by a variety of things including (but not limited to):

improper perching
puncture wounds
trap injuries
fractured leg (When one leg is fractured it causes the bird to put an unusual amount of stress on the other leg and foot.)
improper landing caused by improper caging
persistent bating (jumping) from perch
prolonged period of time spent on ground (usually associated with a wing injury)
unsanitary conditions in cage and/or perch.

As you can see, bumblefoot is more common in captive birds of prey, and only occurs in wild raptors that have been injured.

How Can Bumblefoot Be Prevented in Captive Raptors?

Bumblefoot is easily preventable in captive raptors by following these simple guidelines:

Give each bird a variety of perches, at different heights and covered in different substrates.
Keep the perches in good condition and clean them often.
Carefully observe the feet of any raptor with a fractured leg. Pay attention to the leg that is not fractured, that is where the bumblefoot will most likely develop.
Keep talons in good condition to prevent self inflicted puncture wounds.
Observe the feet of every bird you handle.

Do they look healthy?
Are there any indications of bumblefoot developing (red irritated spots)?

How Do We Treat Bumblefoot?

Although there will be cases of bumblefoot so severe that surgery is required, RROKI has found that most respond to our treatment quite well. In fact, since the treatment described here has been implemented, we have not lost one patient nor had to perform surgery for bumblefoot.

Here is a brief outline of our treatment, (greater detail will be provided in “Treatment Procedure”):

Clean the foot with an antibacterial cleanser.
Apply CEH cream.
Cover with gauze to protect and pad the foot.

Our secret seems to be the herbal CEH cream. CEH cream has three active ingredients: Calendula, Echinacea, and Hypericum. These herbs are known for their healing properties, which include:

antibiotic
antimicrobial
antiseptic
anti-inflammatory
blood purifier.

This herbal cream works miracles with bumblefoot and other open wounds. It has shown better results than Neosporin, DMSO, (products commonly used by other rehab facilities) or anything else we have tried. It, used in conjunction with the treatment described here, can heal an average case of bumblefoot in two to three weeks. You should begin to see results in as little as five days.

Index