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.