Baytril dosage for ducks with bumblefoot

My duck had surgery 8 days ago for a huge bumblefoot. I do not have access to a farm animal vet, so a respected “regular” vet did it. He prescribed Baytril in pill form for 10 days. Tomorrow will be her last day. I would like to verify with anybody here who is familiar that the dose has been correct. I read in a book that I purchased (recommended here) not to give antibiotics past about 7-10 days or it could cause yeast problems and/or sour crop. I sure don’t need anything more to be treating.

Last night upon doing our daily cleaning and bandaging, we realized the scab around the edges was loose in places, so we started peeling it off. There was a lot of cheese like, semi-hard pus (we think). I don’t know if that was active infection, old pus, or whatever. But anything that came away easily, we took out. Now I’m wondering if the Baytril should be extended. I’m not sure if the vet only excised the middle of the scab or what, but he definitely didn’t remove the entire scab. I will include a photo from before surgery, one from Sunday night, as well as one from last night (Monday) after we debrided the scab.

The form she has been on is called Baytril 20 (22.7 mg tabs). She is a jumbo Pekin. I have not weighed her, but I’m assuming the vet did. I’m wondering if this dosage is acceptable, and if anybody thinks the oral antibiotic should be extended? I am so hoping this has not gotten into her bones (osteomyelitis).

Duck bumblefoot takes forrreevverrr to heal. Like, months, in my experience. That doesn't look too bad, actually. I'd finish the meds the vet gave and just apply antibiotic ointment and wrap until it's healed. But I'm interested in hearing what others recommend.

The dosage I use is 5mg per lb, two times a day for 5 days. The dosage you are using is likely half that, so maybe using it for 10 days would be similar. I don't know in that regards. Usually when I treat with baytril the infected area goes from hard to more squishy and soft.

I would definitely pack the wound with antibiotic ointment like @Aunt Angus mentioned. You can also contact your vet and maybe you need another antibiotic. Just because it works well for most bumblefoot, it is always possible you have one that has an an antibiotic resistance to it. Or the vet may offer a higher dosage. It is worth at least talking to them about it.

Also I highly recommend getting some duck booties. It helps a ton with the healing process. I held off getting them for a long time, and finally did because my ducks upper foot area was getting irritated from the vet wrap. The tissue healed so much faster when I switched.

Aunt Angus said:

Duck bumblefoot takes forrreevverrr to heal. Like, months, in my experience. That doesn't look too bad, actually. I'd finish the meds the vet gave and just apply antibiotic ointment and wrap until it's healed. But I'm interested in hearing what others recommend.

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Thank you! I can see that one this size will definitely take a long time to heal. But that you said it doesn’t look so bad makes me feel a bit better. I’m new to ducks AND bumblefoot, but it looks terrible to me. Most pictures I see are much smaller in comparison.

Quatie said:

The dosage I use is 5mg per lb, two times a day for 5 days. The dosage you are using is likely half that, so maybe using it for 10 days would be similar. I don't know in that regards. Usually when I treat with baytril the infected area goes from hard to more squishy and soft.

I would definitely pack the wound with antibiotic ointment like @Aunt Angus mentioned. You can also contact your vet and maybe you need another antibiotic. Just because it works well for most bumblefoot, it is always possible you have one that has an an antibiotic resistance to it. Or the vet may offer a higher dosage. It is worth at least talking to them about it.

Also I highly recommend getting some duck booties. It helps a ton with the healing process. I held off getting them for a long time, and finally did because my ducks upper foot area was getting irritated from the vet wrap. The tissue healed so much faster when I

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Quatie said:

The dosage I use is 5mg per lb, two times a day for 5 days. The dosage you are using is likely half that, so maybe using it for 10 days would be similar. I don't know in that regards. Usually when I treat with baytril the infected area goes from hard to more squishy and soft.

I would definitely pack the wound with antibiotic ointment like @Aunt Angus mentioned. You can also contact your vet and maybe you need another antibiotic. Just because it works well for most bumblefoot, it is always possible you have one that has an an antibiotic resistance to it. Or the vet may offer a higher dosage. It is worth at least talking to them about it.

Also I highly recommend getting some duck booties. It helps a ton with the healing process. I held off getting them for a long time, and finally did because my ducks upper foot area was getting irritated from the vet wrap. The tissue healed so much faster when I switched.

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Unfortunately, the vet had a serious family emergency and is in and out. He’s also a 90-minute drive one way, and because Baytril has been officially banned by the FDA in poultry, he almost didn’t prescribe it. I had to make that drive again just to pick it up a few days after surgery. He said I could never eat her eggs again. Plus, quite honestly I’m hesitant to prolong the antibiotics in fear of causing other issues (sour crop, yeast).

We are packing it each night with an antibiotic ointment that the vet prescribed, and thankfully I bought an extra tube on my last trip. I also bought regular triple antibiotic ointment for when that runs out. We also spray with Vetericyn. And I bought a bunch of vet wrap because we couldn’t find duck shoes readily available to fit. One place has a year long waiting list. The other place never returned my call. So I’m going to Joann today and buy wetsuit fabric (neoprene) and my son and I are going to make our own. We both sew, and he’s an engineer. He can come up with a pattern.

Thank again for the input!

joesandy1822 said:

Unfortunately, the vet had a serious family emergency and is in and out. He’s also a 90-minute drive one way, and because Baytril has been officially banned by the FDA in poultry, he almost didn’t prescribe it. I had to make that drive again just to pick it up a few days after surgery. He said I could never eat her eggs again. Plus, quite honestly I’m hesitant to prolong the antibiotics in fear of causing other issues (sour crop, yeast).

We are packing it each night with an antibiotic ointment that the vet prescribed, and thankfully I bought an extra tube on my last trip. I also bought regular triple antibiotic ointment for when that runs out. We also spray with Vetericyn. And I bought a bunch of vet wrap because we couldn’t find duck shoes readily available to fit. One place has a year long waiting list. The other place never returned my call. So I’m going to Joann today and buy wetsuit fabric (neoprene) and my son and I are going to make our own. We both sew, and he’s an engineer. He can come up with a pattern.

Thank again for the input!

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The FDA banned it because they don't want antibiotic resistant bacteria. Baytril is very close to another antibiotic used in humans, so they want to reduce it. This is more aimed at commercial farmers. Unfortunately it is a really highly effective drug, and others don't necessarily work. A lot of vets still prescribe it because of how effective it is.

As for the eggs, the vet has to say that you can't eat the eggs any more. He is trying to be a good and proper vet, which is respectable. However, after a couple weeks from the ducks last dose, there is no longer any trace of antibiotics in the eggs. Some wait a month to be sure. If you want to eat the eggs at that point, it's fine. If you still don't want to, that is fine as well.

Good luck with making the duck shoes. Sounds like you have a great plan for them.

Just FYI, you can get Baytril without a prescription.

https://allbirdproducts.com/products/baytril-10

Aunt Angus said:

Just FYI, you can get Baytril without a prescription.

https://allbirdproducts.com/products/baytril-10

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Thank you! Yes, I was aware I could get the liquid form with a prescription. However, they recommend to dose it in their water as their ONLY source of drinking water. My problem is that I cannot separate my two ducks for 10 days, and I don’t want the other duck to drink medicated water.

joesandy1822 said:

Thank you! Yes, I was aware I could get the liquid form with a prescription. However, they recommend to dose it in their water as their ONLY source of drinking water. My problem is that I cannot separate my two ducks for 10 days, and I don’t want the other duck to drink medicated water.

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I use it with my ducks, but I never put in the water. I give it orally with a syringe. If you ever need to use it in the future, the dosage is 0.05ml /lb twice a day for 5-7 days, which is the same as the 5mg / lb.

Quatie said:

I use it with my ducks, but I never put in the water. I give it orally with a syringe. If you ever need to use it in the future, the dosage is 0.05ml /lb twice a day for 5-7 days, which is the same as the 5mg / lb.

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Thank you! So you just put the syringe in their bill and squirt it in? I know it’s very bitter. Years ago I had to medicate various pet rodents for mycoplasmosis and I tasted it to see why they hated it so much. Awful tasting stuff!