“Bumblefoot” (Pododermatitis) in Avian Species    

Clinical signs:

Symptoms can vary based on severity, one or both feet may be involved, and are graded on 1 – 7 scale.

• Grade 1: thinning of the skin on the soles of the feed, reddening.
• Grade 2: Thinning of the soles of the feet progresses to the point where tendons are visible through it.
• Grade 3: Ulcers form on the soles of the feet with calluses around the edges, pain and lameness present.
• Grade 4: A hard, dry, necrotic plug forms in the center of the ulcer, pain and lameness present.
• Grade 5: Swelling and edema develop around the ulcer and foot/digits become swollen. Tendons and pads of the feet become infected, pain and severe lameness present. 
• Grade 6: Digits swollen and the tendons on the underside of the foot rupture. Joints of the now non-functional digits start to fuse.
• Grade 7: Infection now penetrating into the bones of the foot. At this point infection may worsen to the point of sepsis.

Common Causes:

Common causes include hard perches of uniform diameter (i.e. dowels), poor perch sanitation, overweight birds, nutritional, and/or abnormal weight loading due to injury of one leg. When more advanced, the secondary bacterial infection often caused by Staphylococcus sp., Streptococcus sp., and/or  Pseudomonas sp. Infection may also be caused by Candida sp or Mycobacteria sp, but these are less common.

Similar Conditions:

Trauma or self-mutilation may look similar in some cases.

Diagnostics:

Common recommended diagnostic tests include culture and radiographs (x-rays) to determine progression and bone involvement.

Treatment:

Treatment consists of prescription non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications, antibiotics, topical ointments, and laser therapy. Bandaging may be necessary in some cases. It is imperative to improve sanitation if this is a concern and overweight animals should be encouraged to lose weight. While healing, remove (or add padding to) perches and/or keep the patient on padded (towel or rubberized foam) to lessen pressure on lesions. Once healed, ensure the patient has a variety of different sized uneven surfaced perches (no smooth dowel rods or sandpaper). Improve sanitation. Surgical debridement may be necessary in some cases as well.

Prognosis:

Prognosis depends on severity and whether or not both feed are involved at time of diagnosis. Grades 1-3 have a fair to good prognosis with treatment. Grades 4 and 5 typically have guarded to poor diagnosis. Oftentimes, Grades 6 and 7 carry a grave prognosis even with the best treatment.

Follow-up:

Rechecks as needed for wound management and ensuring improvement. Your veterinarian will recommend how often rechecks are necessary depending on the severity of the bird’s condition.