Sore on Bottom of Foot HELP!!

[Malzmom]

One of my finches has scale on his right leg. The pair have been wiping their beaks on the perches and picking at their feet so I am sure there are mites. I am waiting on medication to come in the mail since our pet stores are shameful here, meanwhile I have been spraying with Mite spray. I took out the nest and put in a new one, clean bedding and all. The finch that has the scale on his right leg is now favoring his left leg. I caught him today and looked at the leg/foot and notice on the underside of one of his toes is a red area. Not an open wound but very red. He can't hardly stand on it.
Questions:
Anything I can put on it to help and once the mite medication comes will that clear it up if he has mites on the feet making this area red? If not what should I do?
I have some perches that are a bit rough like tree branches, could he have rubbed it wrong on one of them, should the perches be smooth?
Once I start treating for mites as directed do I need to replace the nest/bedding again?
Thanks to all of you who so graciously help us newbies out!

Malzmom

[Crystal]

Can you post (in-focus) pictures of his foot and the scale you are seeing?

[Malzmom]

Thanks,
Yes but they are down already, I will get him out tomorrow and take a picture and post it. Any ideas on the other questions?

[Crystal]

Anything I can put on it to help and once the mite medication comes will that clear it up if he has mites on the feet making this area red? If not what should I do?
I have some perches that are a bit rough like tree branches, could he have rubbed it wrong on one of them, should the perches be smooth?
Once I start treating for mites as directed do I need to replace the nest/bedding again?

The answer to your first question depends on what the cause of the bird's problem is--it may or may not be related to mites. If it is related to mites and the product you use to treat the mites is effective, the red/sore may resolve on its own. If it is a complicated sore or if it is not due to mites, treating for mites probably won't 'cure' it and the treatment will depend on what the problem actually is.

Although sandpaper perches can cause problems, tree-branch like perches (if nontoxic and clean) should not cause any trouble for the birds. That being said, the red sore on his foot could be due to trauma of some kind; seeing pictures of the area might help give us a better idea of what kinds of things to consider as possible causes.

If mites are the problem, and once you begin treating for them, it is a good idea to clean the cage thoroughly until the birds are successfully treated. I would take the nest away alltogether for now and consider using plastic perches which you can disinfect and clean until you have finished treating the birds, then give them brand new perches and possibly a new nest. If you are ordering SCATT, the recommended treatment scheme is treat once, wait 3 weeks, treat again, and if the problem is not resolved 3 weeks later, consider treating a third time. This means that it may take up to 6 weeks from the time treatment is started to see improvements, and that you may need to keep cleaning the cage for those 6 weeks; minimumly I would thorougnly clean and disinfect the cage at the time of each treatment, and clean the perches/dishes/cage bottom more frequently. It's cheaper and easier to provide plastic perches and no nest at this time since wood is impossible to disinfect. In addition to this, you can consider dusting the cage lightly with 5% carbaryl powder as it kills mites.

[Malzmom]

Thanks a bunch, just a note, I have been placing a white cloth over the cage for the last couple of nights, but nothing on it in the mornings....isn't that one way to check for mites.

Also, every once in a while I see what looks like little red hairs on the chest of my white finch. At first I thought it was red hairs but as soon as I spray them with mite spray they go away but in a day or three they showed up again. Weird huh?

[tammieb]

The red "hairs" or feathers are the red mites. It's a different parasite than the mite that causes scaley face/leg.

I believe SCATT will take care of both, but not certain.

The mite spray you are using should kill the red mites, but your birds are most likely being reinfected. Crystal gave excellent advice regarding the perches and nest.

[Malzmom]

Thank YOU so very much, all the information is so valuable....each day is a new learning experience!

[Malzmom]

I tried to get a good picture but it came out blurry...sorry. But looking through some other pictures of Bumble foot it does look like the beginning of this but not bloody, yet. The vets in my area are terrible and none that I am aware of look at birds. So with this in mind what can I do if anything. He is so favoring his poor little foot. My mite medication, Iverlux from Fincheniche will be here hopefully by the end of the week. Is there antibiotic oitment or anything I can put on the foot to start the healing process or do I need to hunt down a vet?

[tammieb]

I would give him some wider perches or even platforms so he doesn't have to try and grip to stay on.

you could put some Neosporin on his foot, if you have that on hand.

[Crystal]

That really is too blurry to see what is going on, hmm... if you think it looks like bumblefoot:



you can try treating it like it is:

-Pad perches with materials like Mole-skin tape (Dr. Scholl's Foot Products, available in any pharmacy foot products department) to protect the bottom of the feet of affected birds.
-Provide a balanced diet with adequate amounts of vitamin A (try giving your birds boiled egg chopped shell and all with added shredded carrots, alfalfa meal, spinach, parsley, kale, dandelion, and/or turnip greens (all high in vitamin A). Feed this to them daily.
-Provide perches with a variety of diameters and textures (if you already have natural tree branches, you are probably already doing this)
-Keep the nails trimmed
-You can try washing the feet gently (if they are soiled) and applying an ointment like Tammie recommends. If you chose to put on an ointment, only apply a thin film and make sure not to get any of it on the feathers (oil based ointments make feathers stick together and the bird will lose its insulation and become chilled).
-Consider treating with systemic antibiotics--this would require a visit to a vet, preferably one that knew anything about birds or who could at least consult with an avian vet for advice on which antibiotic to chose and what dosage to give. Make sure they double and triple check their math, though; finches are so small and easy to overdose. I do highly recommend treating with antibiotics as bumblefoot may not resolve without it, especially if the problem progresses to ulcerated/open wounds on the foot.
-Keep the cage and the perches especially very clean

If the lesions do not improve or if they become worse, you will need to see a vet. The vet should know if it looks like bumblefoot or something else; if it is bumblefoot, the vet will usually debride the wounds, flush them with iodine solution, and then bandage the affected foot/feet. Systemic antibiotics will need to be given (by injection at first, then orally, usually) and the bandages will need to be changed frequently, preferably daily. It really becomes a pain in the butt once it has progressed to ulceration; I'm dealing with an ulcerated pododermatitis finch right now--both of her feet are affected so she gets them both bandaged and the bandages changed daily. I don't have anyone to hold her for me so I do it myself which takes more time, but is possible. She is also on oral antibiotics. Generally it takes a long time and a lot of work for a chance at curing it once it is this bad, so hopefully yours won't progress to this point!

It is possible also that a different condition is responsible for the feet problems your birds are experiencing. Passerines (especially if housed outdoors) are at risk for poxvirus infection. Insect bites can cause swellings. Mites can cause proliferative lesions (and you will be treating for these, which is good). Aging can cause some birds to have "thicker" feet. Allergic reaction (e.g. tobacco smoke) is also possible. There may be other causes, too.

Good luck though and keep us posted about the progress of your bird. It's a good idea to check the bottom of his feet regularly if not daily to make sure things are not getting worse.

[Malzmom]

Can't believe you said allergic reaction to tobacco smoke. I am fighting with my seasonal neighbor down stairs to stop smoking cigars on the lanai because it waifs up into my lanai which is where the birds are during the day. BUMMER, could be one cause other than the mites. I will do as you and Tammie suggest and pray for the best outcome. Good luck with your little buddie. Again, Thank you so much for all advice.