What's wrong with this bird?

BobinPeterboro · #1 (**permalink**) 19-01-2010, 01:05 PM

A poorly Chaffinch I photographed today. What is wrong with his left leg?

pammosley · #2 (**permalink**) 19-01-2010, 01:17 PM

I think it might be Bungle Foot ( I think that`s it) It`s a fungal infection that gets in when the foot is damaged. Others will proberly enlighten you more.

BobinPeterboro · #3 (**permalink**) 19-01-2010, 01:31 PM

Thanks Pam. I tried googling "Bungle Foot" and got all sorts of strange results. Unfortunately - none relevant to this poor chap.

thunder · #4 (**permalink**) 19-01-2010, 01:58 PM

Bumble foot is the expression you need

henrya

BobinPeterboro · #5 (**permalink**) 19-01-2010, 02:19 PM

Thanks Henrya that produced results. During my wandering around inside google I also found this.
Can Bumblefoot be treated ?

pammosley · #6 (**permalink**) 19-01-2010, 02:35 PM

Oh dear, I must have been thinking of Rainbow, sorry

RKB · #7 (**permalink**) 19-01-2010, 07:02 PM

This isn't bumble foot (although many people are calling it this). Bumble foot is a condition usually seen in captive raptors when housed with poor perches - the talon pierces the ball of the foot and causes a bacterial swelling infection, similar to a boil.

What this Chaffinch has is papillomavirus - a viral infection (not bacterial, not fungal). It is commonly seen in Chaffinches, and also Dunnocks. There's not much you can do about it, and the bird eventually loses the leg (and often the other one eventually).

You often see this called 'scaly leg' too, but that is also incorrect. Scaly leg disease is usually seen in captive finches, and is caused by a mite that causes a thickening and shedding of the leg scales - totally different from papillomavirus.

detail here http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?im...GB344%26um%3D1

bigdave60dog · #8 (**permalink**) 19-01-2010, 07:08 PM

Yep. He`s right it`s a virus.
Incidentally, Bumble foot and scaly leg are caused by similar mite infections. they are regularly seen in domestic poultry.
Dipping the foot in deisel oil is a cheap and efective cure and does not seem to harm the poultry. Vaseline is Ok and smells less but is not so easy to apply.

RKB · #9 (**permalink**) 19-01-2010, 08:34 PM

Bumblefoot is not a mite infection, Dave. It is a specific veterinary term used for only one condition, caused by bacteria, and should not be confused with scaly leg (in the same way that we don't say 'flesh-eating bug' [Streptococcus bacteria] when we mean scabies [mite]!):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bumblefoot_(infection)

First State Veterinary Supply - Bumblefoot

ScienceDirect - Preventive Veterinary Medicine : Incidence and risk factors for bumblefoot (pododermatitis) in rehabilitated raptors

Only scaly leg is used for the mite-infection conditon.

BobinPeterboro · #10 (**permalink**) 20-01-2010, 07:08 AM

RKB Thanks I had a look at the link you posted and that is exactly what this bird has. Thank you for putting in the effort to check and post the link, at least now I know a little bit more about the birds I am photographing.
Cheers
Bob
p.s. How do you know all this are you connected in some way with animal health?