Help PLEASE !!! - 3 Photos - Is this bumblefoot or something else?

Need Help, Please!!!: Below are 3 photos (2 of 1 foot and 1 of the other foot) of the bottom of my 7 month old Wellsummer rooster. I dropped him off at my avian vet this morning and heard back from the receptionist that the vet is giving him antibiotics, but due to the "location" of the bumblefoot, she is not doing surgery. She is keeping him overnight and will update me tomorrow morning. Not depicted in any photos is that the foot with the larger dark circle started to get red and a bit swollen in the lower leg. I discovered him limping on Saturday, then Sunday he wouldn't walk and the lower leg near foot was red, Monday morning he went to vet and it's Monday night after hearing back from vet.

Oh, to the touch, the bottom of both feet feels like hard calluses versus having softness and then a hard spot where the black area is -- don't know if that means anything?

Also, in person, the dark spots look darker than they do in these uploaded photos.

First, do those of you with experience, agree that the below photos depict bumblefoot?

Second, now that I've uploaded these photos from my phone, it seems to me that there is scaley mite-do you agree?

I'm confused because the photos I've seen of bumblefoot look different than my photos. The pads are very thick and have that broken into pieces with crevices look. These two qualities are visible in person, too. I've never seen this in other bumblefoot photos. In other photos the skin is smooth and there is a black circle.

I don't understand the vet giving antibiotics but not doing surgery because from what I've read, the hard core must be removed or the chicken will die.

If this is bumblefoot, is there anybody in Arizona that has done this surgery before? I'm in Northern Arizona near the Sedona area but would drive long distance to get some help with the surgery. I don't even look when I get blood drawn, but if the vet won't do it (and I've already called another vet and will continue to try to find one), then I will have to do it.

I don't feel a black hard spot, the whole pad is very hard, like a human callus. And, the dark spot, in the worse foot, covers nearly the hole pad.

Thanks to everyone that can help!!!

Ouch poor thing! I don't have chickens yet but I've been reading the forums for a long time to try to learn as much as I can. I'm sure someone here can offer some advise, I hope he gets better soon!

Did the vet say it was bumblefoot?

The vet's receptionist said the vet said that "due to the location of the bumblefoot, she won't do the surgery" -- then I said, "so, she agrees that this is bumblefoot, but won't do the surgery, I don't understand because my understanding is that the chicken will die unless the kernel is removed and the puss cleaned out."

So, I didn't get to speak to the vet directly, but after the "death" comment I made, the assistant said she would try to get me to speak directly to the vet tomorrow, Tuesday morning. The vet is giving him antibiotics and anti-inflammatory and keeping him at her office over night and the assistant said the vet wanted to see how the rooster walks tomorrow, Tuesday morning.

Mmm thats odd if it is bumblefoot, i dont understand why she wouldnt do the surgery. From what i have read if the bumblefoot is caught before it to late it can be treated with just antibiotics and the chicken/fowl will be healed but if left for awhile then surgery the only option. I dont know how far along the bumblefoot is in your rooster but that looks ugly. She could be trying to see if the medication helps first before doing the surgry simply because it would be easier on the chicken.

I agree that they are bumble foot - they don't appear to be in an area that would be difficult to get to at all. They might be very deep, which is what the vet is saying. I had a chicken with one that looked like that. I soaked it for a couple of days in Epson salts to loosen it, then put a poultice using magnapaste on it for 3 days - it helped pull it more into a core. Then I did the surgery & it came out very clean. She did great & has healed nicely.

Vet Update: It's Tuesday and I just spoke to the vet. Contrary to what the receptionist told me, the vet told me she does not think it's bumblefoot, despite the two dark circles. She is interested in taking blood to check the white blood cell count to see if something is brewing in there. She says that bumblefoot is an open sore that oozes and there is no drainage in this rooster. She also said it's not scaley mites. She says it's just big calluses. She did acknowledge that 1 leg was inflamed, so she is giving him the antibiotic and the anti-inflammatory. She also said he's 8 pounds and if the calluses were cut off it would be horrible for him with open air tendons. Having said all that, she is not inclined to treat bumblefoot with surgery, rather, she puts the poultry down, assuming less invasive methods can't solve the problem.

ElenaV said:

She says that bumblefoot is an open sore that oozes and there is no drainage in this rooster.

Click to expand...

That is a very late stage bumblefoot & not the norm! http://beautyofbirds.com/bumblefoot.html