Bumble Foot in BOTH feet

[lovemy6hens]

I wouldn't do any more to it for a couple of weeks. Just be sure to remove or pad any hard surfaces to keep pressure off the feet.

 

[TherryChicken]

I wouldn't do any more to it for a couple of weeks. Just be sure to remove or pad any hard surfaces to keep pressure off the feet.

Am doing.

 

[KayTee]

If one foot is looking better then that is already good news. I appreciate that you don't want to cut your girl's foot again, and in all honesty in your situation neither would I. Although bumblefoot is a nasty infection, it is not immediately life threatening - many birds live with bumblefoot for a long time without further complications. If you continue to treat it, with epsom salt baths (and Tricide Neo if you can get it) then you should gradually see an improvement and eventually it should heal.

However, having said that, if your bird starts to show a sudden change in behaviour or looks lethargic / ill then you should suspect that the infection may have spread, and get her to a vet immediately.

Quote:

Because the Tricide Neo is an antibiotic it works directly to kill the infection in the foot. I assume that the pus is reabsorbed into the body, in the same way that a spot on our skin gradually disappears over time. I don't know exactly how it works, just that it does, because I saw it in action on my girl's foot. It was amazing how the swelling went down, then the black scab got smaller, and one day when I was bathing her feet I scratched at the scab and it fell out, leaving a hole in her foot!

 

[TherryChicken]

Because the Tricide Neo is an antibiotic it works directly to kill the infection in the foot.  I assume that the pus is reabsorbed into the body, in the same way that a spot on our skin gradually disappears over time.  I don't know exactly how it works, just that it does, because I saw it in action on my girl's foot.  It was amazing how the swelling went down, then the black scab got smaller, and one day when I was bathing her feet I scratched at the scab and it fell out, leaving a hole in her foot!

Where can I get it? How do I use it? How long do I use it for? And what's the withdrawal period?

 

[KayTee]

Where can I get it? How do I use it? How long do I use it for? And what's the withdrawal period?

You can buy it online (I got mine from PondRx - I think that's the name of the company).

You mix it with distilled water to make a solution that you then use to bathe your chicken's feet for 5-10 minutes per day. There's no withdrawal period, as it's used externally, not internally, so it's not absorbed by the body in the same way as oral antibiotics.

What I did was make up half the sachet into a solution, and re-use it for as long as possible until it was almost gone, and then I made up a fresh solution with the rest of the pack. I waited until the birds were on the roost at night, then I picked my girl up, dipped her feet in a bowl of warm water to clean them off (to keep the TricideNeo as clean as possible) and then stood her in a small bowl (I used an old microwave dinner tray!) with the warmed antibiotic solution. You just need enough solution to cover her feet, so only an inch or two deep.

The first few nights I had to persuade her to stay still by giving her some treats, but pretty soon she came to enjoy our evening time together, and stood without a fuss. I tried to make each soaking last as long as possible, but I insisted on a minimum of 5 minutes. Once that time was up, as soon as she started fussing I took her out and put her back on the perch. I then carefully poured the solution into a bottle, to keep it for the following evening. Each evening before I went out to the coop I placed the bottle of solution in a bowl of hot water to warm it up, so it wasn't a cold shock to her feet.

I can't tell you how long it will take, but I do know that it's not a quick fix. If I remember rightly I spent around 6 - 8 weeks treating her (almost) every night. I missed one or two nights, for various reasons, which didn't seem to make much difference, but you need to keep at it regularly if you want to see results. It took a bit of dedication, but the results were worth it for my girl.

 

[TherryChicken]

You can buy it online (I got mine from PondRx - I think that's the name of the company).

You mix it with distilled water to make a solution that you then use to bathe your chicken's feet for 5-10 minutes per day.  There's no withdrawal period, as it's used externally, not internally, so it's not absorbed by the body in the same way as oral antibiotics.

What I did was make up half the sachet into a solution, and re-use it for as long as possible until it was almost gone, and then I made up a fresh solution with the rest of the pack.  I waited until the birds were on the roost at night, then I picked my girl up, dipped her feet in a bowl of warm water to clean them off (to keep the TricideNeo as clean as possible) and then stood her in a small bowl (I used an old microwave dinner tray!) with the warmed antibiotic solution.  You just need enough solution to cover her feet, so only an inch or two deep. 

The first few nights I had to persuade her to stay still by giving her some treats, but pretty soon she came to enjoy our evening time together, and stood without a fuss.  I tried to make each soaking last as long as possible, but I insisted on a minimum of 5 minutes.  Once that time was up, as soon as she started fussing I took her out and put her back on the perch.  I then carefully poured the solution into a bottle, to keep it for the following evening.  Each evening before I went out to the coop I placed the bottle of solution in a bowl of hot water to warm it up, so it wasn't a cold shock to her feet. 

I can't tell you how long it will take, but I do know that it's not a quick fix.  If I remember rightly I spent around 6 - 8 weeks treating her (almost) every night.  I missed one or two nights, for various reasons, which didn't seem to make much difference, but you need to keep at it regularly if you want to see results.  It took a bit of dedication, but the results were worth it for my girl.

Ok thank you!

 

[TherryChicken]

Hey everyone, I just wanted to let yall know that Chicken is doing VERY well. Luckily no more pus has shown up. Sadly some of the "padding" in her feet is gone, so we are adding extra bandaging to help.

 

[lovemy6hens]

That's great news!

 

[TherryChicken]

That's great news!

Most deff

 

[KayTee]

I'm really pleased for you and Chicken. (Love the name - I'm happy to know that I'm not the only person to name my birds literally, as I struggle to find imaginative names for them!)

Just out of interest, and to help others in the same situation, have you used any additional treatment on Chicken to help her to heal? If so, what was it, and for how long? It may give other people an idea of what might work to treat their birds.

Another question - do your birds free-range, or are they in a run? I only ask because if Chicken has lost padding in her feet but free ranges on grass then it may not be necessary to bandage her all the time to help the situation. My girls free range on my back lawn, but when they got bumblefoot problems I started to pad the roosts. They have flat roosts (narrow planks) that I now cover with folded towels / bath mats. If the towels get dirty I turn them over to a clean side, and I wash them once a week. Since I started padding the roosts with towels I haven't had a single bumblefoot problem, and at the moment I have 16 birds. If Chicken is on grass or soft ground in the day, and has a padded roost in the night, you could probably dispense with the bandages.