Foot infection

[ruby13326]

I'm not sure I can do that, add the results, not sure if I'm even supposed to have them but since I'm a nurse they stretch things a bit. She has E. Coli AND Pseudomonas aeruginosa. To treat both, she needs ciprofloxacin/Enrofloxacin which is apparently illegal to give to meat animals now. Her feet are maybe a tiny bit better but I'm giving her daily injections of enroflaxacin (Baytril) which I had. It's a fluoroquinolone antibiotic and apparently commercial poultry owners were adding it to drinking water as a preventative so it was banned. Banned from drinking water or the injectable? That's the question I just emailed to Bayer, the maker of Baytril. I don't know, people just don't use common sense anymore and the God Almighty dollar drives people's thinking so it ruins things for the rest. In the meantime, innocent victims suffer.

 

[ruby13326]

What is it?

pseudomonas aeruginosa and E. Coli. She needs Ciprofloxacin or Gentamiacin or Enrofloxacin (which she's getting illegally from me) but it's expired, October 2018, and I am not 100% sure of the dose long term, she will have been on it 2 weeks Monday night.

 

[ruby13326]

Has the vet gotten back to you?

Not really because she was on vacation but I did hear from the grapevine that she said that the only thing that will cure her is what she's on now which she's not supposed to be on. She doesn't want to know anything about this because she said she could loose her license knowing a meat animal was on a forbidden antibiotic which I have to honor. My old vet who gave me the script for the other antibiotic, knew me well enough to trust my bumblefooted chickens would never be sold or eaten so she prescribed it. she is now retired. Best vet in the worlds she was. At the cost of this chicken, $600.00+, I can't afford to eat her. It's just that after all this time, I'm either going to win this thing if it kills me. she is not suffering however.. that would be a game changer.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I don't see why you shouldn't have access to the results, you paid for the service and testing.

Baytril is banned for use in poultry, but often a vet may prescribe it to treat certain infections if they deem it necessary and the eggs/meat are not going to be consumed.
2 weeks is a long time to be on Baytril. Normally it's given twice a day for 5 days.

@coach723 or @Eggcessive may have better ideas on how to clean the feet. I would say that the pus needs to be removed. Chicken pus does not dry up. Soaking in Chlorhexidine may be a good option.

 

[Eggcessive]

Baytril can treat the bacteria you mentioned, and I would use it even if expired that long, but it seems the vet could give you some up to date. Enrofloxacin 10%, the generic is available online from Jedds.com if you want to order it. Dosage is 0.05 ml per pound twice daily for 5 days, and can be given orally. It has been banned for many years for chickens (but not for other animals,) due to increasing antibiotic resistance in strains of campylobacter in chickens. That said, many vets will prescribe it for pets or chickens who have severe infections.

I would keep soaking the legs and using 2% chlorhexidene, and try to get them to heal. Was this chicken kept in terrible conditions from the previous owner? Chickens can get bad foot infections and scald from pododermatitis. The droppings from these chickens may contain chemicals that add to it. You certainly have your work cut out for you. Has the vet ever thought about the skin form of Mareks disease as a possibility? Here is article on the various reasons for pododermatitis:
https://www.thepoultrysite.com/articles/what-causes-foot-dermatitis-in-poultry

 

[ruby13326]

Thanks for the input. I actually think shes on the mend now...finally. Baytril seems to be slowly working, the bacatricin is too. I did work on debriding her foot last night and tonight, we will see tomorrow if its working

 

[Maryb Heisner]

Thanks for the input. I actually think shes on the mend now...finally. Baytril seems to be slowly working, the bacatricin is too. I did work on debriding her foot last night and tonight, we will see tomorrow if its working

Thanks for posting. My chicken has same exact thing. I will try Baytril but how long do you give it for?