2X Failed Bumblefoot Surgery, What to do Next?

[lbgreenfield]

Hi everyone - I've recently adopted a 2.5 year old California White Leghorn chicken that had a small, 5mm diameter bumblefoot scab on her right foot. For two weeks, I did daily epsom salt soaks and bandaged with gauze and Neosporin prior to surgery to see if the scab would go away on its own. After two weeks, the scab did not go away, increase, or decrease in size. After researching at-home surgery options and watching a lot of YouTube videos, I did the removal surgery twice now, with no success. I waited one week in between each surgery. During both surgeries, no pus discharge or "cottage cheese" type fluids were observed or removed. I literally found nothing within her foot pad once I removed the scab. The scab came off without any plug or associated materials, just a flat black scab. After the second surgery, I have once again been doing daily epsom salt soaks, massaging the foot pad, and bandaging with Neosporin and gauze. Her foot pad is still swollen and pink, but the scab is closing up and healing, although it still appears to be bumblefoot. She is eating, drinking, scratching, dirt bathing, and roosting just fine. I'm asking if there is anything else I can do to remove the bumblefoot via non-surgical options? I've thought about purchasing TricideNeo once her scab heals to see if that would help, but at this point, she's happy, eating/drinking, and acting pretty normal, so I'm tempted to let it go for now. Any thoughts on how to proceed or any thoughts on what else this might be other than bumblefoot? I've attached two photos that I took last night (29 July 2019) - one of her bumblefoot and one of her normal foot.

 

[azygous]

Good photos and good run-down on your treatment so far. It appears you have done all you can do, and as long as your patient seems to be acting normally, you can let things coast from here and just keep an occasional eye on it.

I've had a very stubborn case of bumblefoot that took two years to treat. It was far worse than your hen's. Like hers, the foot pad swelling never would go down, no matter what I did, including a round of a powerful oral antibiotic.

I'm guessing that the continued swelling may be callous tissue rather than a legitimate inflammation. You will know if this is bothering her if you see her favoring the foot, limping, and pecking at it.

 

[lbgreenfield]

Thanks for your reply, azygous! Once the scab has fully formed and I feel OK removing the bandages permanently, I'm probably going to try the TricideNeo, but other than that, I won't be pursuing any other treatments at this point in time.

 

[welasharon]

I have a hen that is constantly getting bumblefoot. Finally I bought some herbal stuff from Mile High Farms or something like that. It has worked on the bumble. It takes a while but it eventually got it out. I started out using it topically and then boyh orally and topically. She has gotten a secondary infection in one of her legs and I am not giving her clavamox for that but her bumbles are gone. I tried the TricideNeo before but it didn't seem to help....or maybe I wasn't patient enough.
ETA moonlight mile herb farm...LOL I was close!

 

[GermanKennhuhn]

Sorry I know this thread is old, but I'm interested, how did she turn out? I have a hen with the same problem. First surgery, a maybe a month and a half or two ago,I peeled of the scab and there was no pus, core or anything. I just tried it again. Same thing. No pus or anything. I put antibiotic ointment and veterycin spray on it and seperated her from the flock. I'm nervous, her case is the first time I treated bumblefoot.

 

[azygous]

If there is smooth tissue under the scab and no pus kernel, there is no infection. The scab was likely just a very shallow scrape that healed on its own, avoiding bacteria from taking hold.

 

[GermanKennhuhn]

Really? Foot pad was swollen and she was limping.

 

[Kazzandra]

That could simply be a sprain and injury. Bumblefoot is always an infection, with an infection kernal present.

 

[glassdragonfly]

Very helpful,thanks for sharing!

 

[azygous]

Look for greenish bruises on the webbing between the toes. Often bruising causes chickens to limp more often than bumblefoot.

If you would post a closeup of the bumblefoot, we could see what it looks like. If it's wet and yellowish under the scab, you may need to dig the pus out. It doesn't always oblige by coming out in the form of a solid pus plug attached to a scab.