Abcessed foot not getting better

[michickenwrangler]

Earlier this week, I noticed my 1 yr old EE rooster's foot was swollen. OK, take him inside, soak in epsom salts, find scab, pull scab off, squeeze pus out, put peroxide on, let him hang out until it dries, put betadine on scab, wait until it dries, put him back outside.

Well, with all the rain, the chicken run is a mucky poopy mess. I've been letting them free range as much as possible to keep them out of the run. But again, with the wetness I haven't put a bandage on him. I tried putting him in the quarantine hutch, but he paced so much and knocked over the feed and water plus with the cold weather and rain, the hutch doesn't offer the best protection.

So, I'm still bringing him every night to soak his foot and clean it. I resorted to giving him some amoxicilan I have on hand but nothing is improving.

HELP!

 

[Judy]

Just dug this out recently for someone else. Maybe it will help you:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=303829

 

[nnbreeder]

Bumblefoot is caused by a Staph infection and it takes a lokg time to heal and some good antibiotics to knock it out.

Copied from another site and authured by Crazychick.


Sometimes you add bacteria to the problem, making it worse.

Try the iodine/sugar poultice first, wrapping with the coflex bandage to keep it clean.

Change it daily.

The bacteria doing the dirty work is most often a staphlylococcus bacteria and I've found that Penicillin G procaine (white penicillin) given at a dose of 30 000 I.U., twice a day (once a day in less severe infections) is good at treating bumblefoot.

If there is no change in the swelling after 3 days, then you may have to open the wound up. If you have to, you must wrap it every day until it is more or less healed, or more staph bacteria will get in there and start the whole cycle back up.

This is why I avoid it if possible.

There probably won't be any liquid pus in the foot, but a cheesy pus that works its way into the tendons and ligaments in the foot- be prepared to get as much out as you can, but don't risk damaging the foot.

Flush it out with sterile saline (under pressure- put the saline into a syringe and flush with quite a bit of force). I avoid hydrogen peroxide in open wounds as it stings and can do tissue damage (if used too often... It has it's place, though).

You can flush the wound with a tea colored solution of betadine and water- mostly water with just enough betadine to make the solution the color of strong tea.

Flush this in first (again, in the syringe) then flush it all out again with the saline.

Hopefully the wound comes around with just the Pen G procaine and the iodine/sugar poultice.

 

[michickenwrangler]

How do you do an iodine/sugar poultice?

 

[Country4ever]

You get a little sugar and just slowly add betadine until it is of sand texture. Its very easy. I just did it last week. Fill the hole with it and put a small piece of gauze over it and then secure it with something like Kling wrap and then 4-5" narrow strips of vet wrap or something similar. (Its the kind of stuff that sticks to itself. I used the stuff for humans.)
Just be sure when you wrap the foot, to leave the toes out, so they can still walk okay. You really need to isolate her so you can keep an eye on her and her foot stays clean.
Change the dressing about every 2 days. You might have to irrigate it before dressing it again too.

 

[michickenwrangler]

I've got a sugar/iodine poultice on along with putting him in the hutch. He's just sitting there eating and drinking and looking at the other chickens going past, so I think he'll be fine for a bit.

 

[cocosandy]

If this is bumblefoot you need to get the bumble out. Be sure that youve scraped it out very well and if you get the hard kernel out then you may be in the clear. you may have to repeat this. fill it with neosporin and inject into the hole with Tylan if you have it...or into the thigh...keep it wrapped with vet wrap and change it every few days. If it gets the pus and swollen again then open and drain it. The bumble can surface later on if its up in a toe.
Be sure to search this forum for bumblefoot surgery and look at the pictures. Its in a section of important things to keep in the sticky section.
there is a great thread with pictures of the whole thing.
This is staph so wear gloves! Its a really tough problem and it will bleed alot so if y ou can do it on the side of the sink with his feet hanging into the sink and work by the running faucet, it will be easier. The chicken should lay calmly if you cover it with a towel and lay it on its side. Ive done this alot and its sorta hard but you can cure it...just try to keep it clean after. If you look at indoor duck dot com you can order some chicken shoes which have holes for the toes and are made of neoprene...
good luck

 

[michickenwrangler]

I've taken care of 2 hens with bumblefoot and they both recovered--mainly because it was summer and dry and I could keep a bandage on them. With as wet and mucky as it has been, it has been hard. I did put the rooster in the hutch today and when I returned home from Easter dinner, he was sitting in a corner instead of pacing as I had expected him to do.

I'll take a look at him tomorrow.