Abscess or tumor on leg. Advice needed.

[Cseigh]

Our 8 month old basque hen has been sick for about a week now. She has been lethargicand her comb is drooping. I gave her a bath today to clean her vent and check for parasites and found a mass on her right thigh. It’s about 1.5” long x 1” wise and raised about 1/2”. It feels firm to the touch. She doesn’t seem to be limping at all. Any advice on how to proceed with this?

 

[Sneebsey]

It looks to me as though she has damaged the skin slightly somewhere, or possibly had an ingrown feather, and that it has caused infection. If it feels firm, it is likely full of puss, and I believe that to the right of the brownish scab, and in the feathers underneath the area, I can see indications of pus having left the scab area. You may wish to treat with antibiotics or a topical antibiotic gel or cream (without painkiller) but it may become necessary to extract the pus yourself.

 

[Cseigh]

It looks to me as though she has damaged the skin slightly somewhere, or possibly had an ingrown feather, and that it has caused infection. If it feels firm, it is likely full of puss, and I believe that to the right of the brownish scab, and in the feathers underneath the area, I can see indications of pus having left the scab area. You may wish to treat with antibiotics or a topical antibiotic gel or cream (without painkiller) but it may become necessary to extract the pus yourself.

I checked again and I can’t see any area where there is visible pus draining, but it is hot to the touch. Doesn’t feel like liquid underneath, more like lumpy masses

 

[Sneebsey]

If it's hot, that's an infection; try some antibiotics first. I don't know where you are in the world, so I'm unsure what you have available, but I have used amoxicillin to treat infections with success; 250mg/day.

ETA: That dosage is for injection into the muscle, and don't eat her eggs whilst she is on antibiotics.

 

[coach723]

I checked again and I can’t see any area where there is visible pus draining, but it is hot to the touch. Doesn’t feel like liquid underneath, more like lumpy masses

Pus in chickens is rarely liquid like in humans and doesn't drain. It is more solid and cheesy in composition, so it will not drain, which is why it sometimes has to be removed. If you look up bumblefoot or salpingitis you will find pictures of what chicken pus looks like. The kernal in bumblefoot, and the masses from salpingitis are mostly pus. When there is infection and pus builds up the pus will often accumulate and become quite a large mass, and if there is a lot of it antibiotics alone will not be effective.

 

[coach723]

If you are uncomfortable with the idea of having to clean it out, and you don't see improvement with antibiotics then the assistance of a vet would be a good idea.

 

[Sneebsey]

Yes, if antibiotics don't work, then surgical removal may be necessary; a small incision into the area, use gauze and vet-soap to clean out all the pus, and then apply a topical antibiotic to prevent further infection.

 

[rebrascora]

It is also possible that it is a tumour in which case opening it up may make things worse but if it is a tumour, there is likely no hope for her anyway. She is within the vulnerable age for Marek's disease and I've had one pullet with it that had a mass similar to this on her thigh and another on her abdomen. She was displaying neurological Marek's symptoms though and I didn't find the tumours until I was doing a post mortem exam. I hope I am wrong and it is from an injury and responds to antibiotics.

 

[Cseigh]

Plan right now is to make a small incision to investigate and if it is an abcess:
Clean and irrigate with hydrogen peroxide
Treat wound 2x day with Microcyn AH
PenicillinG 1/2CC/day for 3-4 days

 

[Sneebsey]

I wouldn't use hydrogen peroxide as it harms healthy flesh as well as infected tissue. Other than that, good plan.