Advice for Bumblefoot Treatment

[Debbie292d]

@Debbie292d
@Eggcessive
@azygous

I need some help. I am treating one of my hens with bumblefoot right now. I just removed the black scab and inside, the wound is very shallow. It is a peachy/yellow color but there is no corn and there is a fleshy material that is bloody which I believe is her flesh. It was bleeding a little bit and I had to put pressure for it to stop bleeding. Does there have to be a corn for a successful treatment? I'm sure that if I go deeper, she will bleed a lot and there is only skin in flesh in the wound hole. I need this info asap. Thank you!

@rosemarythyme pretty much answers your questions so I'd follow what she suggests.

If you ever can get some PRID, it's cheap and can help in some minor cases of bumblefoot your other chickens may have. You wouldn't use it on an open wound though.

 

[azygous]

Don't cut into the pad any deeper than the normal serum and blood beneath the outer layer. Some bumblefoot lesions are very shallow because you were lucky enough to catch the infection before it drilled any deeper. Clean it up with soap and water and spray with Vetericyn every day until it's healed. It might be best to bandage it until a thin scab forms. This scab will bot be black like bumblefoot, but a healthy tan.

When the infection goes deep, there is a kernel of hard pus that usually adheres to the scab and comes out when you pull the scab off.

 

[The Chick Addict]

@Debbie292d
@azygous
@rosemarythyme

Here is a picture of the bumblefoot about a week after surgery on Waffles' wound. Is this healing?

 

[Debbie292d]

@Debbie292d
@azygous
@rosemarythyme

Here is a picture of the bumblefoot about a week after surgery on Waffles' wound. Is this healing? View attachment 3628283View attachment 3628284

It looks like there's still something in there. Did you pull out a small chunk of what's called the core, or might it still be in there? It shouldn't be black and to me, it looks swollen, which by now shouldn't be either.

 

[The Chick Addict]

It looks like there's still something in there. Did you pull out a small chunk of what's called the core, or might it still be in there? It shouldn't be black and to me, it looks swollen, which by now shouldn't be either.

I went as deep as I could. There wasn't anything to be seen or found. If I went deeper, she would have bled very badly. And it seemed painful as I tried to go deeper and it started bleeding fairly well.

 

[Debbie292d]

I went as deep as I could. There wasn't anything to be seen or found. If I went deeper, she would have bled very badly. And it seemed painful as I tried to go deeper and it started bleeding fairly well.

I guess just keep an eye on it and see if it continues to get blacker or starts going away. You should be able to see an improvement nearly every day if there's nothing in there.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Hmm doesn't look noticeably swollen to me but unfortunately it's hard to tell from photos sometimes unless it's very obvious. How's she walking on it?

Problem when it starts bleeding heavily around the wound is it makes it impossible to see anything to excise, so sometimes you need to give up for the time being and continue soaking and bandaging and let it heal up, give it a few weeks, and try it again. Optimally when you check again the scab if should be smaller and tighter with less swelling around the area.

 

[The Chick Addict]

Hmm doesn't look noticeably swollen to me but unfortunately it's hard to tell from photos sometimes unless it's very obvious. How's she walking on it?

Problem when it starts bleeding heavily around the wound is it makes it impossible to see anything to excise, so sometimes you need to give up for the time being and continue soaking and bandaging and let it heal up, give it a few weeks, and try it again. Optimally when you check again the scab if should be smaller and tighter with less swelling around the area.

Yes, the scab was tight and seemed like skin more than scab on the first hen. I have another hen with two bumblefoots on both feet but my laptop won't let me upload them so I will try later. I will keep an eye on them and look for more improvement, otherwise I will continue soaking and bandaging.

 

[azygous]

It looks good to me. Run your thumb over the scab. Is it thin and very flat? If so, it's healing. If in doubt, soak it and lift off the scab. It won't hurt it to check for pus developing again under it. If you find healed tissue instead of pus, you're on the home stretch.

 

[Lillith37]

Blood indicates healthy tissue and is a good sign. Don’t ever keep digging around if there’s blood. You don’t want to accidentally introduce new infection into otherwise healthy tissue.

You can also use honey as a drawing salve in place of PRID.

The best thing you can do is keep the wounds/scabs clean and protected. If the infection spreads you will know because there will be tenderness and discolouration at the site.