Amoxicillin vs Sulfatrim

[Red Horse]

Had a mild to moderate bumblefoot infection that I stopped treating a little too early (Epsom salt soaks, vetericin, antibiotic ointment all daily) because I assumed it was healed enough to stop bandaging (the hole, which was small to begin with, was almost completely closed up with healthy flesh but not quite). Learned my lesson because it got infected again within a week. The foot had some hard spots in the soft pad, which had swelled back up, and she got some swelling between her toes. I tried to excise the new pus/kernel and my Vet prescribed me amoxicillin and meloxicam (she did not evaluate the chicken).

After just widening the original hole I couldn't find anything, so decided to get back with the vet instead of mutilating her on my own. My Vet recommended a practice I could take her to (she is only mobile) for potential surgery. The Vet at this place didn't think surgery was needed, but prescribed sulfatrim and said he never used amoxicillin for this purpose. I wanted to get a tie breaker from the BYC experts because I'm reading conflicting things about the withdrawal time for eggs for the sulfatrim and don't want to use something that's going to render them useless for the rest of her life, but I also don't want to use something that's not going to help her.

 

[Kiki]

Are you sure he didn't say not to use Amoxicillin because of the eggs and not because it just wouldn't work for this infection?


Can you post a few clear pictures of the feet?

 

[Eggcessive]

Sulfa antibiotics are sometimes used in chickens to treat resistant coccidiosis, fowl cholera, and infectious coryza. For bumblefoot, most of the time you can do the surgery, and not have to medicate with antibiotics. I have always done the surgery, and no antibiotics or soaking. If they are used, amoxicillin is common to use, and some others use clindamycin, Baytril, and others. Sulfa has a long egg withdrawal time, as does Baytril, and I don’t even know about clindamycin. Most antibiotics are not approved for poultry, although vets may still prescribe them as long as you don’t use the eggs for a period of time. Here is an article about eagles with bumblefoot where amoxicillin is used:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4312823/#:~:text=Bacteria, including staphylococcus spp. have,the infection is serious enough.

 

[Red Horse]

Are you sure he didn't say not to use Amoxicillin because of the eggs and not because it just wouldn't work for this infection?


Can you post a few clear pictures of the feet?

All he said was that he didn't "use it for that." He also said no topicals, but that I could still soak it in the Epsom salt solution (20min/2x day but the best I can do is once with work). The swelling has gone down slightly in the last couple of days but not much. She started the amoxicillin on Thurs night.

 

[Kiki]

All he said was that he didn't "use it for that." He also said no topicals, but that I could still soak it in the Epsom salt solution (20min/2x day but the best I can do is once with work). The swelling has gone down slightly in the last couple of days but not much. She started the amoxicillin on Thurs night.

It looks good!
Not too bad at all.

 

[EuroChook]

A long acting antibiotic is needed, hence typically prescribed antis are penicillin, erythromycin, lincomycin, and spectinomycin

But Sulfatrim has a longer half life by almost 2 hours. Im pretty sure Sulfatrim requires a 14 day egg abstinence.

 

[Red Horse]

Thanks everyone!! I will stick with the amoxicillin instead of switching her around to the sulfatrim.

 

[Red Horse]

I had taken the hen back to the brick and mortar Vet for a followup appointment a week after I posted this and he was pleased that the crappy incision I had made was scabbed over, clean, and the swelling had mostly gone down. She still had some swelling between two toes. He told me to stop bandaging it and that it was healed, and to put hydrocortisone cream between the toes. I was kind of concerned about leaving it because from what I had read there can't even be so much as a scab left on the foot, it has to be totally healed or the scab will just get reinfected? I listened to him anyway and now we're back where we started.

I opened the scab back up with tweezers, but that's all it really was... just a pretty superficial scab. The foot pad was swollen and between the toes was red and also swollen. I have been soaking it in Epsom salt water 20 min once daily and keeping it bandaged with antibiotic ointment on the scab for a few weeks with little improvement. The food pad itself looks much better at this point and isn't very swollen, but between the toes is way worse and almost looks like it could be coming to a head on one side? My photographer was a little grumpy today so I had to take what I could get.

I'm very hesitant to go back to the brick and mortar place, but I don't know if my mobile vet will be able to help me since she isn't equipped for surgery. What can I do to get her better for good? This poor lady has been such a trooper.

 

[Kiki]

I think I would cut that big bump open the same way you did on the bottom of the foot.

 

[Red Horse]

I think I would cut that big bump open the same way you did on the bottom of the foot.

I was hoping no one would tell me that