Antibiotics for bumblefoot

[WyoChickenMamma]

Okay, I have a hen with bumblefoot issues on both feet. One foot is considerably worse than the other...it is swollen up very large, she will not bear any weight on it and it is flaming hot. We soaked it again tonight and tried to remove more of the black scab. She bleeds, but it is a really thick, almost pasty like blood. Like when human blood starts to clot. I am assuming this is pus or some of the infection in that blood. I am worried that what I am doing is not enough and she might need oral or injected antibiotics to help her. She is eating and drinking some. I have her isolated in a dog crate with a lot of soft bedding.

Also, at what point do you all throw in the towel and say enough is enough, and cull the bird. As of today I have not contacted a vet and am not sure my DH would go for that. Not that he is cruel or doesn't care, but we went into this with the idea that they are livestock, not pets. (Although I love them all and call them my pretty girls.) I am just not sure he will go for a vet bill if we can try to treat her humanely on our own.

So again...what kind of antibiotic and what dosing should I be looking for to help her out?

At what point do you throw in the towel and cull the bird?

Thank you all for the guidance.

 

[kidcody]

Treating bumble foot is always a challenge, at the clinic we use and recommend Tricide Neo Powder. This antibiotic is for treating fish with bacteria skin infection. But we find it also works really good on treating bumble foot on all types of birds. It works best when the wound is open. You will need to soak your chicken 5 minutes a day with warm water and Tricide Neo Powder. You should see improvement within a couple of days. I hope this helps your chicken

 

[froggie71]

When we had bumblefoot issues, we soaked in epsom salts, cut out the infection. Made sure the white cheesy stuff comes out. It is thick. Then we packed the "hole" with triple antibiotic without pain killer and wrapped. we soaked and tried to get out the infection a couple times a day til it was all out and continued to soak, pack and wrapped for a week. Ours wasn't terrible though, so I'm not sure that it would be enough if it has started to go up the leg. Good luck.

 

[dawg53]

Quote:
Tricide Neo has to be mixed in distilled water to be effective. The infected foot should be soaked twice a day for 7 minutes at a time. Soaking treatment continues til the bumblefoot completely disappears. It has been recommended that it not be used for an open wound, however I know others have used it on an open wound without any problems. If it's a small scab/infection, it usually disappears in about 5 days. Anything larger requires more soaking time...sometimes weeks, sometimes months...but it does work. I prefer the surgery, less time involved. I have quite abit experience with Trineo.

 

[dawg53]

Quote:
You really need to squeeze the infection out and keep manipulating the footpad and squeezing til the infection is forced out. Dont be afraid to squeeze that crap out of it. If the infection has worked it's way to the legbone, it's only a matter of time before her system succombs to the staph infection. I recommend that you inject her with penicillin. Here's a link letting you know what you have to do: See post #2, scroll down to "ANTIBIOTICS," then scroll down to "USING PENICILLIN G PROCAINE FOR POULTRY."
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=352701

 

[WyoChickenMamma]

Quote:
You really need to squeeze the infection out and keep manipulating the footpad and squeezing til the infection is forced out. Dont be afraid to squeeze that crap out of it. If the infection has worked it's way to the legbone, it's only a matter of time before her system succombs to the staph infection. I recommend that you inject her with penicillin. Here's a link letting you know what you have to do: See post #2, scroll down to "ANTIBIOTICS," then scroll down to "USING PENICILLIN G PROCAINE FOR POULTRY."
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=352701

Thank you dog for the reply to my question as about the antibiotic. I will get some today when I go to town. Can I use the antibiotic and the tricide neo at the same time? I will order some today as well.

Thanks again for your assistance. I just don't want to see her suffer.

 

[dawg53]

I dont see any reason why you cant use both the trineo and penicillin at the same time. You could go ahead and order the trineo, it'll take time to get to you. In the meantime you can soak the foot in warm epsom salts water for about 20 minutes... then go to work on her feet squeezing, resoak and squeeze. You might be able to get the infection out.

 

[Mandy1296]

I performed my first "surgery" last night on a hen's bumblefoot. I wish I would have taken pics before and after, but when I picked her up and found she was very calm I just ran with it. My girl had a small black scab on the bottom of the foot, but a large boil looking type swollen area between the top of her toes. I first punctured the swollen mass with a needle in a couple places and let the blood drain. The blood was a little thick, it didn't really come out unless I was applying a bit of pressure to make it drain. Then I could see and feel a chunk creamy white stuff. It's got the consistency of a cooked chick pea and about the same color. So I used a razor blade ( all of these tools I prep'd with alcohol by the way) and sliced just through the skin in a X shape. Then I slowly worked it out, as it was connected at the bottom side. I'm not sure that I got all of it out but definitely got the majority of it. I then flushed with peroxide and packed the hole with neosporin and wrapped it all in gauze ad vet wrap. I plan to change the wrapping and redress every day or every other day. For the one's who have done this "surgery" before, should I dig a little more to get the rest of the cheesy stuff out or will the repeated flushes and neosporin take care of it?

WyoChickenMamma, I've had to make the call on when to throw in the towel few times now. I jump in with both feet to treat whatever the issue is, and depending on the injury or illness, I try give it 3 days to 2 weeks. I once had 2 hens with broken legs, actually injured at the hip area (young Rooster that hadn't honed his skills yet). For about 2 months every morning I picked them up and put them in a nice size dog lot with their own food and water and each other for company and every night picked them up and put them in the coop with all the others so they wouldn't feel left out. But once they got to where they didn't even hop on one leg anymore and didn't want the treats I took them I made the call. So when to throw in the towel is really a decision only you can make. For me it's quality of life for the chicken balanced with am I able to keep up with the demands.
So my advice on that matter is give the treatment time to see if it's working, and go with your gut feeling on it. You'll know when/if it's time.

If this hen was mine and there wasn't much improvement after about 3 days of soaking and dressing , I would give round of Tylan injectible antibiotics.

I wish you speedy recovery for your hen!

 

[WyoChickenMamma]

You all are so nice and so giving of your time to respond to my concerns of my hen. It has just brought me to tears this morning! Thank you all. I am going to order the tricide neo now and pic up the antibiotics today as well. She did eat last night. Keep your fingers crossed for my little girl.

 

[dawg53]

Tylan injectable isnt the best thing for staph infections (or any other type of tylan.) It's best used for respiratory issues. Go with the penicillin.
Mandy1296...you gotta get ALL the infection out. If you dont, it'll just continue to spread causing more problems. Do what you gotta do to get it all out; digging, soaking, squeezing..use betadine or iodine flush, then the neosporin.