Well I think my hen is going to need to be culled. This is just getting worse and worse. Antibiotics are not helping. Soaking her foot in salt water not helping. Anticeptic and bandage not helping. Draining not helping. If anything her foot is worse. She has developed sores that ooze. We clean and coat and bandage and it just keeps getting worse. She now has several soars on the top of her feet that just ooze. The swelling is huge. No longer hot but just huge. It has gotten bigger in the last week. I don't think the antibiotics did crap personally. I can't afford a vet bill to fix this. That would pretty much break the budget for a good long while. The last bill from the avian vet was 200 to deal with a broken feather. I cannot imagine what this would cost. Is there anything I have not tried? She is still eating, still drinking, still hobbling around. I am frustrated beyond belief. Nothing we do helps. She just continues to get worse. I know it hurts her to walk now. My husband says its getting time to think about culling before she is really in massive pain.
Have you tried this link? Hope it helps. https://www.backyardchickens.com/LC-disease-chicken-bumblefoot-surgery.php
Check this out, very interesting non-invasive treatment... https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=303829 Good luck with your girl, that's so frustrating!
I was going to suggest Tricide Neo but thankfully the previous poster beat me to it. I used it and it does cure bumblefoot over time. You must mix it with distilled water only and it's good for about 10 foot soakings before you have to change it out. You soak the feet for 7 minutes a day...again, it takes time to cure, but it will happen. I bought the package to make 5 gallons and it's expensive. However if your good at math, you can break it down to one or two quarts dosages for soaking, and have plenty leftover for the course of healing. In the posts are the places where you can purchase it. Good luck.
I am so sorry that you are going through this. I too am dealing with this. See my post 'I need help and fast'. It is frustrating, sad and you feel helpless. I hope you find something that works. That's all we can do. I'll keep you in my thoughts
If it's as bad as you say, I would not waste time on any sort of soaking treatment. I would lance it open and follow the steps in the bumblefoot thread and dig out the infection. You may have to lance open any swollen, oozing sores as well and clean out and pack with Neosporin and wrap to heal. Best of luck - it sounds like it's really spreading so you should act now.
We already cut it open, dug out that ucky black core, drained as best we could, cleaned the living heck out of it, bandaged it, treated her some more. That was probably a month ago. Where we cut healed but it never seemed to improve. I might try the soaking. She is still just limping along. I might try a bit stronger antibiotic. I don't know. She seems determined. The dang girl still lays an egg now and then. I wish she would stop and just put everything to getting better. She still eats like a little pig, fights for treats and bugs. Somehow manages to get up on a perch with her buddy. One of the other older hens moved onto a lower perch my husband put up special for her. I guess she felt sorry for her. Those 2 just sit there together in front of a fan. I don't know anymore. I don't want to cut her open again. It seemed to do little and I know she was hurting. Thanks for the links. I might look further into these. I am considering herbal remedies right now. Getting desperate.
If its as full as you say it is you might have to clean it out and use neosporin pack,wrap and put on a different antbiotic. Injectable is probably the route you will have to go. you can give stronger ones if you use these. Id keep going as long as she is acting happy and healthy.
See if you can get your hands on silvadene cream. That stuff has been a lifesaver for me, bumble foot has ruled my life since the end of May. We're finally on the road to recovery thanks to the cream.
