Awful bumblefoot surgery

[janinepeters]

I did call the Vet and talk to him! Then I called another! All I got was "your chicken has what'? not sure if we do that......wait I will get the doc" finally I asked how much? and I got well not really sure! Not really sure??? uggggg
But there are so many different "suggestions" its overwhelming!!!

Absolutely right. That's what makes bumblefoot such a difficult problem. Few vets see chickens, and the online information is confusing, largely anecdotal, and provided mostly by people who've had no medical training. I would not fault either of you for doing what you did. Mostly I just wanted to highlight the OP's post, to point out: 1. Not every case requires surgery, 2. Surgery comes with its own risks, and 3. This is a painful procedure for the chicken. People should know all of that when exploring the options.

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Agree with you! I hope she makes it through this, poor hen!

 

[StarryNites]

I just attempted this surgery on my hen and I do not feel like it was a success. Nothing came out but blood. Too much blood for my comfort. I am very fond of her and was just trying to help. Now I am going to worry about her for days.

 

[CMV]

I just attempted this surgery on my hen and I do not feel like it was a success. Nothing came out but blood. Too much blood for my comfort. I am very fond of her and was just trying to help. Now I am going to worry about her for days.

Earlier this summer I made a complete hash of a bumblefoot surgery. The duck was limping very badly, foot very swollen, and the plug was obvious. How tough could it be to remove? Well, I cut on that poor bird for nearly an hour. I could not get the core out no matter how hard I tried. I kept going deeper and deeper until I felt like I was going to cut through the foot altogether. She bled all over the place. The core simply wasn't there. I ended up cutting the scab off her foot, bandaging the foot and setting her loose. She promptly ran under a shed and stayed there for 3 days without food and water. I thought she was going to die. After 3 days, she came out without a limp and was absolutely fine. The swelling took about a week to go down completely. I was so relieved. I, too, had felt like the surgery was not successful, but it turns out that it worked despite how I felt about it.

 

[galanie]

I had a similar experience. Cut the scab off, and nothing came out. Nothing. But there was a definite hole all the way up into the foot. So I filled it up with triple antibiotic and bandaged her foot. Kept her in a couple days then let her out. She got lame again. Brought her in, cleaned it, filled the hole with triple antibiotic cream, bandaged it, and this time I just let her out straight away. In a few days I took the nasty bandage off, and she's fine.

 

[silkie4]

Ok. I have a stupid question. We did some surgery on our Silkie roosters bumblefoot tonight. As I was cutting I could feel something hard down deep and thought it was the core but only a small amount came out with the scab. There is still something hard down deep in the pad of the foot but I can't seem to cut anything out. Can someone do more harm than good by digging around in there. Are there bones or ligaments/tendons that could be accidentally cut?

 

[sharol]

Ah, that is the question. Of course there are parts of the foot (bones, tendons, muscles, blood vessels) that can be damaged, but where are they? When I do (did) it, I was erring on the side of not damaging the foot. The most helpful thing was when the vet said to pack the wound with a cotton ball soaked in iodine after putting the triple antibiotic ointment in there. I kept the foot wrapped for 3 days (his advice) and unwrapped them (both feet). There were still spots, but over the fall and winter the spots have faded away.

Ok. I have a stupid question. We did some surgery on our Silkie roosters bumblefoot tonight. As I was cutting I could feel something hard down deep and thought it was the core but only a small amount came out with the scab. There is still something hard down deep in the pad of the foot but I can't seem to cut anything out. Can someone do more harm than good by digging around in there. Are there bones or ligaments/tendons that could be accidentally cut?

 

[silkie4]

Well, I used gauze soaked with Vetericyn and used coban to wrap it up. Hopefully all will be well!! I just don't want to cause any more trauma to my rooster! Thanks

 

[sharol]

Vetericyn is good stuff. I sprayed it on their feet for several weeks after the surgery, and it really helped.

I don't blame you. It is a trauma for everyone. I almost fainted the first time (my daughter the wildlife biologist was here to bail me out), but it has to be done. Good luck, I hope he heals well. My roo seems to be fine 6 months later.

Well, I used gauze soaked with Vetericyn and used coban to wrap it up. Hopefully all will be well!! I just don't want to cause any more trauma to my rooster! Thanks

 

[PoultryPedia]

I haven't had success trying to do surgery either. Just blood & flesh. But I know a number of people have had success with it.

One tip for anyone doing surgery: Using toenail scissors or small surgery scissors or small wire cutters should make things easier, less painful & faster than just using a scalpel or X-acto knife. It will also help to have a pair of tweezers or small needle-nose pliers to help grasp things more easily & gently.

Penicillin is a very good treatment for Bumblefoot.

There are also other treatment ideas that may help listed on the Poultry Podiatry page on my site linked in my sig below.