Bad case of bumblefoot

[pat3494]

My BO rooster has a bad case of bumblefoot in one foot. I opened up the bottom of his foot but only got out some blood. I opened up the top of his foot on both sides between the toes because they were swollen and got out some white infected material on one side.I've been redressing the wound every other day but that doesn't seem to be curing the condition. His foot is still red and swollen although he walks fine. Is there an antibiotic I can give him? If so what and what dose? I don't think my vet handles chickens.Right now I'm concerned the infection will become systemic.

 

[TwoCrows]

I am dealing with the exact thing. My girl's bumblefoot has been going on since February.

You need to do daily soaks in Epsom Salts to draw the infection toward the skin and keep it out of the bones and joints. After soaking for 5 or 10 mins in this warm epsom bath, inspect the foot. If the scab is black, or yellow and puss colored, you will need to reopen it and drain it again. I have done major surgery on my birds foot 5 times in the last 10 weeks. I have recently changed the regime, and what I have been doing is each day, I pry open the wound and squeeze and dig around as each day I am getting more gunk. You will not always get that "kernel" or "core" of pus out of there. I didn't find a "kernel" until the 5th time I went into the foot.

Once the infection has been in the foot long enough, all the surrounding tissue has become infected. So a daily drain is needed. After you dig around and drain it that day, use some iodine on, and then pack it with neosporin. Then bandage it up. Repeat every day until it is healed. At some point after a week or so has gone by, you can let the wound rest and see if it clears up. But be prepared to go back in.

As far as antibiotics. Amoxicillin or Penicillin works on Bumblefoot. I was using Amoxicillin at first with my girl, 250 mg a day split up into 2 oral doses of 125 mg in the morning and then again at night. (disolve 125 mgs in 2cc's of water)

However my girl has taken this infection too far, and now I have started her on Penicillin. Injectable. You can get that at most feed stores. The Amoxicillin you can give orally down the beak with a syringe, (without the needle) I am using human grade Amox, however you can also use the "fish" type of Amox on chickens. I have used it when I don't have the human stuff on hand.

Unfortunately with bumblefoot, antibiotics alone will not clear this up. You also have to phsyically remove the infection.

Good luck with your bumblefoot case. I am right there with you!!!

 

[sharol]

There has been some evidence that soaking for several minutes twice a day with tri-cide neo.

https://www.pondrx.com/products/16165.html

is where I got it. It is used fish fungus infections, but off lable it apppears to cure bumblefoot.

It is fairly expensive. You mix the powder with distilled (must be distilled) water and soak the infected foot/feet for (if I remember correctly) 7-10 minutes morning and evening. I weighed the packet and figured out how much powder I needed for a quart of liquid since it only keeps for 5 days and then you have to throw it out and make new. I did the surgery and soaked feet twice a day for 10 days a year ago, and the affected girls are still alive and laying. I had 3 hens with bumblefoot (feet?), one with 2 feet involved. I did the surgery and then soaked feet. At first they hated it, but as time passed they liked the attention in the kitchen sink. It completely cured two of my hens. The third still has one small scab on her foot, but she is laying and seems pretty healthy, so I'm not doing any more cutting on her.

One warning. Bumblefoot is a serious staph infection, so be sure you don't transfer it to someone in the family or another pet. Sterilize any equipment with alcohol after each use.

If you run a search for tricide-neo or tri-cide neo on this list, you will find a couple of very encouraging threads.

My BO rooster has a bad case of bumblefoot in one foot. I opened up the bottom of his foot but only got out some blood. I opened up the top of his foot on both sides between the toes because they were swollen and got out some white infected material on one side.I've been redressing the wound every other day but that doesn't seem to be curing the condition. His foot is still red and swollen although he walks fine. Is there an antibiotic I can give him? If so what and what dose? I don't think my vet handles chickens.Right now I'm concerned the infection will become systemic.