Bubble foot gone bad....

Synweed

In the Brooder
Sep 2, 2019
2
2
12
Pio Pio - dear sweet hen - Any ideas on treatment?
Past week antibiotics
Baytril injection at vet's office - oral for 5 days.
Cephalexin
Foot baths
in hydrogen peroxide mild solution
iodine and vinegar
epsom salt and comfrey
Cold laser for circulation and infections
Feeding raw meat - corn in addition to dry feed - fresh grass and plantain herb (anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. Plantain leaf is also a good source of antioxidants, vitamin c, beta-carotene, and minerals such as calcium and potassium) ...she is eating and talking.
Weight 5 pound a few days ago now 4.8 pounds.
Thanks for any ideas!
 

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That foot appears to be necrosing. At least two of her digits appear to be losing circulation and may be in the process of dying and may eventually fall off.

About the only thing to do at this advanced stage of infection is to soak daily in Epsom salt to try to improve circulation. Also, continuing an oral antibiotic is also a good idea to try to keep the infection localized to the foot.

I adopted a neglected hen some years back that came to me with advanced bumblefoot. It took two years of treatment to overcome the infection, and it never did completely resolve. I did continue to do surgery on her foot to relieve the pus buildup and to target bacteria at the source with topical antibiotics as well as extended use of different oral antibiotics.

There really is no one-stop fix for such a bad case.
 
Gosh, sounds like you are doing everything. I read some threads about bumblefoot surgery. According to them, sometimes the infection has to be manually removed with surgery. If the vet is an option, I would call them back if it is not improving with their suggested treatment.
 
You could use a dermal punch to remove the kernal, but I feel that at this point you should be looking into a more intense option that isn't surgical
You could soak her foot in Tricide-Neo which is antibiotic used to treat ulcers in koi

You can get it here. Get the smaller package, you don't need much.
https://www.koiacres.com/p/tricide-neo.html
 
I would continue with the warm Epsom salt baths 2 or 3 times a day.
Lay off of the hydrogen peroxide and use betadine instead.
I discovered that U of Ky. uses a CEH cream to treat bumblefoot. That is a blend of calendula, echinacea and hypericum. I made my own blend with the same 3 ingredients.
The main thing is to keep it clean. If possible, put the bird in its own housing on fresh bedding. Preferably pine shavings or corn cob.
After the bath, use the betadine, lay on the CEH and wrap the foot.
Surgery is no longer considered the best approach.
 
That foot appears to be necrosing. At least two of her digits appear to be losing circulation and may be in the process of dying and may eventually fall off.

About the only thing to do at this advanced stage of infection is to soak daily in Epsom salt to try to improve circulation. Also, continuing an oral antibiotic is also a good idea to try to keep the infection localized to the foot.

I adopted a neglected hen some years back that came to me with advanced bumblefoot. It took two years of treatment to overcome the infection, and it never did completely resolve. I did continue to do surgery on her foot to relieve the pus buildup and to target bacteria at the source with topical antibiotics as well as extended use of different oral antibiotics.

There really is no one-stop fix for such a bad case.

Thanks for everyone's advice - was feeling stuck on this one...

The corn was removed (by us) 9 days ago (epsom salt and comfrey root soak) and the problem started after the wrapping was removed.

The vet suggested that when wrapping the foot in future - wrap foot in roosting position rather than an open foot. YICKS!!! Never had this before...

Used the standard wrapping that vet used (MEDca Self Adherent Cohesive Wrap Bandages) and a teflon pad on bottom of foot, iodine and antibiotic on wound.

Pio Pio was so cute at the vet's. After treatments she just sat down and sang a song which was a real head turner for everyone.

Will let you know how she progresses and thanks again!

PS found this - https://ouroneacrefarm.com/2014/11/30/non-invasive-bumblefoot-treatment-success-stories/
 
I would wonder if the foot wound dressing was too tight and caused circulatory problems. Vet wrap can do that if it is tight, the foot swells, or if it slips. I would continue to soak in warm Epsom salts once or twice a day for as long as he can tolerate or 30 minutes while holding him. When we have seen partial thickness frostbite here, sometimes the foot can look like that, and the skin may peel off in places, but sometimes there is still good tissue beneath the purple. I hope that you can save his leg.
 

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