Bumble foot

[FowlLove]

Hello everyone! About a month ago I removed two bumblefoot plugs from my Polish. I covered them in gauze for a few days until they scabbed over and gave her antibiotics for 2 weeks. However, the swelling in one of her feet still does not appear to be down by much. I also noticed that the scabs/plugs in both her feet can sort of come out when probed/squeezed out. My question is, should I do surgery again? I have no idea what the healing process is supposed to look like or how long it takes. She can walk pretty normally and doesn’t appear to have any health issues otherwise. Any advice would be appreciated!!

 

[igorsMistress]

It sounds like maybe you didn't get the plugs out completely. It's hard to judge when there's blood. I did surgery on my roo and I'm using PRID, a drawing salve, on his foot right now. It can take a couple of weeks to heal and you should change the dressing every 48 hours minimum. Follow up after removing the plugs in a few days to treat the wound with a topical antibiotic that kills staph, it's the most common nasty found in bumble foot. A lot of people use vet wrap but I've found the foot to have better mobility when using the self adhering wrap that's narrow and for humans. Don't wad up the gauze either; cut off enough to cover the wound and immediate area in a thin layer. My roo is able to walk almost normal.

 

[FowlLove]

It sounds like maybe you didn't get the plugs out completely. It's hard to judge when there's blood. I did surgery on my roo and I'm using PRID, a drawing salve, on his foot right now. It can take a couple of weeks to heal and you should change the dressing every 48 hours minimum. Follow up after removing the plugs in a few days to treat the wound with a topical antibiotic that kills staph, it's the most common nasty found in bumble foot. A lot of people use vet wrap but I've found the foot to have better mobility when using the self adhering wrap that's narrow and for humans. Don't wad up the gauze either; cut off enough to cover the wound and immediate area in a thin layer. My roo is able to walk almost normal.

That's probably right. I got out whatever came out without too much probing but I didn't want to dig too deep and end up hitting nerves/muscles. I did use topical antibiotics on her feet afterwards and changed the dressing often. Do you recommend waiting to see what happens or doing surgery again? Thanks!

 

[FowlLove]

Also, I noticed she has a faint clicking noise when she breathes sometimes. At first after the bumblefoot surgery she wasn't doing too well (not eating, generally pretty lethargic) and I assumed I was too late and she was dying from sepsis. That's obviously not the case as it's been a month and she's doing much better now, but I'm wondering if she has some kind of respiratory infection on top of everything?

 

[igorsMistress]

That's probably right. I got out whatever came out without too much probing but I didn't want to dig too deep and end up hitting nerves/muscles. I did use topical antibiotics on her feet afterwards and changed the dressing often. Do you recommend waiting to see what happens or doing surgery again? Thanks!

I get it, I was afraid to get too crazy digging around for the same reasons. Can you post a pic of her foot? If there's swelling and it feels hard you might try surgery now. Or get the PRID and change it every couple of days. It's not expensive and you can buy it at walmart. It will soften the scab and skin of her foot and after a few days you can reevaluate and try again.

I'll be honest, I bought disposable biopsy punches and scalpels. The punch is like a round scalpel that will go straight into the skin and isolate the plug, then you grab it with tweezers and pull it out a bit then cut it off. It's so much easier than digging around in the foot.

If she's fighting an infection then she could be susceptible to getting sick so her breathing would concern me too. The only thing I know of that's OTC and might help is grapefruit seed extract. It's a broad spectrum anti everything that you can buy in liquid form and put in her water. I used about 40 drops in a gallon of water for 10 to 14 days changing every day. Also give plain water. It's no guarantee of course but if you can't take her to a vet it might help while you're treating the bumble foot too.

It's important to get a topical antibiotic that treats staph. I bought Silvex gel, at walmart, and my roo is still in treatment but much better than he was and walks normally.

Good luck with your girl there. I have work but I'll check in later. Have a good day!

 

[FowlLove]

I get it, I was afraid to get too crazy digging around for the same reasons. Can you post a pic of her foot? If there's swelling and it feels hard you might try surgery now. Or get the PRID and change it every couple of days. It's not expensive and you can buy it at walmart. It will soften the scab and skin of her foot and after a few days you can reevaluate and try again.

I'll be honest, I bought disposable biopsy punches and scalpels. The punch is like a round scalpel that will go straight into the skin and isolate the plug, then you grab it with tweezers and pull it out a bit then cut it off. It's so much easier than digging around in the foot.

If she's fighting an infection then she could be susceptible to getting sick so her breathing would concern me too. The only thing I know of that's OTC and might help is grapefruit seed extract. It's a broad spectrum anti everything that you can buy in liquid form and put in her water. I used about 40 drops in a gallon of water for 10 to 14 days changing every day. Also give plain water. It's no guarantee of course but if you can't take her to a vet it might help while you're treating the bumble foot too.

It's important to get a topical antibiotic that treats staph. I bought Silvex gel, at walmart, and my roo is still in treatment but much better than he was and walks normally.

Good luck with your girl there. I have work but I'll check in later. Have a good day!

Thank you SO much for all this information! This is very helpful. I will get a picture of her feet later today and try to get my hands on some PRID and grapefruit extract.

 

[FowlLove]

Here is a picture of her swollen foot. I was able to order some PRID and grapefruit, thanks again for those suggestions! @igorsMistress

 

[igorsMistress]

Here is a picture of her swollen foot. I was able to order some PRID and grapefruit, thanks again for those suggestions! @igorsMistress

Ok yes I think she needs more treatment. Before you put the PRID on let her soak in warm water, with epsom salt if you can, for about 20 minutes and then peel off the scab. Then dab on the PRID with a Qtip and wrap. It might take a few treatments like that before you can clean it out. Change the dressing every 24 to 48 hours.

I fill my bathtub with a few inches of warm water and put the bird in there, then close the shower curtain and get everything ready to change the dressing. I do suggest you wear gloves when dealing with it, those germs are nothing to play with. Good luck!

 

[dawg53]

I'd love to do surgery on that footpad!

 

[FowlLove]

I'd love to do surgery on that footpad!

That would be great!