Bumble foot

[WoDia]

Yes to this!!!!

Definitely wear gloves and disinfect everything. I have seen people treating bumblefoot without gloves and it makes me want to cry.

ME TOO…

 

[ZhannaP]

Hello,
I had a hen name Vicky who had bumble foot, this is how I treated her. We went off of this article to treat her.
You will need a few things.
1. scalpel
2. dry paper towels
3. Vetricyn (you can find it at feed stores)
4. Junky bath towel
5. Epsom salt (I used the Dr. Teal's brand)
6. tweezers (may or may not be needed)
7. latex gloves
8. vetwrap

First we soaked her in a warm Epsom salt bath, this relaxed her and also softened her foot tissue to make it easier to do the procedure.
After she is in there for about 10-15 minutes, we sprayed some Vetricyn on her foot so that when we cut into her foot, the bacteria from the outside of her foot doesn't get in. Vetricyn is great to have on hand because it helps with all sorts of stuff.
Then you can wrap her in a towel so that she feels nice and calm, but in my case, Vicky did not want the towel on her and her face.

You can talk to the hen which makes them calmer. You need her to be very calm for this procedure because she can start slashing around and might get cut with the scalpel.

Once she is calm, spray the surgery site again. Put on latex gloves to prevent your hand germs from getting into her foot.

Cut around the scab with the scalpel. The objective is to find and pull out the "kernel" also called a core or plug, which is basically a little ball of dried pus that can appear as a little ball or stringy bits. It is yellow/whitish.

Usually the scab is attached to the kernel so you can pull it out with a paper towel or with tweezers. Make sure that all the things you use for this procedure are sanitary.
The foot is then sprayed with Vetricyn again.
Now, gently squeeze and massage the foot to loosen any dead tissue.
Dry the foot, apply more Vetricyn, and remove the rest of the effected tissue.
Remember that if it bleeds, blot it gently with a paper towel and carry on. It is not going to bleed to much so don't worry.
It is mentally hard on a lot of people to do this procedure, but just remember to talk to the bird and that will help a lot.
Now it's time to bandage up the chicken.
I don't know why I like this part It's just fun.
Apply more Vetricyn.
Then apply triple antibiotic. A piece of gauze is then placed over that and the four corners of the gauze are folded into the center to add more pressure. Holding the gauze in place, apply the vetwrap by wrapping it in between the toes, up the ankle, whatever you need to do to keep it in place.
Watch this video on how to apply the bandage.

After about 24 hrs, assess the wound and re-apply Vetricyn and the bandages.

I hope this helps.
Sorry about the long post

Thanks so much, this is very helpful!

 

[Greenwolf]

I had a big rooster with stage 5. It was fugly!! On the other hand I learned everything I know about bumble foot from treating him. Good luck!!

 

[ZhannaP]

I had a big rooster with stage 5. It was fugly!! On the other hand I learned everything I know about bumble foot from treating him. Good luck!!

Thank you! I feel I’ve learned a lot, too, through this process. I’m just not sure if it’s completely healed or not.

 

[Greenwolf]

Thank you! I feel I’ve learned a lot, too, through this process. I’m just not sure if it’s completely healed or not.

If it's sealed up and no longer swollen it's good. Another thing you can do which works really well is a cotton pad with iodine and sugar. Pulls out the infection to the surface. Also if you're more homeopathic you can try a plantain poultice. It does the same thing. I haven't tried it but I hear it works really well. Good luck!!

 

[ZhannaP]

If it's sealed up and no longer swollen it's good. Another thing you can do which works really well is a cotton pad with iodine and sugar. Pulls out the infection to the surface. Also if you're more homeopathic you can try a plantain poultice. It does the same thing. I haven't tried it but I hear it works really well. Good luck!!

Thank you. I’m having trouble differentiating between her normal “pad” on her foot vs what might still be swollen bumblefoot. I’ve been using Prid on it. May I send you a picture? I can take one on Thursday when I’m there next.

 

[Greenwolf]

Thank you. I’m having trouble differentiating between her normal “pad” on her foot vs what might still be swollen bumblefoot. I’ve been using Prid on it. May I send you a picture? I can take one on Thursday when I’m there next.

You bet.

 

[Greenwolf]

Thank you. I’m having trouble differentiating between her normal “pad” on her foot vs what might still be swollen bumblefoot. I’ve been using Prid on it. May I send you a picture? I can take one on Thursday when I’m there next.

If the pad is hard you may have a problem. Otherwise soft is good. When he walks the pad needs to be a cushion for his bones. Soft and pliable is the best.

 

[ZhannaP]

If the pad is hard you may have a problem. Otherwise soft is good. When he walks the pad needs to be a cushion for his bones. Soft and pliable is the best.

Good morning, I didn’t take a picture because it is clear the double foot is not gone or healed yet. There’s a black spot there again so I have to continue working on it. Do you think I should give her antibiotics we have some

If the pad is hard you may have a problem. Otherwise soft is good. When he walks the pad needs to be a cushion for his bones. Soft and pliable is the best.

Good morning, I didn’t take a picture yesterday because the black spot is there again. The lump is soft but seems too large so I think there’s infection in there still. I’m going to treat her today so I’ll take a picture for sure. I will repeat the process of removing the scab and hopefully getting the kernel, cleaning it with the spray, packing with antibiotic ointment (non pain relieving) and wrapping. Do you think I should also give her antibiotics? If so, which one?

 

[Greenwolf]

Good morning, I didn’t take a picture because it is clear the double foot is not gone or healed yet. There’s a black spot there again so I have to continue working on it. Do you think I should give her antibiotics we have some

Good morning, I didn’t take a picture yesterday because the black spot is there again. The lump is soft but seems too large so I think there’s infection in there still. I’m going to treat her today so I’ll take a picture for sure. I will repeat the process of removing the scab and hopefully getting the kernel, cleaning it with the spray, packing with antibiotic ointment (non pain relieving) and wrapping. Do you think I should also give her antibiotics? If so, which one?

You could but try the iodine and sugar wrap for a day or two that will pull out all of the infection. Then you can give it a good hard squeeze and the kernel and everything else will come out. Good luck!!