Bumblefoot Dilemma

[Chicklette 1]

I have 2 buff Brahmas that have bumble foot and I am treating with doxycycine from the vet. They perked up right away and the swelling is going down. It was not a bad case. I decided to check some of my other LF and found more bumble foot. None of them has exaggerated swelling but just a very small acab on the bottom of the foot. My question is twofold.
Do I treat this or may it possibly go away or not get worse if I do not treat it.
The other thing is that I am suspect of the class I sand in my pen. It is like limestone screenings and I'm afraid as well as being a hard surface, it may have sharp pieces. Do you think putting fine sand over it will help? It is not over the whole pen but a couple of large areas in the pen.
Any input would be much appreciated.

 

[BuffOrpington88]

How high are your roosts? Are there any high places they jump off of? This can be caused by cuts caused by jumping repeatedly from from heights over 18".

 

[welasharon]

Treat it...it will not go away on its own.

 

[janinepeters]

Yes, treat it. It sometimes goes away on its own, but often it gets worse and can be very difficult to treat. If it is responding to doxy, I would say you have a good chance of soaking it out with TricideNeo. See other threads on that. If it does not totally heal with the soaks, the bird will need surgery. A lot of people do it themselves, but I personally think a vet has a better chance of getting all of the stuff out, without introducing additional bacteria during surgery. See other threads on bumblefoot and many mention re-infection after do it yourself surgery.

For litter, I would use something soft that absorbs moisture, like shavings. The softness helps prevent cuts on the feet, and dryness helps prevent proliferation of bacteria.

 

[terryg]

The infective agent in bumblefoot is usually a staph bacteria, which can be very difficult to eliminate. Since you have more than one case, I'd be concerned that there is a heavy load in your housing. If the sand is under their roosts, then I'd put softer material there. I like shavings in the coop - easy to clean and keep dry, but I'm not a fan of straw or hay in the run, as it tends to mold and hold onto manure. Sand is good in that it improves drainage, but I like a mix of dirt, with some sand dug in. Since you should clean out the housing, I'd double dig the pen and give it a good raking. Remove all bedding and start fresh. I recently had my first case of bumblefoot, you can see what I did here (cases vary, I was very successful!) http://hencam.com/faq/bumblefoot