Bumblefoot help

[Keikuri]

A couple weeks ago my Runner girl’s toe swelled up, both top and bottom, and looking her over I found a very tiny cut on the bottom of her foot. I brought her inside to help keep her clean and more easily monitor her while I read up on treatment. She’s been getting almost daily baths to soften the foot, getting a vitamin + probiotic supplement, has had her foot wrapped up a few times with an antibiotic cream, and had decolorized iodine wiped on 3 times now.

She didnt have any scab initially but slowly started forming one last week. On Monday she finally formed a brown scab. I wasnt able to get it removed right away so today it has noticeably shrunk and now becoming one with her foot as it heals into the skin. This whole time the swelling hasnt changed a bit and her toe is just as big as it was to begin with.

So now i’m not sure what to do. Everything i read says to remove a big black scab and it’ll take the gunk with it. But there’s no big black scab. Just a small brown one that’s disappearing fast. I’m reluctant to lance her open and risk a secondary infection but i have no vet and dont know how to shrink this.

 

[Gallinarium]

You'll probably want to open it up and remove the pus. Sometimes instead up "surgery" you can pull the scab off after soaking the foot for a while. Either way, it's safer than it sounds.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Soak real good to soften the scab then pull the scab off, more than likely you might be able to mash that kernel out bumble doesn’t always come off with the scab. Just mash around where the scab came off or look into the hole for the kernel I use a pair of sterile tweezers if I can’t mash it out.

 

[Keikuri]

She soaked for about half an hour but the scab was still firmly attached to her foot. So i wrapped her up with an antibiotic cream to keep it moist (my helper was on a time limit so she couldnt soak longer).

She doesnt seem overly concerned about her bumble. She isnt limping, eating and drinking fine, being way more quacky than usual (which i attribute to her living in my bedroom). But her entire foot and leg has gotten very hot, which i read is a horrible sign. Except her non-infected foot is very hot too, along with her bill, and she’s very interested in sitting on her egg hoard. How do i know if she’s got a fever or went broody outa boredom?

 

[Miss Lydia]

It can take up to a week to get that scab softened enough to peel it off. As for heat if both feet are warm I wouldn’t worry so much the only concern is the infection spreading into joints bone an blood which since your going to keep up with this most likely won’t happen. We just can’t ignore this bumble is staff. So her being broody is probably a good thing since that means she’s resting. Is she sitting on fertile eggs in your bedroom?

 

[Keikuri]

How would i slow down the possibility of the infection spreading? She’s had this for a couple weeks now so i’m starting to get worried that i’m running outa time.

I’m not sure if the eggs are fertile, i havent read into how to check them yet. She was taking the eggs from the littlest Swede too so i just let her keep them as i assumed she got comfort from nesting. But over the weekend my Swede was replaced with a limping Runner boy and since then she’s been spending more and more time on her nest and he’s become protective. Which is cute until you get your foot bit cus you’re holding the girl XD

 

[Miss Lydia]

Swelling, redness, limping. Looking at her foot I think if you just keep doing what your doing maybe by the end of the weekend you can try to get that scab off if you can’t get it off with your finger nail try sterile tweezers.

 

[Keikuri]

Thanks a lot! I’ll keep at it. I got some tweezers earlier in the week, and today i grabbed a buttload of vetwrap and this Vetericyn spray. Wanna be prepared!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Keep us updated.

 

[Keikuri]

Will do!