Bumblefoot not healing.

[coach723]

I've had no luck treating the actual bumblefoot infection with antibiotics, and I've tried several. Enrofloxacin, penicillin, amoxicillin, clindamycin, cephalexin.
If the foot becomes infected with a secondary infection from all the digging around, then yes, an antibiotic will help with that. I've had that happen also.
Bumblefoot itself is often staph, which can be very difficult to treat with antibiotics.
First go around my roo's foot got pretty nasty from one of the procedures, I treated him with cephalexin, which helped clear that up, but the bumblefoot itself remained.
It would be so much easier if we could just clear it up with just a medication.

 

[Aunt Angus]

I've had no luck treating the actual bumblefoot infection with antibiotics, and I've tried several. Enrofloxacin, penicillin, amoxicillin, clindamycin, cephalexin.
If the foot becomes infected with a secondary infection from all the digging around, then yes, an antibiotic will help with that. I've had that happen also.
Bumblefoot itself is often staph, which can be very difficult to treat with antibiotics.
First go around my roo's foot got pretty nasty from one of the procedures, I treated him with cephalexin, which helped clear that up, but the bumblefoot itself remained.
It would be so much easier if we could just clear it up with just a medication.

I have a hen who has been battling bumblefoot for months now. Same deal - I'll cut out what I can, pack her with gauze and ointment, and change bandage frequently. It'll heal up and then return a few months later.

Last time she had it, I also treated her with antibiotics, just because I was tired of dealing with it. It *seems* to have worked. She's been bumble free for a few months now. So far, so good (knock on wood). The timing of the healing foot and the antibiotics may just have been coincidental, though.

 

[RifleBear]

Ok I really appreciate your guys experienced advise, its giving me plenty to think about.

Ill hold on the penicillin for now I think. I'll just cut under that tiny scab, then inspect. Hopefully find some string.

Is there any way to be more methodical about the hunt for the stringy stuff?

Aside from all of this, my birds are getting checked weekly now. They are in a totally different environment now that when the roo got bumbled, so hopefully this will be it for by birds. Their entire environment has been designed to be easy on their feet.

 

[coach723]

Every foot is different. I've had very small, superficial ones (still sometimes take a long time to heal) that were just remove the scab, clean it up well, apply ointment and wrap, reapplying ointment daily til it was healing well. I've had some that had a definite plug that sometimes pops out easy, sometimes takes a lot of squeezing and manipulation to get it out. I think you just go where that particular foot leads you. After struggling with my roo's foot for so long and using all the usual methods with little success I was ready to try something different to save us both from misery. I was honestly ready to euthanize him rather than have to do a bunch of cutting on his foot again. The sugardine really surprised me and I won't hesitate to use it again in a case like his. Worst case is it doesn't work, it certainly has nothing in it that will do harm.

 

[webmistress32]

I had a hen this summer with a stubborn case of bumblefoot. We finally got rid of it by making sure we opened up the scab every 2-3 days, soaked it, dug everything out with tweezers then cleaned it packed and wrapped it back up. After a month it was finally gone. Drawing it out w sugardine is a good idea, that works amazing with horse abscesses.

 

[RifleBear]

So you would soak it after the foot's been opened up? Or before to soften the tissue?

 

[Cryss]

I’ve been working with bumblefoot that had no corn. Just the stringy stuff. I’ve cleaned it out several times. I think the suggestion of sugardine is a good one that I’m going to use. I just need to get some iodine first. Interestingly enough it reminded me of nursing school teaching is how sugar was used historically for treating and healing decubitus. My head nurse remembered using it. Thanks for reminding me.

 

[RifleBear]

I just cant believe how many people said things like "oh he'll be all better in a week". I posted on a fb group a month or two ago. Nobody there knew anything. They just pretended they did..no actual experience.

I decided to post on here because a website that's harder to access is probably going to have better quality people on it. My assumption was correct. You folks are a big help. It's just nice to converse with peers.

 

[webmistress32]

The soaking process is to soften up the skin and the external parts of the bumble. I makes it easier for the scab to come off in one piece hopefully with something hard and infectious looking attached to it. Then, I would clean it w Schrieners anti bacterial, coat w triple anti biotic ointment and wrap it. But if I did it all over I would replace the ointiment w Sugardine. I always used betadine instead of pure iodine. Think Surgical Scrub.

 

[coach723]

Yes, sugardine is sugar and betadine, not pure iodine. Easily gotten in any first aid section, not expensive, a bottle lasts a long time.