Bumblefoot recurred

[Chicken Mom Leslie]

Hi,

Last weekend, we treated our chicken for a pretty severe case of bumblefoot. My husband did the surgery, first by removing the black scab on the bottom and pulling out what he could, and then by opening up the top of the foot and removing the rest of the kernel. The chicken literally had a hole right through her foot, so I was pretty sure we got it all out. We rinsed the wound with hydrogen peroxide and packed it with neosporin and then wrapped it in vet wrap. The chicken seemed to do just fine post-surgery. She returned to her flock and seemed OK all week. Last night I checked her foot while she was up on the roost, and it appears that the infection is back because she has swelling on the top again. Is it possible we didn't get it all? I am certain there was nothing left! I'm attaching pics of her prior to her first surgery.

 

[azygous]

For serious cases of bumblefoot, it's not unusual to have to soak and debride the wound several times before it shows signs of improvement. Don't be hesitant to be aggressive in removing all black tissue and scraping out the wound cavity.

Instead of using peroxide, though, a better product that actually promotes tissue growth instead of destroying it is Vetericyn. Then use antibiotic ointment and wrap.