Bumblefoot, Surgery and Follow Up - NY area Vet Recommendation

[Hiyaherc]

Hello everyone. After researching this site last night for treatment options, my husband and I undertook treating one of our hens for bumblefoot this morning, after we were unable to find a vet to assist us. Connie is a year old, large hen (not obese) and we clean our coop daily. We are unsure as to how she came to have this ailment. None of the other girls have it. Firstly we cleaned and soaked the area thoroughly. I noted that while we were cleaning it, approximately 7/8 of the scab had dislodged itself from the bottom of her foot and was only hanging on by a thread. If you lifted up the scab to expose the foot beneath you can see a round circular indentation and what I thought appeared to be the core. However, it did not appear to be "hard" and my husband was having difficulty in cutting it out. We were at it for close to 2 hours, with breaks for all of us, since I did not want to over stress her. We ended up stopping the procedure and cleaned it up and applied an antibiotic and bandaging. It would be appreciated if someone could let me know how soon it would be to try and reattempt this procedure in the event it is needed, any special follow up care, and if you are in the New York, Sullivan County area, possibly recommending a vet. We have reached out to some of our friends who also have chickens and they do not know of any vets in our area. She is a super sweet girl our Connie, and I look forward to our snuggle time. Thanks. Martha

 

[mg15]

A clean gauze pad folded into fourths it makes a little square. Put triple anitbiotic ointment on the gauze. Put it on the bottom of her foot and wrap her whole foot with vet wrap. It is a stretchy wrap that sticks to itself. Wrap in between her toes and around her ankle securely.

 

[casportpony]

Avian vets:
http://www.aav.org/search/custom.asp?id=1803

-Kathy

 

[Hiyaherc]

Thanks MG,

We just changed her bandage again and also applied a new gauze pad. Thankfully there appears to be no redness and it is not bleeding, nor is there any discharge. I am just concerned that we may have missed the core. We picked up the stretchy wrap that you mentioned and cut it into strips to secure the gauze pad. All the best, Martha

 

[Hiyaherc]

Avian vets:
http://www.aav.org/search/custom.asp?id=1803

-Kathy

Thanks Kathy!

 

[sepaditty1]

Can I chime in with a question? I have a beautiful rooster that started limping several days ago. No visible sores. Today he can not put any weight on his leg at all. I can't tell whether its a sore foot or jacked up muscles in his leg. I took pictures of his foot.

His other foot:

Top of bad foot:

Bad picture of himm trying to perch:

 

[sepaditty1]

I see that the center pad is puffy. Is that bublefoot? What do you guys think?

 

[mg15]

Hi,
To me from the pictures it is not. But wonder why he cannot put weight on the foot. But then he could have bumblefoot and it hurts. Try soaking in epsom salts twice a day and see how he does.

 

[Hiyaherc]

Below find two pics taken this afternoon as we were cleaning her up for re-bandaging. Does it look like me missed the core??

 

[mg15]

Hi, this is from the web address below. Pretty much says it all. My girl Almost Red, had the bumblefoot. I dug around for about as long as I could stand doing it and then wrapped her foot and changed it everyother day. and then actually left a foot bandage on that foot for the whole winter changing every now and again. I have taking it off now and her foot is not swollen like before. I will take pictures. Now her other foot looks like gout or something else.

http://www.hobbyfarms.com/livestock-and-pets/how-to-treat-bumblefoot-in-chickens.aspx

First, I soak the affected foot in warm water and Epsom salt (or an antiseptic, such as Betadine), and scrub the skin to clean and soften the foot tissue. Then, I apply an antimicrobial, such as Vetericyn VF, on the surface of the foot to kill any remaining bacteria.
Some very mild cases of bumblefoot may be treated by excising the scab with a scalpel, applying an antimicrobial to the abscess, covering the wound with nonstick gauze and wrapping the foot with an elastic bandage, such as Vetrap. An antimicrobial is reapplied two to three times a day, and the wound is re-covered until healed. However, not all cases of bumblefoot respond to this superficial treatment.
More advanced abscesses must be surgically removed. In some instances, antibiotics might be necessary, though none of my bumblefoot cases has required antibiotics in order to heal.
If surgical removal is necessary, I clean the foot and wrap the chicken very loosely in a towel, covering its head and its eyes, while ensuring it has ample breathing room. This keeps the chicken immobilized and calm. I then lay the chicken on its back on the work surface with the affected foot facing me. It helps to have an assistant hold the chicken gently and securely in place. I always talk to the chicken throughout the procedure to help reassure and soothe the bird and myself. I then apply an antimicrobial again to the foot. Some oozing blood is expected but not ghastly amounts. Dabbing the blood with paper towels helps create a clearer view of the work area.
Using a scalpel or biopsy punch, I cut into the footpad around the circumference of the scab, straight down into the foot. A biopsy punch acts like an apple corer, removing the abscess with one push. If using a scalpel, the task is a bit more tedious, as one must tease the abscess away from the live tissue little by little. The scab itself is often attached to the heart of the abscess and can help lift it out of the foot with the aid of a dry paper towel.
The object of the procedure is to locate the heart of the abscess, which is commonly called the "kernel,” "core” or "plug.” The plug consists of dehydrated pus that has solidified; it looks like a waxy, dried kernel of corn. Healthy tissue inside the foot is soft, pliable and pink.
A solid kernel is not always present, in which case the infection appears as stringy, slippery bits of threadlike, whitish-yellowish tissue.

After the kernel is located and removed, I again soak the foot in a sanitized sink or clean bowl containing antiseptic and water. I gently squeeze and massage the footpad to loosen any remaining dead tissue. Then, I dry the foot, apply the antimicrobial again to the area, rewrap the chicken in the towel and continue the procedure. It often takes quite a while of digging, squeezing and soaking, alternately, to remove all of the infected tissue.
When there is no central core or kernel in the abscess, deciding when to end the procedure can be challenging. The stringy bits of tissue are extremely difficult to remove, and it rarely seems as if all of the dead tissue has been removed. When I feel that most of it has been removed, I prepare the foot for bandaging.
Bandage the Foot