I had not thought of the plastic bags. I will try that. He has heavily feathered feet and toes. I remember this morning that I had some clindamycin from the bumblefoot surgery from the vet. So I started him on that this morning.
Bumblefoot surgery - with pics and "how to"
- Thread starter ruth
- Start date
Most feed stores carry it and veterinary supply stores also. It is kept refrigerated so look in their refrigerater case. I think even tractor supply carries it if you don't want to wait for an online order.
Thanks!
Just did my first surgery ever! But I still am wondering a few things! PLEASE HELP
so me and my hubby noticed our favorite Easter Egger with a swollen foot yesterday, I've read about bumble foot ages ago when I first got my chickens and was always on the look out for it... finally it came! We followed the surgery steps, except I don't think I cut a big enough hole around the scab. my consern comes from a few things one being that the scab she had was smaller than what I've seen in pictures and two while digging looking for a plug I only found hard black stuff the deeper I went I believe I got most of the black stuff out and there was a little puss but I was just confused to find hard black almost gravel like stuff... anyone else see this? I'm going to check it tomorrow and try to get some pictures!
so me and my hubby noticed our favorite Easter Egger with a swollen foot yesterday, I've read about bumble foot ages ago when I first got my chickens and was always on the look out for it... finally it came! We followed the surgery steps, except I don't think I cut a big enough hole around the scab. my consern comes from a few things one being that the scab she had was smaller than what I've seen in pictures and two while digging looking for a plug I only found hard black stuff the deeper I went I believe I got most of the black stuff out and there was a little puss but I was just confused to find hard black almost gravel like stuff... anyone else see this? I'm going to check it tomorrow and try to get some pictures!
I've never seen anything black. Others say the black scab is the plug. I have found pus beneath the scab and I have sometimes found stringy white stuff. On one chicken who was also swollen between the toes, which we had to make a cut through, we found white kernals. On another chicken who had a red swollen foot pad with a black scab I dug around and removed a few small white seedy looking things and then I got ahold of something else that was white. I pulled and pulled and a sack like covering came out! Then it bled like crazy.
I would put some betadine on her wound and maybe a drawing paste (like the betadine/sugar paste) and wrap it up good. I always cover the gauze with vetwrap then sportswrap to keep the poop out. Just their toes are showing when I'm done. Then revisit it in another day or two and clean out any additional pus, then put antibiotic cream and wrap it up good again until it heals up.
I would put some betadine on her wound and maybe a drawing paste (like the betadine/sugar paste) and wrap it up good. I always cover the gauze with vetwrap then sportswrap to keep the poop out. Just their toes are showing when I'm done. Then revisit it in another day or two and clean out any additional pus, then put antibiotic cream and wrap it up good again until it heals up.
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Animal, I would assume that the black thing was bad and needed to come out. As far as how big to cut the circle, I'm waiting for a set of those biopsy things. I got a set of different sizes on ebay for $19.
My last one was when I removed the plug, I got some pus. But 2 days later after the Epsom paste poultice, I messaged the foot and a kernel popped out. Seems like the poultice drew it close to the surface so it could come out.
Nothing like a good poultice!!!
My last one was when I removed the plug, I got some pus. But 2 days later after the Epsom paste poultice, I messaged the foot and a kernel popped out. Seems like the poultice drew it close to the surface so it could come out.
Nothing like a good poultice!!!
Another question I thought of, should I try to do something with the swollen part between her toes? Its only on one side.
I didn't get time to check her foot today since my helper was at work and I am not sure how well I'll do holding the chicken and then re-wraping her myself.... I'm also pregnant, in my third trimester, so that doesn't help
side note to this my hen seems to walk just fine and perch, before and after the surgery.
whats a good homemade poultice I can use?
I didn't get time to check her foot today since my helper was at work and I am not sure how well I'll do holding the chicken and then re-wraping her myself.... I'm also pregnant, in my third trimester, so that doesn't help
side note to this my hen seems to walk just fine and perch, before and after the surgery.whats a good homemade poultice I can use?
If you are pregnant, be extra careful about coming in contact with bumblefoot because it's usually staph that humans can get as well.
Another question I thought of, should I try to do something with the swollen part between her toes? Its only on one side.
I didn't get time to check her foot today since my helper was at work and I am not sure how well I'll do holding the chicken and then re-wraping her myself.... I'm also pregnant, in my third trimester, so that doesn't help
whats a good homemade poultice I can use?
Make sure you use disposable gloves when handling her. Scrub her foot well before attempting any surgery and then clean with alcohol. If you don't have a helper, wrap her very securely in a towel, and fasten it with clothespins. Leave a little opening near her head for her to get some air. The swelling between the toes likely has a kernel or pus in it. Mine did. We had to make a small cut on the top with a very sharp sterile knife for that. I would recommend waiting on your helper for that though. As far as cleaning and changing bandages and stuff, I just wrap mine up securely with a towel leaving their feet hanging out.
As far as a poultice, BigBird recommends making a paste of bentadine and sugar. I did use that, just a little bit on the soft side, and put it on her with a gauze pad, then wrapped her up good. Left it on for a couple of days then unwrapped it. It softened the scab up well enough that I could lift it from the edges much easier than just soaking for a while in epsom salt. Semonile says an epsom salt paste is good too. You can use the poultices after removing the scab too to draw out any additional infection.
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- Mar 9, 2014
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Hey.
It's actually TommydaDelaware here, but as my laptop is down and my tablet is dead, I'm on my mom's computer with her account. Well, this summer has been one of learning experiences for me, or us rather, and it has carried over into the fall. This summer we had a cockerel who got an abscess, and I fainted when the vet was trying to do something about it... Yes... I fainted. On the newest vet in our Clinic's practice. anywho, we, unfortunately lost the little guy. Later in the summer, we lost more chickens, and sent one to the state lab. After a while of waiting, we lost a few more chickens, so I posted one of them. I learned what the "healthy muscle" Looked like (And DIDN"T FAINT!). Turns out it was Coccidiosis, internal Parasites, and Mareks, were the results from the lab.
Now our chicken Louise had bumble foot before fair, but I didn't really realize it, it was just a little swollen. (Bad chicken owner, I know..) Well, Tuesday when I went to look at her, there was another scab, actually, not even a scab, it was yellow!! The Kernel was Exploding out the top of her foot! between the inside toe and the middle toe!! And she had a little pus bubble, like liquid pus, between the outside toe and middle. So, I came to this thread, saw what I had to do, and proceeded. (Like a true science geek, I recorded everything in google dox. Except pics. I didn't take pics.) Here is an excerpt from my adventure in Bumblefoot Surgery:
I prepped by soaking the foot in epsom salt water to clean it and soften the skin. Taking a sterile blade scalpel from my college lab kit, I lanced the pus bubble, then carved around the top scab, and the bottom scab. there was much cheesy material that flaked apart in the foot pad. the top bumble and Pus bubble were connected to the main chamber. After much of the flaky material was removed, and the top bumble was lifted out, the main kernel could be safely removed. Using a pair of Forceps, I removed the kernel. All told, the amount of caseous material removed from the foot was about the size of a large grape or marble. I then rinsed the foot again, and packed it with neosporin and bandaged it. The Surgery started at 14:15, and ended at 16:15.
And one side note, just to show how high the pain tolerance is, and also I guess as Proof of how Cannibalistic chickens can be, i had her wrapped in a towel, on her back on my lap, instead of her side, she wouldn't keep still when I had her on her side. I Had her head covered and all that, but she got her head out, and tried to peck at her foot halfway through the surgery... It was like... Louise.. Really?! she's scratching in her cage with the foot today, and I'm going out in a few minutes to change the bandage and neosporin. Somedays the blood doesn't bother me, and others it does. We'll see what today brings.
Edited to add:
I just went out and changed the bandages. I didn't realize chickens were such fast healers... Two days ago I had a gaping hole in her foot, and she was kinda moping. I was like, Oh man, what have I done. Today I go out there... And this is what I find under the bandages. (I did get the kernal of pus out, so I hope she's in the clear. That top scab is kinda eeh, but I'll keep an eye on it.)
It's actually TommydaDelaware here, but as my laptop is down and my tablet is dead, I'm on my mom's computer with her account. Well, this summer has been one of learning experiences for me, or us rather, and it has carried over into the fall. This summer we had a cockerel who got an abscess, and I fainted when the vet was trying to do something about it... Yes... I fainted. On the newest vet in our Clinic's practice. anywho, we, unfortunately lost the little guy. Later in the summer, we lost more chickens, and sent one to the state lab. After a while of waiting, we lost a few more chickens, so I posted one of them. I learned what the "healthy muscle" Looked like (And DIDN"T FAINT!). Turns out it was Coccidiosis, internal Parasites, and Mareks, were the results from the lab.
Now our chicken Louise had bumble foot before fair, but I didn't really realize it, it was just a little swollen. (Bad chicken owner, I know..) Well, Tuesday when I went to look at her, there was another scab, actually, not even a scab, it was yellow!! The Kernel was Exploding out the top of her foot! between the inside toe and the middle toe!! And she had a little pus bubble, like liquid pus, between the outside toe and middle. So, I came to this thread, saw what I had to do, and proceeded. (Like a true science geek, I recorded everything in google dox. Except pics. I didn't take pics.) Here is an excerpt from my adventure in Bumblefoot Surgery:
I prepped by soaking the foot in epsom salt water to clean it and soften the skin. Taking a sterile blade scalpel from my college lab kit, I lanced the pus bubble, then carved around the top scab, and the bottom scab. there was much cheesy material that flaked apart in the foot pad. the top bumble and Pus bubble were connected to the main chamber. After much of the flaky material was removed, and the top bumble was lifted out, the main kernel could be safely removed. Using a pair of Forceps, I removed the kernel. All told, the amount of caseous material removed from the foot was about the size of a large grape or marble. I then rinsed the foot again, and packed it with neosporin and bandaged it. The Surgery started at 14:15, and ended at 16:15.
And one side note, just to show how high the pain tolerance is, and also I guess as Proof of how Cannibalistic chickens can be, i had her wrapped in a towel, on her back on my lap, instead of her side, she wouldn't keep still when I had her on her side. I Had her head covered and all that, but she got her head out, and tried to peck at her foot halfway through the surgery... It was like... Louise.. Really?! she's scratching in her cage with the foot today, and I'm going out in a few minutes to change the bandage and neosporin. Somedays the blood doesn't bother me, and others it does. We'll see what today brings.
Edited to add:
I just went out and changed the bandages. I didn't realize chickens were such fast healers... Two days ago I had a gaping hole in her foot, and she was kinda moping. I was like, Oh man, what have I done. Today I go out there... And this is what I find under the bandages. (I did get the kernal of pus out, so I hope she's in the clear. That top scab is kinda eeh, but I'll keep an eye on it.)
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