Bumblefoot surgery - with pics and "how to"

[Mary Of Exeter]

This is great! My rooster Clyde has had it for a while. Wasn't sure what was wrong with him, we just knew he always had that black scab and he's been limping. It's not really that swollen, or I would have noticed it probably was bumblefoot.
Tomorrow we will try this surgery to see if we can help the poor guy.

 

[ruth]

Quote:
From what I understand it's a staph infection that enters the foot pad via any injury or open spot. Since they spend so much time on their feet and jumping on and off roosts and digging, scratching and foraging they are bound to get some sort of spot for infection to enter and take root.

 

[EweSheep]

So far my hen is doing very well. Going thru a very terrible molt. Poor girl she looks NAKED!

 

[MaggieRae]

Quote:
From what I understand it's a staph infection that enters the foot pad via any injury or open spot. Since they spend so much time on their feet and jumping on and off roosts and digging, scratching and foraging they are bound to get some sort of spot for infection to enter and take root.

That makes sense! Thank you!

 

[acbear93]

I just want to update from one of my posts on this thread about 2 weeks ago...One of my hens has bumblefoot, and I was squeemish about the "surgery" and having to do that myself...So, I called my vet, and he had said that if I pack the foot with neosporin, a cotton ball, and vet wrap, that ought to take care of it, bring the infection to a head, and it would drain on its own...I think that if I let it go on long enough, it MAY have done that, however, this has been goin on for over 2 weeks now, and I just wanted to get it over with, so today I broke down, suited up w ith some rubber gloves, washed her foot in some salt water...I used regular salt, as I do not have the epsom variety, and I carefully cut around the scab and the bumble with one of those razor blade knives where you can break off the blade after use, and the bumble had actually come to the surface like the vet said it would, Originally I could feel it way up between the toes, but after the 2 weeks of wrapping it it was hard just under the skin on the pad of her foot like a callous...I took some tweezers that I bought especially for the surgery, to keep for future use should I need them, dont want to use my good ones! and after carefully going around the scab and callous-like bumble, I picked at it with the tweezers, and it all came off the foot in one big clump, there was very little bleeding, like not even the equivalent of one drop...so, I think packing it all this time like the vet said did help somewhat...but if I kept doing that, I think it may have taken another 2 weeks at least for it to fall off or something...the skin was already peeling away around it before I started cutting, but I think it would have taken just too darn long...So, I am glad that I did the "surgery" it wasnt as bad as I thought it would be, and the hen did awesome through the whole procedure. She laid very still on my daughters lap while I worked on her..I rinsed her foot with some hydrogen peroxide, then I packed the hole that was left with neosporin, some cotton balls, and wrapped again with vet wrap...I just checked on her for the night, and she seems to be resting well...I think she knows I was trying to help her, and now she is on the road to recovery! yay!

 

[magsrags]

Quote:
Bravo!

Wasn't it easier than you'd have ever thught?

 

[acbear93]

Bravo! Wasn't it easier than you'd have ever thught?

Phew, now that I have done it, I feel confident to be able to do it again if I need to...I thikn maybe their feet are so tough that they dont feel you cutting them...that was what I was worried about, hurting her worse and messing it all up...she as so calm even after the bumble was pulled out...

sooooo easy....just have to be prepared, have everything you need all ready to go, vet wrap pre-cut, all your supplies, then there is no wasting any time, just get in, and get out, and get it done! I am so thankful for this thread...so much information....

thank you everyone who posts on BYC, such wonderful useful information!!! I just love it here!!!

 

[magsrags]

Quote:
Phew, now that I have done it, I feel confident to be able to do it again if I need to...I thikn maybe their feet are so tough that they dont feel you cutting them...that was what I was worried about, hurting her worse and messing it all up...she as so calm even after the bumble was pulled out...

sooooo easy....just have to be prepared, have everything you need all ready to go, vet wrap pre-cut, all your supplies, then there is no wasting any time, just get in, and get out, and get it done! I am so thankful for this thread...so much information....

thank you everyone who posts on BYC, such wonderful useful information!!! I just love it here!!!

I agree, it is important not to have to stop to find something.LOL have it all within arm's length and you've got a good start.

After I did my birds eye I understood more about that cheesy stuff being so darn hard. Ugh............took forever to dig it out poor thing.

 

[English Chick]

So glad I found this thread!... Unusually I have a little bantam that has been limping a couple of days.. I thought she had hurt herself jumping from the roost, even though the shed floor has lots and lots of straw on it.... she has been holding her foot under her and hopping...will check her foot shortly when I let her out... I seperated her from the flock so she could rest her leg... this thread is amazing... I HOPE she does not have bumblefoot, but if she does I now know what to do.. just hope I have the stomach for it and hopefully it will be just the beginning of bumblefoot and not away along where I have to dig in too much.........willl update later with my findings......

 

[Bantimna]

Thank you for this thread

please will you post the link of the crop surgery please.