Bumblefoot treatment not going well...

[MomMommyMamma]

I posted a couple of days ago to ask what was going on with one of the hens. I've followed the tutorials of how to soak the foot, remove the scab, pull the plug. I removed 3 good size pieces of puss day before yesterday. Applied polysporin antibiotic cream, wrapped the foot in vetwrap, and have kept her inside on soft clean bedding, having changed the bandage daily. Tonight when I looked at the foot it looks worse to me. Areas that were not red before are red now. The swelling seems to be less, but the redness is moving up her leg, which I am sure is not good. What now?

 

[Country4ever]

Is she on antibiotics? Did you use sterile instruments?

 

[nuchickontheblock]

I would warm soak her foot/leg again and see if more will drain out. Vitamins in the water and antibiotics if you can get them would help.

 

[MomMommyMamma]

Quote:
I used brand new instruments, aside from an autoclave I'm not sure how go about sterilizing manicure scissors, tweezers, and razor blades.
Talked with my uncle who is vet tonight. Though he is not a poultry specialist, he's spent his life caring for animals and being a farm vet. Soaked it w/ epsom salts, applied antibiotic ointment again. A few hours later the ointment was pretty much absorbed/gone. Applied Betadine and goldenseal powder. Have left her on clean wood shavings with no bandage for the night. I don't like how moist the wound is looking. Will get her some Tetramycin tomorrow if there is no improvement. To be honest, if this was not something that I may see again in other chickens, which makes it something I need to be able to treat, I would probably dispatch her. It may sound harsh to some, but I can not see allowing her to suffer or to pay a large vet bill for a hen that was a $3 chick. One way or another I think it will be alright. I've learned a lot and will be much better prepared if it occurs again in the flock.

 

[dawg53]

Since you removed the bandages, other than the redness, does the area looked healed? Also, is she walking normally with no limp at all and eating and drinking normally? If you say yes to these questions, return her to the flock and let her go. If she limps, there's the possibility that the infection had already spread to her leg prior to the surgery, once it gets to or into the bone, it's usually too late. I've read somewhere in the forum about people injecting penicillin procaine G to stop bumblefoot infections such as this...I have also read that sometimes it was too late, that the infection had already spread throughout the chickens system and the chicken had to be put down.

 

[GiddyMoon]

You can sterilize what you use with rubbing alcohol.

 

[Country4ever]

Is her leg swollen? I've noticed that sometimes my hen with reoccuring bumblefoot tends to get a little redness in her lower leg and it doesn't seem to mean anything.
I would start over.........soak in epsom salts, irrigate the hole out with diluted betadine, maybe pack it with sugar and betadine and cover it with a little dressing and then vet wrap (between the toes so she can still walk). Separate her in a crate with clean bedding. Recheck the wound in 2 days and re-dress it.
Since it seems to be slow in healing, I would give antibiotics.
I've decided not to worry about my hen's bumblefoot. I think she really walls it off and it becomes a non-issue. But your's sounds like an active infection. So keep at it. Keep it clean. When you re-dress it after 2 days, irrigate it again and repack it with sugar and betadine.

When I "sterilize" my instruments (and I use that "sterilize" term loosely), I soak them in clorox and water in a 15% solution.
Chickens are very resilient.
Good luck to you!

 

[MomMommyMamma]

I have never seen or heard definitive info that rubbing alcohol sterilizes anything. In fact, when I worked in the allergy department at a large HMO, it was up to the patient if we used alcohol on their arm before their shots. Now the bleach solution, I can see. When I worked at the blood blank we used 10% bleach solution often to clean up.
At any rate, the leg looks MUCH better today! Much better. So pleased. the swelling is nearly gone and the red area is smaller than it was when I first discovered the bumble foot.
I soaked it again in epsom salts this AM, washed with betadine and applied fresh goldenseal powder (I just open up the capsules and put the powder on). I've let her outside today since it's dry & warm. We first learned about goldenseal with our 4th baby (human). The midwife told us to use the powder to dry out the umbilical stump and it worked amazingly well to dry the stump out and we never saw infection. The only warning she gave was that it can feel like pieces of glass if you get it onto mucus membranes (eyes, mouth, etc).
Hoping she continues to heal.

 

[dawg53]

Very good news. She'll be ok now.