Bumblefoot treatment

[Bickstead]

What can I use besides vetricyn spray? Im sorry, but its so expensive. I dont even spend that much on my meds. Hydrogen peroxide damages tissue. Any other alternatives?

 

[coach723]

Can you post some pictures of the foot in question? Sometimes topical treatments are enough, sometimes it needs more than that.
You can use sugardine, which I have had very good results with, relatively cheap, and easy. It's just plain white sugar mixed in a bit of betadine to make a paste. This link has a video on it and explanation of how I used it on one of my worst bumblefoot cases, post #8 here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/bumblefoot-not-healing.1443809/

 

[Bickstead]

I will get some pictures when I change the bandages. So it turns out 2 of my eggers have it. One on both feet. Theyre very small though. I check their feet and skin quite frequently, so I feel like I caught it fairly early. But now im trying to figure out if theres something theyre doing that the others dont that is causing this. For now I soaked in Epsom salt, put antibiotic ointment on, and wrapped. I tried digging at one, but I want to see if this will draw some of it out first. Wasn't prepared for the blood lol

 

[Bickstead]

One of the girls has it on both feet. Looks like 2 small spots. Im going to treat with prid today and wait for it to draw the infection out so hopefully I wont need to cut. This is about as dirty as their roosting bars get. And the shelf is maybe 3 feet up? My eggers (not in the pics of the coop) like to jump. My other girls use the ramp.

 

[Bickstead]

Can you post some pictures of the foot in question? Sometimes topical treatments are enough, sometimes it needs more than that.
You can use sugardine, which I have had very good results with, relatively cheap, and easy. It's just plain white sugar mixed in a bit of betadine to make a paste. This link has a video on it and explanation of how I used it on one of my worst bumblefoot cases, post #8 here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/bumblefoot-not-healing.1443809/

I posted some pictures from this morning. One of their feet actually looks worse, more red and swollen, since treating it. Not sure if thats the infection coming to the surface?

 

[coach723]

Looking at the pictures, I would not cut. I would soak the feet in epsom salts to soften everything up, or alternately you can apply decolorized iodine (not the same as betadine, most pharmacys will have it in the first aid section,usually a tiny bottle) and wrap the foot overnight and that will soften it up. You may want to do one foot at a time, one a day or work on the worst foot until it seems to be getting better, since you've got three going. Just depends on what works for you and how much you can do each day. Once it's softened, remove the scab and see if you can squeeze and manipulate anything out from underneath. It can take a fair amount of squeezing and manipulation sometimes. Tweezers or a curette (image below)

can be helpful on some feet. Anything that looks creamy or yellowish is likely pus, and it will be firm, kind of cheesy, and it often adheres to the healthy tissue under it. Sometimes there is a core that will pop out with some manipulation. For small shallow lesions there may be nothing but pink tissue under the scab. Once you've cleaned out any gunk underneath, and flushed it out really well, you can use your chosen ointment or sugardine in it and on it, and then wrap the foot up to keep it clean. For flushing I usually use sterile saline or diluted chlorhexidine (Hibiclens, again any pharmacy) I usually check , re clean as needed and reapply ointment and re bandage daily until I know it's healing up well. Any stuff that remains under where that scab/lesion is will continue to regenerate the infection. The sugardine method works really well on getting that cleaned up. Even very small ones can take some time to get healed up sometimes, so patience and persistence is needed. Bumblefoot is generally a slow process, both in formation and it getting it cleared up.

 

[Bickstead]

Looking at the pictures, I would not cut. I would soak the feet in epsom salts to soften everything up, or alternately you can apply decolorized iodine (not the same as betadine, most pharmacys will have it in the first aid section,usually a tiny bottle) and wrap the foot overnight and that will soften it up. You may want to do one foot at a time, one a day or work on the worst foot until it seems to be getting better, since you've got three going. Just depends on what works for you and how much you can do each day. Once it's softened, remove the scab and see if you can squeeze and manipulate anything out from underneath. It can take a fair amount of squeezing and manipulation sometimes. Tweezers or a curette (image below)View attachment 4194113 can be helpful on some feet. Anything that looks creamy or yellowish is likely pus, and it will be firm, kind of cheesy, and it often adheres to the healthy tissue under it. Sometimes there is a core that will pop out with some manipulation. For small shallow lesions there may be nothing but pink tissue under the scab. Once you've cleaned out any gunk underneath, and flushed it out really well, you can use your chosen ointment or sugardine in it and on it, and then wrap the foot up to keep it clean. For flushing I usually use sterile saline or diluted chlorhexidine (Hibiclens, again any pharmacy) I usually check , re clean as needed and reapply ointment and re bandage daily until I know it's healing up well. Any stuff that remains under where that scab/lesion is will continue to regenerate the infection. The sugardine method works really well on getting that cleaned up. Even very small ones can take some time to get healed up sometimes, so patience and persistence is needed. Bumblefoot is generally a slow process, both in formation and it getting it cleared up.

Thank you! I am so frustrated. I check them often. I've always been so worried about bumblefoot. Im disappointed in myself that I dodnt catch it sooner. And the fact that they both have it. They're theory ones who jump from the roosting bars. Do you think that could be the cause? I know any sort of small scrap, splinter... anything can cause it, but I've read jumping alot onto hard surfaces can as well. I have pine shavings on the floor. But sometimes they move it around and its not so thick on spots.

 

[coach723]

Yes, jumping from height can also cause it. Sometimes heavier birds are more prone. For birds that don't like ramps, a hay bale or a few concrete blocks stacked (that is what I use, like stairs), or something similar, to give them way points going up and down, can help. I try to make it so there are no jumps more than 18 inches. I actually got rid of my ramp as it seemed to be causing more issues than the steps, they tended to slide no matter how close the slats were. Obviously you can't prevent everything, they do have minds of their own. I have also found that painting my roosts (I also use 2 x 4's) has reduced it some, helps prevent splinters. Painting them also makes them a bit easier to clean and helps prevent hiding places for mites in the nooks and crannies. Even outside, depending on your environment, sharp rocks, sticks, stumps, all sorts of things, can cause tiny injury that can become bumblefoot. I also try to check regularly, but it's easy to miss somebody. Anyone who has chickens is likely going to experience it at some point, it just happens. All we can do is try to minimize the possibilities as much as we reasonably can.

 

[MarlaMac]

What can I use besides vetricyn spray? Im sorry, but its so expensive. I dont even spend that much on my meds. Hydrogen peroxide damages tissue. Any other alternatives?

If you are asking what you can use to clean the wound besides vetricyn you can get a gal bottle of chlorhexidine at tractor supply that mixes 2 tbsp to 1 gal water (check to be sure of my measurements). You can then put that in a spray bottle and use it instead of the vetricyn.

 

[Bickstead]

Yes, jumping from height can also cause it. Sometimes heavier birds are more prone. For birds that don't like ramps, a hay bale or a few concrete blocks stacked (that is what I use, like stairs), or something similar, to give them way points going up and down, can help. I try to make it so there are no jumps more than 18 inches. I actually got rid of my ramp as it seemed to be causing more issues than the steps, they tended to slide no matter how close the slats were. Obviously you can't prevent everything, they do have minds of their own. I have also found that painting my roosts (I also use 2 x 4's) has reduced it some, helps prevent splinters. Painting them also makes them a bit easier to clean and helps prevent hiding places for mites in the nooks and crannies. Even outside, depending on your environment, sharp rocks, sticks, stumps, all sorts of things, can cause tiny injury that can become bumblefoot. I also try to check regularly, but it's easy to miss somebody. Anyone who has chickens is likely going to experience it at some point, it just happens. All we can do is try to minimize the possibilities as much as we reasonably can.

I noticed today my younger girls slide on the ramp which worried me. Ill try your idea of making stairs out of something and painting the roost bars. Their run is all dirt. Considering making it sand. Thank you again for your advice. I appreciate it!