Bumblefoot vs Neomycin: a Backyard Study

[le_bwah]

This will be my attempt at treating bumblefoot in Coturnix quail using Tricide-Neo, a Neomycin-based dip for koi fish. I'll be sharing my process and outcomes for others who find themselves in my position.

I've got not one but six hens with bumblefoot—this is my first time encountering the condition in two years of raising quail. I've been reluctant to cut into any of them, and had read about treating chickens for bumblefoot with external antibiotics. So, following a tip from @igorsMistress, I got my hands on some Tricide-Neo and gave them their first soak last night. -->Here<-- is the link to an old thread containing the method and several success stories in chickens. I'll be sticking with Tricide-Neo unless any of the hens take a turn for the worse, in which case it's home surgery/vet time.

Three of them have 1 or more abscesses this size or smaller:

The other three are larger and more worrisome—one girl has one on each foot

None are showing signs of lameness, but I know they hide their pain well. I'm cleaning out the aviary tomorrow, looking for anything that might have contributed to this spate of cases. Will be trying to remove the "plug" from each larger bumble in a few days, so long as swelling is improved and I figure out a way to hold the girls still...

 

[Quailobsessed]

Some of my chickens have had bumble foot, but not my quails.

 

[igorsMistress]

@le_bwah will be following. I haven't needed to try this with my chickens but I hope it works. Quail feet are so tiny I can't imagine having to do surgery.

 

[maadroj]

How is it going?

 

[le_bwah]

Preliminary results: many of the abscesses, especially the largest, appear to be shrinking! The skin around the "scab" is less swollen and hard, too. I missed a couple days of treatment, so as of today they've only had four five-minute soaks. But anticipating a week or two before I see appreciable results (if any ).

I'm eyeballing the dosage, aiming for an under-saturated solution of Tricide-Neo in distilled water. I had tried soaking each bird individually, but this proved overly-stressful to all of them. Now, I mix a batch of Tricide-Neo in a medium bin and place all six hens into it at once. If this method pans out, I'll give an update with the full process along with pictures.

But no decent update pics yet, I'm afraid—been soaking them after they lay, which means low light. They've been moved back outside—the poop situation was becoming untenable indoors (literally couldn't change them enough to keep their poor feet clean ). They're as active as ever, which is encouraging, and treatment is much less stressful outdoors.

 

[maadroj]

I am also trying to treat one of mine right now. I'm starting with an Epsom salt bath, then applying Bacitracin antibiotic ointment (because it's what I have), and bandaging to keep it clean. I'll let you know how it works. We started yesterday, and I think the swelling in her leg has gone down.

 

[maadroj]

I hope I never have to treat six at a time, but the way you're handling it sounds like a great idea. Fingers crossed!

 

[le_bwah]

So I finally got some half decent feet pics...

Some wounds appear to be healing, others look a bit "waterlogged", but aside from a hint of redness in one girl, I don't see signs of underlying infection in the deeper tissues. The plan now is to remove the softened "cap" of the abscess, drain what I can, and pack them with an antibiotic cream—lucky me, my dad has volunteered an old tube of Mupirocin to the cause.

Before pics are on the left, after are on the right:

Babs has got the worst of it. Her foot pad is softer now, but the "cap" appears to be spreading beyond its original margins. She'll be my first real "patient."

Lady appears to be taking to treatment better—the abscess cap seems ready to lift off on its own, and swelling is down.

Can't see as much difference in her other foot—the other dark spots on the "after" pic are just dirt.

Violet appears to be forming small, dark blisters around the exposed "kernel" of her bumbles. She doesn't mind having her feet manipulated and is showing NO signs of lameness—none of them are.

Vi's other foot is showing change, but I can't tell if it's good or bad. The swelling has gone down considerably (felt firm before, like a small grape—now feels "deflated"), but the wound looks waterlogged and fragile—she's second up for getting worked on. Not looking forward to seeing what comes out of her toe...

Overall, the hens have received only four treatments of Tricide-Neo in a 1-week span. I'll be upping their treatment to once a day and surgically opening the largest wounds in the hopes of expressing infected material. Adding Mupirocin application to the daily routine with high hopes—bumblefoot is usually the result of a staph infection, and Mupirocin is indicated for the treatment of staph.

I also think I've found the culprit behind this rash of cases—an unusually splinter-y mix of landscaping mulch. Aviary now mucked out and exchanged for boring old bark chips, hopefully less irritating than the previous substrate.

 

[igorsMistress]

Thanks for the update! I hope you for sure found the culprit and the mupirocin helps.

 

[le_bwah]

Update: Success!

I've been remiss in taking pictures, but in five of the six hens, their external bumbles completely resolved in two months of every-other-day treatment and there are now no signs of swelling or discoloration. It took about two weeks of cumulative treatment to start seeing results, but healing progressed quickly after that.

However, one of my "skinny girls" has actually gotten worse during treatment and I anticipate needing to cull soon—she's living with the rest of the flock for another week or so, getting in some good times before she goes.

Neomycin seems effective in treating bumblefoot in otherwise healthy birds, without the need of surgical intervention. Drawbacks are the time and space it takes to treat and the potential for reoccurrence if the "core" of the abscess is not resolved. 5 gallons worth of Tricide-Neo ran about $70, which goes much further when diluted to a (quite arbitrary) "bird dose."

I'd highly recommend this route to anyone dealing with bumblefoot who isn't willing or able to seek/perform surgery.