Bumblefoot

[toadfreak]

I have an Easter Egger with Bumblefoot. I can usually get the cheesy stuff out of the foot by pulling it out with tweezers and squeezing it. This one bled and oozed but no cheesy stuff! I've been soaking it and using Vetricyn and Neosporin on a pad with wrap. This has been going on for over a week and the foot is still puffy and tender. I read that no antibiotics work, so what's my next step???? I'm stumped.

 

[The Angry Hen]

Hello,

I am sorry your chicken has Bumblefoot.
Here is a website on how to treat it.
How To Treat Bumblefoot In Chickens - Hobby Farms

I would soak it in Epsom salt and water.
You are in an okay path though.

I wish you the best of luck healing it, I hope this helps.

-The Angry Hen

 

[azygous]

Some cases of bumblefoot can be so stubborn it can require months of treatment. I have such a hen.

She came to me with one of the worst cases of bumblefoot I'd ever encountered. Both feet were affected, one so bad, the foot was twice the size of the other. Her previous owner had never thought to give his flock foot inspections, and she had been living with bumblefoot for years most probably.

I had heard that stubborn cases require repeated soakings and continued treatment, but as her infection returned, black scabs being the evidence, I was reluctant to operate and cause her further pain. Finally, I had to intervene and again she went under the knife.

I'm doing every other day soaks, and cleaning the wound and re-bandaging in between. Her pad remains very swollen but the black scab has yet to return, which I take as an encouraging sign.

My advice is to persevere and keep treating for as long as is needed, even if it requires months of care.

 

[amyc00]

Some cases of bumblefoot can be so stubborn it can require months of treatment. I have such a hen.

She came to me with one of the worst cases of bumblefoot I'd ever encountered. Both feet were affected, one so bad, the foot was twice the size of the other. Her previous owner had never thought to give his flock foot inspections, and she had been living with bumblefoot for years most probably.

I had heard that stubborn cases require repeated soakings and continued treatment, but as her infection returned, black scabs being the evidence, I was reluctant to operate and cause her further pain. Finally, I had to intervene and again she went under the knife.

I'm doing every other day soaks, and cleaning the wound and re-bandaging in between. Her pad remains very swollen but the black scab has yet to return, which I take as an encouraging sign.

My advice is to persevere and keep treating for as long as is needed, even if it requires months of care.

I have a girl who has a pretty bad case of bumblefoot on one foot and a not as bad case on the other. We are looking at doing surgery on the worse one and I'm worried about hurting her. Did you have any pain meds or anything for your girl? Or did it bother her much?

 

[azygous]

I have a girl who has a pretty bad case of bumblefoot on one foot and a not as bad case on the other. We are looking at doing surgery on the worse one and I'm worried about hurting her. Did you have any pain meds or anything for your girl? Or did it bother her much?

Pain is definitely a concern. It does hurt when you cut into a chicken's foot, make no mistake. However, I've found that pain tolerance differs among chickens just as it does with people, and the good news is, most chickens tolerate the pain well.

Most of my patients will lie perfectly still and be amazingly cooperative without any anesthetic. It's actually for the best. Lidocaine, the most common nerve blocker, is toxic to chickens, although I've read here that some BYCers have use it.

One thing you can do to minimize the pain is to ice the site with an ice cube before cutting. But chances are good your patient, as with most of mine, will be brave and cooperative and not so much as flinch.