Bumblefoot!!

[tadpole98]

Our hen Zoe might have bumble foot. It is a black scab, with a little yellow ring around it. (i took photos but they havent gotten to my email yet.. ) Will Soaking her foot in something help it? We really dont want to do surgery.

 

[tadpole98]

I know its hard to see but its the best pic we could take

 

[2greenboyz]

I haven't had this condition (yet) - check out this thread, you might get some ideas. Looks like epsom salts and neosporin are treatment of choice but read through here and see if it helps you.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/292297/bumblefoot

 

[janinepeters]

Yours looks small, and if it is still soft, you might be able to treat it successfully with TricideNeo:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/303829/vet-suggestion-for-non-invasive-bumblefoot-cure

My hen's swelling was much bigger than yours, and there were 2 dark spots, but TricideNeo worked. The hen has been free of bumblefoot for a year now. I never picked off the scab, I never cut open the swelling, and never wrapped her foot. Just did 5-10 minute soaks for 10 days, and by then the swelling was gone and she was no longer limping. The scabs fell off after several days of soaking, and it was totally healed underneath.

Good luck!

 

[tadpole98]

Thank you for the links

We found another method last night on another thread here. I soaked her foot in warm epsom salt water for 7 minutes (which she liked, she fell asleep in the water LOL). Then I put a drop of betadine on the scab, put neosporin on it, then wrapped it up.

 

[ostarafarm]

I've had bumblefoot on 2 of my birds. The first one we did surgery on, twice. The second time we got a huge plug out, packed it with anti-biotic cream, bandaged it. It healed after a very long time. I did some reading and found that if you leave it alone it will often heal anyway.
When the 2nd bird got it, we did not touch it. it went away on its own. this has been about 9 months ago and she is still fine.

 

[KansasKate]

I just did surgery on my girl with two big, hot, swollen bumblefeet. It wasn't as "neat" as the videos and surgeries I've seen and heard described, so I'm not sure I've gotten it. She's walking and behaving normally, but I have no idea what I did. I will tell you that if anyone says they can't feel it, I call BS! I was doing it alone and it was pretty tough. She was wrapped with her head covered, but she was still kicking.

Anyone had any luck with post-surgical "sugardine" (betadine + sugar) poultice, especially in a case where it isn't clear the whole infection was gotten? If so, could you describe it?

 

[chicken_chik]

Yours looks small, and if it is still soft, you might be able to treat it successfully with TricideNeo:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/303829/vet-suggestion-for-non-invasive-bumblefoot-cure

My hen's swelling was much bigger than yours, and there were 2 dark spots, but TricideNeo worked. The hen has been free of bumblefoot for a year now. I never picked off the scab, I never cut open the swelling, and never wrapped her foot. Just did 5-10 minute soaks for 10 days, and by then the swelling was gone and she was no longer limping. The scabs fell off after several days of soaking, and it was totally healed underneath.

Good luck!

This gives me hope... cuz I tried the "surgery" which took me 1.5 hrs (having never done it before!) and neosporin packed and wrapped. When I took off the bandage 3 days later the scab was back and the swelling the same!! So finally the Tricide Neo I ordered arrived, and I have been soaking my hens foot for the past 2 days now for 10 min each time.. I haven't seen any changes yet, but like I said, this gives me hope that the tricide will clear it up. Its my favorite hen too, of course!
(p.s. others on this site have recommended 1/2 Tbls Tricide Neo to 2 quarts of distilled water...is that the proportion you used?)
also they said the batch is good up to 5 days, so I have been reusing it.. it's kinda spendy stuff!

 

[janinepeters]

(p.s. others on this site have recommended 1/2 Tbls Tricide Neo to 2 quarts of distilled water...is that the proportion you used?)
also they said the batch is good up to 5 days, so I have been reusing it.. it's kinda spendy stuff!

I followed the package directions, which I am not 100% sure of, now, because it was a year ago. But I think it said to dissolve the contents of the packet in 1 gallon of distilled water, which I believe I did. I used a little bit from that gallon each day for 10 days. Since then, I've read, as you have, that the solution only lasts for 5 days, but I am not sure that is based on anything other than someone's opinion. It certainly would not hurt to mix up only a quarter of it at a time.

 

[janinepeters]

I will tell you that if anyone says they can't feel it, I call BS! I was doing it alone and it was pretty tough. She was wrapped with her head covered, but she was still kicking.

I'm with you on this. You saw that yours was kicking, but it has to be extremely painful, even if they lie there motionless. Animals don't show pain the same way people do. It is not adaptive for them to do so, because kicking and screaming in response to pain attracts predators. But, sadly, people have long used an absence of overt reaction to extremely noxious stimuli as an excuse to justify all sorts of animal torture. I understand that people who do this surgery are trying to help their chickens, but we must not kid ourselves, and should factor in pain when considering the various treatment options, invasive vs. non-invasive, whether to involve a vet or not,and whether euthanasia would be kinder.