Dadgumbit...bumblefoot....*Update, looking for advice*

[65browneyes]

Went to the henhouse mid-morning yesterday for an egg check and was able to pick up one of the EEs who never lets me get that close to her. I always check their feet due to their constant unearthing of old nails and pieces of broken glass, in spite of my constant combing of their run.

At any rate, I found a black scab, just smaller in diameter than a dime with swelling of the toe involved, but NO redness or fever in the area at all. I'm thinking I may have somehow caught it early enough. I worked the scab loose until it began to bleed and I realized I was tearing a bit of skin along with the scab.

I separated her and ran to the feed store for antibiotics (Dura-10 with Teteracycline was ALL they had). In the shower this morning (where I do my best thinking, btw) I remembered the tube of Ichthamol ointment in the cabinet. Ichthamol is a drawing salve, great for splinters, etc.

After I freshened her antibiotic-ridden water this morning, I cleaned the foot up some more and cut the remaining scab off. I slathered the ointment on applied a gauze and vet rap.

I'm hoping the ointment will pull that core out without my having to cut it out. Any other thoughts or suggestions?

 

[chickensioux]

http://www.avianweb.com/bumblefoot.html

This is a really good website for this. Good luck tho' it's a bear to treat.

 

[65browneyes]

Yep, I found that link via another thread, I think you posted it there, in fact. Thanks, though, I've been reading about everything I can find.

 

[65browneyes]

I changed this hen's dressing this morning. The Ichthamol had dried on her skin. I pulled it off and underneath was beautiful pink, healthy looking tissue. With a little tiny yellow spot. The toe still has a rounded area surrounding this 'spot'.

I am assuming although the tissue appears to be incredibly healthy, the enlargement combined with this yellow spot-however small it may be- means the core is still in there and the Ichthamol didn't do what I'd hoped it would.

For those of you who have dealt with Bumblefoot before, is my assumption correct? I was really hoping to avoid having to make an incision by using the Ichthamol.

 

[redhen]

Good question! Heres a bump up..i'd like to know also..

 

[65browneyes]

Wow......no suggestions for me.

You know, I started a thread once about another hen's eye and threehorses was kind enough to respond to me each time I posted. I was SO appreciative of her advice and would be equally so of any I could get here as well.

It's almost like someone black-balled me or something. Hmmmm....





Sorry, needed to blow off a bit of steam I guess. I would dearly love for someone with bumblefoot experience to leave some feedback here for me.

 

[redhen]

Gumpsgirl made a post about it recently...can you do a search on here for it? it had alot of good info in it. Good luck!

 

[froggie71]

We had bumblefoot on one of our guineas recently I posted about it in other threads. The pus is really hard to get out and should be cut then squeezed out to get it all. We soaked in epsom salts first than put neosporin without pain reliver in the wound. Spray with blue kote, wrapped in guaze then put a sock over it to keep her from picking at the dressing. We did this twice a day for about 4 days and it healed nicely. Good luck. I haven't heard of anyone dealing with it without cutting out the infection.

 

[purpletree23]

Don't give anitibiotics. They won't work. Soak the foot in warm salt water and then use a sterilized pin to peel back the skin over the yellow area. Soak the foot a little longer and then squeeze the foot to get the pus and 'kernel' out. Point away from your face. Wear gloves because you are dealing with a staph infection. After making sure everything is out dry well and coat with neosporine and bandabe padding the bottom of the foot well. Use duct take if you have to. Change bandage everyday until healed.

 

[Emzyyy]

yea since a bunch of people on BYC have been complaining about Bumble Foot and I had never really heard of it until recently I got curious about it and went and checked all my chickens and found that four of them had small "plugs" at the bottom of their feet so I took all of them and took tweezers and pulled the stuff out and slathered their feet in alchol basicly a BATH of alchol and wrapped it up nice and tight.