Foot is rotting, has bad odor?

[AnimalsComeFirst]

Gloria's foot is at it again... she is very lethargic lately and not moving around alot. As I write this, she is taking a dust bath and just ate a lot of pellets and drank plenty of water. She preens, sunbathes, eats, drinks and dustbathes... but is not active and always is falling asleep. She is old, I know that for a fact, I would estimate 4 - 6 years old. Her skin is dry and she just looks old. Her foot smells horribly and it is painful for her to walk on it. I cannot take her to a vet, it is just to much in cost, so that is not a option.

My questions:
What can I feed her that will boost her immune system?
What medications can I buy to put on her foot?

Thanks and ANY advice is appreciated... I love this chicken to much to loose her and I'm afraid for her. She really isn't acting right today and isn't moving at all and is breathing heavy.

 

[hokankai]

If the foot has a bad smell that means it is severely infected and possibly necrotic. She needs to be treated ASAP or it could get into her blood.

You need to clean it really well and get a good look at it to see the extent of the damage. Infections need to have the infected/dead tissue removed and the pus drained. Then it has to be kept clean and she needs to have either topical or oral antibiotic (penacillin or cephalosporin based).

I just reread it and I'm afraid it might already have gone septic, since it is affecting her breathing and she is lethargic...

 

[AnimalsComeFirst]

Also, could this be a severe case of bumblefoot? I know it is mostly seen on the bottom of the foot, but maybe this is the case where it grew on the top? Would soaking her foot for 15 minutes, then pulling off the scab and trying to pull of the entire pus part, and then bandaging the foot be safe to do?

 

[hokankai]

Read my above post. Bumblefoot is a staph aureus infection and should be treated as above. She will also need an injectable antibiotic at this point due to its severity.

 

[AnimalsComeFirst]

We decided here's what we're gonna do:
We will soak her foot in epsom salts for 15 minutes
We'll bring her into teh bathtub and let her stand in warm water while we try to rub off the scab
How can I pull apart her scab and get into the scab to clean it? Do we have to cut it open, shave it down with a pummus stone or just rub it off?

 

[RedDrgn]

Looks like scaley leg mite (see page 4, http://anrcatalog.ucdavis.edu/pdf/8162.pdf ) - maybe combined with bumblefoot. Soak her legs in warm water (epsom salts added if you can) to soften the scabs and then start removing them and necrotic tissue just as hokankai said. If you don't remove all of the dead/impacted/infected material, it'll never heal no matter what medication is used.

 

[aoxa]

Is there any change? Poor Gloria

 

[selter ebnot]

Would application of a black drawing salve work?