Help! Emergency Bumblefoot!

[CinnamonQueen12]

Yesterday, I attempted the bumblefoot surgery, not really knowing what to expect. All of our chickens have it on both their feet, but in some cases its really small and not swollen, so I just put some noesporin on it and wrapped it in vetrap. One of our chickens had the "cottage cheese" textured pus after we got the plug out. However, I have another chicken whose foot was sooo swollen she really didnt walk on it. I expected there to be a lot of pus in the wound. So I pulled the black scab off, and a milky white liquid pus came out. Instead of the cheese-textured pus, there was this stringy stuff in the foot that I'm not sure is pus because it seemed attached to the inside of the foot, and whenever I tryed to remove it (it was difficult to get out) the poor chicken would pull her foot out of my hand. I'm concerned that this is a later stage of bumblefoot that is more difficult to treat. Is it? Also, since I didnt want to hurt my chicken too much, I stopped trying to pull the stringy stuff out and stuffed the small hole with neosporin and wrapped it in vetrap. If I continue to remove the scab and clean out as much pus as I can, will the bumblefoot eventually go away?

 

[Kitty Cat]

Not well educated on Bumblefoot, but if you're trying to heal a wound I would try flushing it with Betadine or Saline solution. Possibly soaking it in warm water and epsom salt, which draws out infection and reduces swelling. You probably know this already but just thought I would post just in case.

 

[janinepeters]

All of our chickens have it on both their feet

Why???? What is it that they are walking on that is cutting their feet? Were these rescue birds? Also, you should check out a recent thread in which an alternative to surgery is described:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=543571​

 

[Pickaduck]

Quote:
The stringy stuff sounds like it might be her tendons/ligaments (I can never keep them straight!) which is why she was pulling her foot away. They are white-ish colored.

Check on the foot tomorrow and if it still looks bad, flush it out with diluted iodine (diluted to the color of iced tea) and repack with neosporin. It sounds like you got most, if not all of it already. If it hasn't improved within a few days then you can be concerned about it but it really sounds like you did a great job already!

Edited to add: If these aren't rescue birds then please check the ground where they walk - if it's possible get rid of any thorns, sharp/rough objects like rocks, etc - if it's possible. I think they are all getting it because the ground they are walking on is injuring them and with the staph germ already present it's easy for them to all get it.

 

[CinnamonQueen12]

They are not rescue birds, but the area that we keep them is indeed covered in rocks. It used to be a patio, and around the edges of the patio, there were these redish colored rocks for decoration. Many rocks were mixed in with the dirt when we converted it into a chicken pen. Also, the door to our pen was not cut right, so there is a small gap in between the ground and the bottom of the door. We were afraid rats and mice would get in, so my mom put patio block under the door to make a kind of step. The patio blocks have a slightly rough texture, and I'm worried that even if we clean all the rocks from the pen, the chickens will continue to have relapses of the bumblefoot due to the blocks. Should we remove them?

 

[Pickaduck]

Quote:
I would do the best you can and get whatever rocks out that you are able to. Just removing some of them will help a lot, I'm sure. I wouldn't worry about the patio block because it's not likely to be the source of the problem and keeping out rats and mice is pretty important!

Most areas have some rocks in it so don't worry too much if you can't get it all out.. just what you are able to do will help a bunch. Good luck!

 

[janinepeters]

Yes, get rid of as many sharp edged rocks as you can, and then consider putting a layer of pine shavings over the ground, which will be soft on their feet and will also help absorb dropping moisture and odor. If there are sharp edges on the patio blocks, do whatever you can to cover them up with something easier on the chickens' feet.

As far as surgical treatment of the infections, it is painful for the bird (obviously) and will not be successful if you do not properly clean and pack the resultant wound -- reinfection is common. A nonsurgical approach is to just soak the foot for about 5 minutes once or twice a day in TricideNeo. This is something used to treat skin infections in koi fish, and can be purchased where supplies for koi fish can be found, such as this place:
http://www.newenglandkoi.com/Koi-Medications/Tricide-Neo-sc-731.html

You will need to mix it in distilled water, which you can buy at the grocery store in 1 gallon jugs. Follow directions on the TricideNeo package. Use a little bit of the solution each day to soak each bird's foot, and store the rest in a cool, dark place.

I really think this is the better choice, especially if you aren't sure about what you are doing, and/or don't have much help. I am treating one of my birds with it now, and she is coming along beautifully.