I thought bumblefoot, but not sure now.

[Sea2Ski]

I am not sure what is going on with my hen. At first I thought it was bumblefoot, but now I am not so sure. There is a small scab on the bottom of her foot though it is really small, like half a normal dog tick small. But her pad is swollen and on either side of her middle toe as well.
This came up quickly. I did not notice anything last week, but yesterday I saw a slight limp and a little swelling so I looked closer yesterday and tonight. Tonight, it is much larger. She is laying, eating and drinking as normal.

Thoughts?

I went out and bought epson salts, a non-pain relieving wound wash, and vetericyn in prep to do the bumble foot surgery, but I am not 100% sure it is going to be like the 20 or so videos and articles I have reviewed in the last 48 hours.

Any help or advice is appreciated.

 

[awarmrainyday]

The yellow bump on top of the foot looks to be the problem. Chicken's pus is hard yellow gunk so I think you need to clean out that spot. Disinfect tweezers and a large gauge needle and it should pull out in chunks.

 

[Sea2Ski]

I am also going to soak the foot really well tonight in water with epson salts. Thank you for the response. Since I do not have any needles. Can I lance the top of the swelling as little as possible and squeeze it out / flush it with a wound wash and bandage it up? I am thinking that might be the best route for me and what I have available.

Anyone have any other thoughts or ideas?

 

[awarmrainyday]

That sounds like a good plan. I usually flush wounds with hydrogen Peroxide too because I think the bubbling helps remove any gunk left behind.

 

[Sea2Ski]

Surgery is complete. I was amazed at how calm the bird was. I know it is a survival mechanism, but I can not believe how calm she was.
I was able to get out about a marble's worth of infection. I really hope I got it all as I really do not want to go in again and do that. Not for my discomfort of doing so, but for hers.

Let's hope she recovers okay. I wish I could give her something for her discomfort, because I am sure it hurt like hell. Tomorrow some yogurt, grapes and mealworms. Hopefully she will forgive me.

 

[azygous]

I just had a hen with a serious case of bumblefoot. She was a rescue hen and I'm sure the bumblefoot was several years old. I did the surgery, but less than a week later, she began acting sick. I started her on an antibiotic and re-soaked the foot and did some more surgery. It was full of pus again. I'm glad I started the antibiotic.

Now, ten days later, she's much better, and the foot is healing nicely.

Since bumblefoot is a staph infection, and it appears your hen has a very serious case, you might consider an antibiotic to help her combat the infection.

 

[Sea2Ski]

Thank you @azygous for a bit of optimism.
I am not not opposed to putting her on an antibiotic. If it gets her better, I would do it without hesitation.
Do I have to go to a vet for it? Or is that something I can get over the counter somehow? If so, where and how much how often?

In the 10 years I had chickens previously, I never had an issue like this, so it is all new to me. Any assistance or guidance is appreciated.

 

[azygous]

I would just call a vet and tell them you need an antibiotic for an infected wound in a chicken. They will either sell it to you or give you a prescription.

In the future, though, you can get antibiotics from KVPet Supply on the internet under fish antibiotics. That's where I get mine. Much easier and cheaper that way. Fish antibiotics work just fine for chickens. I get amoxicillin or penicillin in the 250 mg tablets and capsules.

 

[Sea2Ski]

@azygous, I have no avian vets near me that I know of. Would they know what to prescribe if they do not treat birds?

Also, what dosage am I looking to give? I am wondering that if the do not know what to give and I ask for x number of pills at 250 mg, they might give it to me. Not sure.
1 Pill a day for 7 days?

I am glad to report she looks like she is doing great. She was in isolation today, and when I got home I took her outside and put her on the grass. She started walking fine with only a minor limp. Then she went inside the coop and hopped into the nest box. And there she sat. I think she's going to do pretty well but I want to ensure she is indeed going to be OK.


And I sincerely thank both you and @awarmrainyday for your help!

 

[Sea2Ski]