Just completed first Bumble Foot Surgery

[Queen of the chickens]

Our 9 month old Leghorn pullet came up lame yesterday. Investigation showed a very swollen foot, but no scab. Still I suspected Bumble Foot. I searched the forum and called the vet. He prescribed antibiotics for the flock and the forum said surgery was a must. So I stopped after work and picked up the needed supplies and after studying the proper procedure we began.

Upon closer inspection we found that the "good" foot actually had a lump on the very bottom with a scab on it. The "bad" foot only had a small slit, possibly the sight of he original wound. We decided to work on both feet. We cut around the slit, but could not find a core, only lots of blood. We found a small amount cottage cheesy stuff under the scab, but not like we expected. If we got to vigorous in our squeezing and poking, the poor girl really put up a fuss. We finally gave up and packed the wounds with Neosporin can wrapped. We have her in sick bay and are administering oral antibiotics.

Please tell me we haven't made things worse.

 

[CluckyJay]

Just keep a check on it. Cleaning out out well will do wonders. Foot soaking and the antibiotic should help, too.

 

[lovemyprettybirds]

I just finished updating my own post about surgery when I saw yours. Good for you for caring enough to take the initiative to do this!!!!!

Clucky Jay's advice is excellent! Additionally, the more closely you can monitor it, the sooner you will be able to respond if needed.

From my own experience at rooster surgery, I don't think I got all of the infection out when I first cut into the wound. Also, I did not start the antibiotics early enough ( I was out & didn't know it). So, my surgery ended up in another surgery (amputation) because infection set in again. I didn't do everything perfectly, but if I hadn't done anything at all he would be dead by now. I'm sharing it with you to encourage you to keep up the good work and don't give up on your little pullet!

 

[lovemyprettybirds]

How's she doing?

 

[ADozenGirlz]

Is it possible that you cut across on a horizontal plane versus a vertical plane, down into the foot? That may be the issue if you saw a scab but nothing more. Here is some information with photos and a link to a video of the bumblefoot surgery that we did recently. I hope it helps you to determine whether you went far enough in the right direction to get to the infection. I'm suspicious of the 'bad' foot that you describe. Did you notice any swelling or redness on the top, sides or bottom of the foot?

 

[Queen of the chickens]

Kind of late in updating this, but our pullet is doing better. Her wounds are healed enough that she returned to the coop with her buddies last Friday. I am sure she misses the foot soaks as she would close her eyes and almost purr while her sore feet floated in the warm, salty water. The swelling is going down on her "bad" foot and the heat/redness is gone. She still favors it a bit, but not as much. The other foot is healing nicely. I'm not sure she is out of the woods. It may come back, but she seems healthy and strong otherwise. She continued to lay an egg each day during her recovery. That made me hopeful that we caught it before it really made her sick. Thanks for the encouragement and advice.