Medical professionals, curette sizes for bumblefoot?

[AnneInTheBurbs]

Hello all!

I need to do bumblefoot surgery again on one of my girls, and I purchased a curette off of eBay. It was a #4 Spratt Brun curette, but it is way too big, almost 1/2" in diameter. Can anyone recommend the correct size and if that is a good tool to use? It looks like what I need. Last time I used tweezers and a scalpel, but for this hen, the entrance hole is smaller, about the size of a pin head. There is hardened tissue that needs to be cleaned out.

Any help is appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hi @AnneInTheBurbs

Do you have any photos of the foot?

I'm not familiar with with a currette, I've seen on the Chicken Chick blog about using a biopsy punch http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2011/07/bumblefoot-causes-treatment-warning.html

If the the bumblefoot is very small, you may have success without having to cut into the foot - a few alternative methods are:

• Soak the foot in Tricide Neo 2times a day for 5-7minutes - dry, apply triple antibiotic ointment and wrap the foot if desired. It may take a week or more to clear up using this method.
  http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/513183/treating-bumblefoot-with-tricide-neo
  
  
  
• Soak the foot in epsom salts - clean the foot well - dry, then apply Decolorized (Clear) Iodine, wrap the foot. Check it the next day to see if the scab is loose, if so take tweezers and pull the scab - a lot of times the bumble will come out with the scab. If the scab is not loose, then repeat your steps and check it the next day. http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1139224/does-my-chicken-have-bumblefoot/10#post_17686413 (POST 11 by Miss Lydia)

• Using a drawing salve like Prid (found at Walmart, CVS, etc.) application is similar to the Clear Iodine - soak/clean the foot well, then apply the salve, wrap the foot - the drawing salve helps pull the core (bumble) to the surface so you can take it out. https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/bumblefoot-without-the-core.1198297/#post-19019242

Of course, you would follow normal aftercare procedures as you would with surgery.

Hope that helps.

 

[AnneInTheBurbs]

Hi @Wyorp Rock . Thanks for the advice. I may try to th prid, along with some tea tree oil tomorrow. I do think she still needs surgery, because the entrance hole is pretty small, I don't know that the prid could loosen it enough.

I will also try an epsom salt soak beforehand.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hi @Wyorp Rock . Thanks for the advice. I may try to th prid, along with some tea tree oil tomorrow. I do think she still needs surgery, because the entrance hole is pretty small, I don't know that the prid could loosen it enough.
I will also try an epsom salt soak beforehand.

The Prid may work for you - I really think it depends on the size of the bumble - it could take several days to a week of soaking, application and wrapping the foot before the core is ready to come out.

Keep us posted.

 

[pennyJo1960]

This are the ones I bought as they give variety of sizes
https://www.amazon.com/Robbins-Inst...sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=bumblefoot+biopsy+punch

 

[AnneInTheBurbs]

The Prid may work for you - I really think it depends on the size of the bumble - it could take several days to a week of soaking, application and wrapping the foot before the core is ready to come out.

Keep us posted.

I also saw a video a while back, where the man used bar soap, grated and made into a paste with water. I worked on her foot tonight and used that in addition to some antibiotic ointment, without lidocaine.

 

[AnneInTheBurbs]

Here is her foot soaking. Pardon the dirty water, someone didn't have a diaper on...

Here is her foot after soaking. At the 6 o'clock mark, I used a scalpel to see if I could relieve some of the pressure and swelling, but it did not seem to help.

I tried to dig a little, to see if I could remove anything, and to my surprise, I pulled this dark piece out. It looks to me to be the end of a pine needle. We have mostly pine trees
on our property, so I am thinking that this may have been the cause of the irritation. I hope I got the whole thing out, and not just a portion. I bandaged her up and put her back. I will keep updating this, as she gets better.

 

[AllenK RGV]

Great job there, thank you for the pictures. 2nd thing I've learned from today!

edit-horrid grammar.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Doing good, keep us posted.