PLEASE READ THIS! I really could use some advice!

[Jazzyfresh]

My year-old white leghorn has bumblefoot on both of her feet. I gave her a Epsom salt soak and removed the scabs, but there didn't seem to be anything underneath. Is this normal? She hasn't been limping, is still foraging like normal, but her feet were both pretty swollen.
What should I do next? Does anyone have any pointers?

 

[Battlepants]

When you say that there isn't anything underneath - are you seeing a hole or just no noticeable damage under the scab?

If we could get some pictures, that might be a good place to start on this one.

 

[Jazzyfresh]

Sorry, I know this isn't a pleasant topic. Thank you so much for responding though.

I didn't see anything under the scab. No pus or sign of infection. I read to take the scab off and clean out underneath, but there didn't seem to be anything to clean out. Does this mean it already started healing? How do I get the swelling to go down?


Her feet are wrapped up right now, but tomorrow I'm giving her another soak, so I can take pictures then if you need them.

 

[Battlepants]

So, from what I am reading, it sounds like you are doing exactly the right things here - keeping it cleaned, wrapped and occasionally soaked. If the infection is still inside the foot, the body will likely push it to the surface and it can be treated then. The alternative is that the infection was already pushed out (thus the scab) and you are just dealing with residual swelling.

To the route of opening up the infection with surgery, that seems to be a bad call at this time especially if she isn't limping. That would cause pain and potentially introduce another infection, making the situation worse.

From this point, I would continue as you are and see if the situation changes.

Additionally, it may be worth reviewing the living space of this hen for the cause of this. If they are commonly jumping down from a high roostbar or potentially came into contact with the pointy end of a screw (or even just wood that is splintering), you may see more cases like this in the future. Making the appropriate changes now could help with preventing cases in the future.

 

[Jazzyfresh]

Ok, I'm planning on lowering the roosting bar because it's a little high.
Thank you so much for the advice! I feel like I can relax a little now that I know what's going on. Thank you again