Rooster swollen foot and toe

[dotty delilah]

Hi there good fellow chicken people. I have a big problem that I am hoping someone can help me with. I have kept hens mostly pekin bantams for 30 years and have never encountered anything like this. I have a little rooster who is 4 years old. A few weeks ago I was checking their feet as I do regularly and to say I was floored by what I saw is an understatement. One of his toes and his foot and up his leg was terribly swollen and completely incased in a think black scab. I brought him in and soaked his foot in Epsom salts, clipped his feathers away and after soaking some of the scab just came away, leaving lumpy swollen flesh all around is foot. To cut a long story short I have been bathing it in epsom salts twice a day, spraying with antibiotic spray and had him on Baytril antibiotics for nearly 3 weeks to prevent infection. The skin is looking clean apart from a couple of black scabs which are loosening well. The other thing is if there is a little area where the skin breaks it bleeds profusely and I mean profusely! The leg does not seem to bother him and once I have bathed and bandaged him up he will run around as normal after his girls. I bring him in to stay overnight and remove the bandage and spray the leg to let the air get at it yet keep it clean. He has been to two different vets, both of which kept hens themselves but who had never seen anything like it and basically said to keep doing what I am doing and see how he goes. My big worry is that it is something contagious like Lymphoid Leukosis, although the symptoms for it talk about them being very lame and unwell both of which he is not. I separated him for nearly a week from his girls , but he was so stressed wanting out to them and crowing constantly. Has anyone seen anything like this xxxxx

 

[IvysAnimals]

I guess it's some kind of infection... I guess just keep doing what you're doing

 

[coach723]

What does it feel like? Is it hard, soft, squishy, etc.? Never seen that before, because of the profuse bleeding I'm wondering if it's a tumor.

 

[dotty delilah]

What does it feel like? Is it hard, soft, squishy, etc.? Never seen that before, because of the profuse bleeding I'm wondering if it's a tumor.

It mostly feels quite firm, but not rock hard. Sometimes though he will have a new small squishy lump which bleeds a little if it is touched at all. It does look a bit sinister to me, I was just hoping against hope that someone else has seen something like it. The skin definitely has healed a lot and is not infected at all, but it shows no sign at all of getting smaller or looking anywhere near normal.

 

[coach723]

Well, the soaks certainly won't hurt anything. After 3 weeks on baytril I would've expected to see some reduction if it was infection. But chicken pus is very firm, so usually needs to be cleaned out manually to get healing. I wonder if a needle aspiration and looking under a microscope would ID if it's a tumor. If it was just infection, I would not expect it to bleed as you describe. I've had to lance infection on feet and legs, the bleeding was not profuse. Just my thoughts.

 

[dotty delilah]

Well, the soaks certainly won't hurt anything. After 3 weeks on baytril I would've expected to see some reduction if it was infection. But chicken pus is very firm, so usually needs to be cleaned out manually to get healing. I wonder if a needle aspiration and looking under a microscope would ID if it's a tumor. If it was just infection, I would not expect it to bleed as you describe. I've had to lance infection on feet and legs, the bleeding was not profuse. Just my thoughts.

 

[dotty delilah]

Awk I know , I have lanced pus before with both hens and ducks and it is very solid. I get the feeling there isn't any infection there though, I would be scared to put a needle near it at the minute. The vet wasn't keen to do further investigation as he said it would be too intrusive and he preferred a wait and see approach. I just wish I could see it reducing in size. I hoped by this time I would see something. I really don't think he can be in much pain if any, as he is running around chasing the hens at the minute with it strapped up.