Someone please help!!!

[Chelsrose]

Hello I am not a chicken owner, But my mother in law and father in law own chickens. Theyre not the best chicken owners and are out of town anyways do to a death in the family, But there is no time to wait till theyre back and even then I dont think anything would be done. Their Roosters foot is rotting and its gonna die. I myself do not have any money to take him to the vet and I am trying everything to save this chicken. Hes a big pretty tame and sweet rooster. He had what I thought to be very severe bumblefoot.. When it first started I asked them what theyre gonna do and MIL said she would keep an eye on it. But I didnt go over for and while and when I came back the chicken is in bad shape. So I did research and diagnosed severe bumblefoot. But way worse then any picture I've seen on the internet. Please help me save this rooster. He is so sweet. I feel so bad for him. I just dont know if I have the means... Yesterday I did try to preform a surgery. I feel like I have failed. I cut open the top of the giant absess scab and drained alot of puss and used tweezers to remove a bunch of yellow cheese like clumps. I did keep pouring alot of warm water onto the top scab before cutting. After I pulled out as much that was moveable and would come out. I cleaned out wound again and I wrapped his foot in gauze with tape. I went back today to clean it out and check on him and I was mortified when I removed the gauze its a BIG black hole. Just all black inside and on the outside. It appears to be rotting and it smells terrible!! I then noticed when I looked on the bottom of his foot he has the cheese substance also poking out of the bottom of his foot. Someone please tell me what to do! I am alone in this and no one even cares to help me. I cant even get anyone to hold him long enough to clean or wrap it because theyre"grossed out" and he "stinks" my heart is broke. But im gonna do this alone. I just dont know what to do. I dont want to give up on this chicken. I want him to live

and I am afraid its too late and out of my hands. I do not have pictures of the foot after I lanced and picked the stuff out and it turned black, but I do have pictures before. Im going back first thing in the morning. Can someone tell me please what I can do.. I do not have injectable antibiotics. I just had a baby and I dont have the money to buy anything im still on maternity leave and I'm so sad. I feel helpless. I do have childrens oral penicillin though. Can I give this to the chicken?

 

[AmyJane725]

So sorry you're having to deal with this. It's so good of you to try to help your negligent in-laws' bird.

If you see more of the cheese stuff I'd do a second surgery. All of that pus needs to be removed. I'd wash the foot with warm water and a mild soap (or make up some saline solution and use that to flush it) fill the big black hole with triple antibiotic ointment or neosporin, then bandage up the foot. I'd take him home with you if it was me. Do you have a dog crate or anything he could sleep in?

And yes, chickens can have penicillin. I don't know what the dosage is though.

@Wyorp Rock @Texas Kiki @casportpony @Eggcessive @dawg53

 

[Henriettamom919]

I agree with @AmyJane725 : try to keep emptying it out, flush with betadine or sterile water (water you've boiled and cooled) and pack with over the counter triple antibiotic ointment WITHOUT the pain relieving ingredient (it's toxic to chickens).

I'm not sure about the penicillin dosage but I'll check. Worst case scenario, try calling around to animal shelters and see if you can surrender him to them. I mean this as a last resort- better he get the care and surgery he needs or humanely euthanized if nothing can be done.

You're awesome and your in laws suck.

 

[AmyJane725]

Oh! And his other foot looks a little suspicious as well. I'd check it for scabs while you're at it. Bumblefoot usually starts on the foot pad, so check the underside first.

And when you're doing the surgery, don't be afraid to dig around and dislodge the stubborn stuff. Yes, it hurts, but he'll die if you don't do it. So just be as gentle and thorough as possible. Leave no trace of cheese.

And I'm really sorry nobody will help you. What a bunch of babies. Even your husband won't help? It's his parents fault that this poor rooster is in this situation. If it were my husband I'd tell him to put on his big boy panties and help me.

Wrap the poor guy in a towel and drape part of it over his head. This will help keep him calm. Maybe pick up an ace bandage and wrap it around the towel to keep it closed.

I had to do a tiny bit of doctoring on one of my month old chicks foot tonight and I don't know how I would have done it if my mom wasn't there to hold him, much less an entire big rooster. I'm glad he's a good boy at least. It's ten times harder when they're really wild/a bad patient.

 

[AmyJane725]

Thank you so much for replying. I was scared no one was gonna reply. My mom is gonna take me into town tomorrow and I'm gonna try to buy a few things. I live out in the country and I'm only by like 2 stores, a dollar store and a grocery store. Any suggestions on what I should buy? I did fill the black hole today with triple antibiotic ointment, I am going to dig through the bottom of his foot tomorrow where I seen the yellow stuff coming out. But the top of the foot that I already did, Its all black... Why is it like that? And what do I do with it? Thank you to anyone that can give me answers. I been thinking about taking him home. I do have a newborn baby and I was worried, I read somewhere that it can be contagious?? I have a heated basement, I might be able to find a cage as well.

You're welcome. A lot of people on this site are morning people. I'm a night owl, so I aspire to be able to help people at nighttime when the others are asleep. I'm nowhere near their level of skill yet, but I'm really trying.

Bumblefoot is usually a staph infection, but as long as you wear gloves or wash your hands really well afterwords it should be fine. I wouldn't worry about the baby. It's nothing that's gonna float through the air and make your baby sick. Just don't let the baby touch him and don't touch the baby with dirty hands and you're good.

If you're going to the store some cheap stuff you could pick up that might help would be some epsom salt and some povidone iodine. You might also want to get some fine tipped scissors or an exacto knife if you don't have them already. Did you use an exacto knife for the surgery you already did?

Soak the foot in a warm epsom salt bath until the tissue is soft
Cover entire foot with povidone iodine
Remove the cheese from the other part of the foot
Flush the wounds with the povidone iodine
Check and see if he has any sensation in that black tissue. If it is dead it will need to be removed, otherwise it's just going to rot and cause more infection.
Fill wounds with neosporin/triple antibiotic ointment and bandage with vetwrap or something similar.

Put him in a crate or box in a place in your house that is dark and quiet. Give him as much food and water as he wants. Check on the wound daily and do an iodine flush/ointment packing and re-bandage as needed.

 

[LittleLakesFarm]

I am so sorry to hear this. Sometimes you can find a compassionate vet & they will see an animal like this (under these circumstances) & treat it for free if they feel it is treatable or at least give you some advice. It is worth calling around & explaining your situation. What a kind heart you have. I agree with what someone said above about taking him home with you. Neglection of animals is illegal where I live. I will keep you & the rooster in my thoughts & prayers. Best of luck to you.

 

[Henriettamom919]

Okay y'all I am back with an update and *GRAPHIC* some pictures. I did notice today the swelling went down some. He's still eating, drinking and walking around as normal today. I manage to squeeze liquid pus out today and pick more yellow chunks out. I packed the wound with Neosporin (without pain relief agent) mixed with sugar. I coated the top with hydrocortisone cream and a little bit of Nystatin ointment. I did call a vet today, and he suggested 1/2 ML of penicillin orally (thats all I had) and Homer (rooster) complied very well with me opening his beak and swollowed it right down. I am so happy he's finally on antibiotics and I got alot more of the infection out. I did clean it really good flushing it with very warm water. I will be unwrapping again tomorrow and checking it out, cleaning, flushing and applying more ointment in it, and re wrapping. I have been nursing the wound the past couple days and I do see a change in the swelling. I'm hoping the antibiotics really help him out too. My concern today was alot of bleeding. I applied pressure and flushed more and thats when I decided to put the medicine in and wrapping it there was enough blood I couldn't see to work and it was kinda pouring out.

You freaking rock! Good for you! I'm so glad a vet was compassionate to your circumstances and willing to consult! We're here if you need anything but I think you're doing a remarkable thing under far less then ideal circumstances!

 

[Henriettamom919]

So, @Chelsrose , when are you going to get some chickens of your own!?

I promise that it's not usually THIS hard! And you've already faced some of the worst of chicken keeping and you were a freaking rockstar about it! Mostly they just need a dry, clean chicken house and good feed and water and they'll reward you with delicious eggs and adorable chicken love!

Come over to the darkside!

 

[GoatDragonFarms]

Retired medic, here. The black stuff was either necrotic (dead) tissue or old dried blood. The smell is the infection, which will die down.
It's great that he's back to his old tricks. Pretty guy!

Oh BYC family, can we give this gal even MORE props for doing this while healing from a c-section on top of everything else. Bravo! Bravo!

 

[cheekychick3]

I agree, you deserve a medal. You should be so proud, as you came on BYC and
listened, to all the best advice from the beginning. Well done and Homer is one
stunning boy, handsome fella. Oh, and i hope you do take him home. lol