To Treat or Not To Treat? (Bumblefoot)

[Fur-N-Fowl]

I'm posting this here knowing that quite a few of you have had to treat Bumblefoot before. I've seen quite a few threads on it.

However, all of the threads I've seen have shown very bad cases of Bumblefoot and have been of very little help to me.

So, I'm hoping some of you are able to give me some advice.

My female Silkie (roughly around 7-8 months old now I believe) has what appears to be Bumblefoot on her right foot.

I have a feeling she came to me with it when at the time, I wasn't sure what it was. She's also been free-range in woodland so it's quite possible she got it from a cut on a stick or something. I honestly couldn't put a time on when it happened.

However, around a month ago I separated her into a rabbit hutch to prepare her for a show. I was worried when I noticed it then thinking it would get worse before her show. However, it never got worse.

I took of the scab (which was brown) soaked it in warm water with Epsom salts and table salt dissolved in, then put some anti-bacterial cream on then coated it in the nettex purple hoof spray. (It's what we use for our goats).

Whilst cleaning it there was some yellow puss come out, it's was kind of like melted cheese. However, there was definitely no 'kernel' that people mention on other threads. I gave a good poke around in there and just made it bleed and sore for her.

It is very slightly swollen and still has the scab. However, there is no heat coming from it and she has no discomfort at all.

Since I cleaned it and such, the swelling has gone down a little but I wouldn't say it's got better or worse either. It's just staying the same as it originally was.

She did attend the show with me and the judge never said anything about it but he did see it. I'm guessing because it's not 'bad' or effecting her. If he thought she was ill or unfit he would have told me or disqualified her.

Anyways, I read about people treating Bumblefoot with antibiotics.

I spoke to our vet earlier today and showed her these pictures that are below.

She said it doesn't look infected and it's not a bad case of Bumblefoot. She said about cleaning it with saline water which I told her I've been doing for a while with the purple spray too etc.

I did also mention the cheesy substance that came from her foot and she said then it probably is infected...but since that vet doesn't specialise in livestock she wasn't entirely sure.

Of course, I want my chickens foot to go back to normal. Yes it's not effecting her but it doesn't look good for when I'm showing her.

Should I just continue with the Epsom salts and spray to keep infection at bay?

Or should I take her to the vet to get antibiotics? I'm not sure if it's bad enough for them or not.

If any of you have had a case of Bumblefoot like this I'm interested to know how you treated it!

Her health is perfectly fine and her foot has not changed (got better or worse) in over a month now.

Here are the original photos of her feet I took:

Right foot (Bumblefoot):

Left foot (Unaffected):

 

[Fur-N-Fowl]

If anyone knows of others that could possibly help please let me know.

I'd like to add I do know a vet which can treat chickens/livestock. I'm just wanting to find out if she should be seen by one or not.

I can try and get some more recent pictures but there is very little difference.​

 

[ChickNanny13]

It could have "just" been an infection, you got the gunky out and it's healed. Right now it looks like a scab/scar. If she's not limping, no redness/warmth, I'd leave it. Only when it's an issue would I be concerned. I've had a couple of girls with bumble foot but never bothered, I left it alone. Since doing a modified DLM, I find keeping more shavings in the better. Also if you're treating BF please wear gloves, if I recall correctly it's a staph infection.

 

[Fur-N-Fowl]

It could have "just" been an infection, you got the gunky out and it's healed. Right now it looks like a scab/scar. If she's not limping, no redness/warmth, I'd leave it. Only when it's an issue would I be concerned. I've had a couple of girls with bumble foot but never bothered, I left it alone. Since doing a modified DLM, I find keeping more shavings in the better. Also if you're treating BF please wear gloves, if I recall correctly it's a staph infection.

That's what I'm hoping it has been, that it's been a simple infection that hasn't turned serious.

It's been so difficult to find what it actually is since some people have said it's Bumblefoot and others said just a scab.

I guess I can carry on making sure it's clean from dirt on the outside but I'll leave the foot itself alone and see what happens. If it begins to swell further then I'll contact the vet and get her seen.

I'd hate to loose her over something that can be easily treated. I shouldn't have a favourite but she is definitely one of them.

Oh yes, don't worry when I'm touching an open infection I wouldn't use bare hands! I can't afford to risk getting anything from them myself.​

 

[Soy Milano]

I don't think it looks all that bad. If you just make some changes to her environment that might be all that is really needed....here is some good info about bumblefoot - http://www.poultrydvm.com/condition/bumblefoot

 

[Fur-N-Fowl]

I don't think it looks all that bad. If you just make some changes to her environment that might be all that is really needed....here is some good info about bumblefoot - http://www.poultrydvm.com/condition/bumblefoot

Oh that site is quite a good one, Thankyou for linking me to it!

I use fake grass for my mandarins so always tend to have some off cuts spare. I may give that a try until it's fully healed.

She's still currently housed in a dry hutch due to the ground outside being pretty damp so that probably would increase the chance of infection if it got muddy and wet.

In my coops we use fine cut wood stable bedding since it's pretty soft and dust extracted. I think a temporary change to the grass would be beneficial for her foot though.

It's worth a try I guess! ​

 

[ALeyva]

A little late to reply but I just wanted to note too that I have been dealing/ not dealing with bumblefoot too. I have done many surgeries. The bumble foot never seems to go away despite my attention to them, the yard, and their living arrangements. I have had surgeries to give a kernal but I also have had too many surgeries just to open it up to no infection, digging around, looking for a kernel, and making my poor girls suffer. So now I don’t even bother with them unless they are limping or I can feel and obvious lump in their foot under the scab. The funny thing is that it seems to clear up in its own all the way to no scabs at all during the fall/ winter and reappears in the spring.

 

[ChickNanny13]

Agree with @ALeyva .... Unless there is an issue, I leave it alone. When I first started with chickens and read about bumble foot, I panicked when I saw my first "scab" under a chickens foot. Read up all I could, even called my Vet to see if they would do the surgery I wanted to be prepared.

I would go out daily and pick up rocks in their confined Chicken House, there was lot; small & big. It's a never ending chore but it was our bonding time together. Over the years, I've slacked off but removing the big stuff, it's amazing how much they dig up and so deep.

Discovered, some chickens with a scab or two, some big and some small. I'd soak & pick out the small ones but they returned. Now I just leave them alone, still pick up rock but not as faithfully as I did in the past. IF I see limping or issues, then I'd try the non - surgical approach first, and if that don't work/help off to the Vet.