Uh-oh, open wound on the foot

[IamRainey]

Just noticed an open cut on my roo's foot/leg this morning. Thank god my husband was home to hold him and thank god, M. Maurice was a calm trooper through the ordeal!

I irrigated it profusely with chlorhexedrine, dressed it with neosporin and wrapped it with Vetrap. I also picked up all the poo I could identify in the run and the coop. ...but, let's face it, I could be out there 24/7 and I still wouldn't be able to keep him from stepping in something.


It's been an hour or so. He's leaving the wrap alone. He is able to get up and balance on the roost in the run. My husband will be back tonight so we can rinse-and-repeat.

What else should I be doing? Should I give him probiotics to ward off infection? How long will it take to heal or to know that it's not going to be infected? What do I do if it does get infected?

Thanks in advance for your help!!! This is the first chicken trauma I'm dealing with.

 

[staceyj]

What did the wound look like?
Was it bumblefoot or a bad boo-boo?

When you dressed it, did you put some gauze on the injury under the vet wrap?

When you change the bandage- please take some good photos and post them here. It will help us help you.

 

[IamRainey]

Tough to get a pic when handling an upset bird but I'll do my best next go-round.

It's an open cut. Maybe it was 1/4" wide. Don't know how he did it. Maybe getting a toe stuck in the hardware cloth??? It's not bleeding though there were some signs of blood in the raw exposed flesh.

I did not use gauze. I was worried about that getting stuck in the scabbing and didn't want to open up anything that was beginning to heal over. I just slathered it in neosporin and began closing it with Vetrap in a 1" strip. I thought there was a better chance of being able to pull the rubbery Vetrap away clean.

 

[Shadrach]

Coat the wound in Stockholm Hoof Tar.
There is an article in my articles page on how to use it.

 

[staceyj]

Tough to get a pic when handling an upset bird but I'll do my best next go-round.

It's an open cut. Maybe it was 1/4" wide. Don't know how he did it. Maybe getting a toe stuck in the hardware cloth??? It's not bleeding though there were some signs of blood in the raw exposed flesh.

I did not use gauze. I was worried about that getting stuck in the scabbing and didn't want to open up anything that was beginning to heal over. I just slathered it in neosporin and began closing it with Vetrap in a 1" strip. I thought there was a better chance of being able to pull the rubbery Vetrap away clean.

Gauze under the vet wrap is fine, especially if you use lots of ointment. If it gets stuck you can put a little dishsoap on your hand and get the gauze wet and it’ll usually come right off.

Also even with a bird that isn’t comfortable being handled, you can burrito wrap him in a towel with his feet sticking out and soak his feet in a bucket or sink of warm water with Epsom salt in it for a few minutes to get the wound clean and increase capillary circulation for healing.

 

[IamRainey]

Coat the wound in Stockholm Hoof Tar.
There is an article in my articles page on how to use it.

OK. That's new to me.

I can order it from Amazon but I won't get it for a couple days.

Will it work on a wound that's about 1/4" wide and maybe 1/8" deep?

I'll go look at your page.

 

[Kathy Golla]

You really don’t need to order anything special. You are doing the exact right thing. Keep it clean. Keep the ointment and wrap ((with gauze and vetrap) on it. When it scabs up really good you can take the vetrap off. Then just make sure it heals up well. He can definitely still be out in the flock.
Having vetricyn from the pet or feed store on hand is very handy in general for the future.

 

[Shadrach]

OK. That's new to me.

I can order it from Amazon but I won't get it for a couple days.

Will it work on a wound that's about 1/4" wide and maybe 1/8" deep?

I'll go look at your page.

Yes. It will seal the wound. Once you’ve cleaned the wound and applied the Stockholm Hoof Tar you wont have to clean it again. You won’t need any bandages that get dirty, damp and unhygienic and the Tar will form a skin and give some protection from abrasion. You also won’t have to worry about scabs getting knocked off, bandage picking or other chickens picking at the bandage.