Week of possible bumble foot treatment

[ashawkins]

We are going on about a week of treating possible bumble foot with Epsom soaks, wound spray and antibiotic ointment. It actually looks slightly more swollen than it did before. I am not sure how long it takes to heal or what more we need to do. The first 2 pics are a week ago and last 2 from today. She has never had a black spot just what looks like a puncture mark and swelling.

 

[coach723]

Did you remove the plug from the bottom of the toe? That's the yellow spot in picture #4. After soaking, when it's softest, you need to remove that and then squeeze out any pus from in there. Chicken pus is very firm, like a cheesy consistency, it may take some squeezing and manipulating to get it all out. It all has to come out before healing can happen. You can also apply decolorized iodine to that spot and wrap it overnight and that will soften it up also. Decolorized iodine (not the same as betadine) is in most pharmacies in the 1st aid section. Once you've cleaned it out well, fill the hole with plain neosporin or plain triple antibiotic ointment and wrap it to keep it clean and dry. Change the wrap and reapply ointment daily until you are sure it's healing up well. You may have to clean it out more than once, depending on how much stuff is in there. For very stubborn bumblefoot I use sugardine, this thread has info on that:
See post #8 here https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/bumblefoot-not-healing.1443809/#post-23973555

 

[ashawkins]

Did you remove the plug from the bottom of the toe? That's the yellow spot in picture #4. After soaking, when it's softest, you need to remove that and then squeeze out any pus from in there. Chicken pus is very firm, like a cheesy consistency, it may take some squeezing and manipulating to get it all out. It all has to come out before healing can happen. You can also apply decolorized iodine to that spot and wrap it overnight and that will soften it up also. Decolorized iodine (not the same as betadine) is in most pharmacies in the 1st aid section. Once you've cleaned it out well, fill the hole with plain neosporin or plain triple antibiotic ointment and wrap it to keep it clean and dry. Change the wrap and reapply ointment daily until you are sure it's healing up well. You may have to clean it out more than once, depending on how much stuff is in there. For very stubborn bumblefoot I use sugardine, this thread has info on that:
See post #8 here https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/bumblefoot-not-healing.1443809/#post-23973555

Thank you. I did lance it and get out as much stuff as I could. I even had someone with more experience look at her and not get any more pus out but her toe is still extremely swollen on both sides. I am praying it gets better. I am still doing her daily (sometimes twice daily) soaks and medication then wrapping it. She never did get the tell tell bumble foot scab or plug so nothing has come out easily. What I did get was more of like a cottage cheese or stringy consistency that came out in tiny pieces and I can't be 100% certain I was able to get it all. It was a very lengthy process and was extremely painful for her.

 

[coach723]

The cottage cheese and stringy stuff is the pus from the infection. I have a roo that I've had to treat twice with this form, it's much more difficult to get out, takes longer to heal. If you looked at the link I gave you before on using sugardine, I would probably do that on this one since you've got the stringy type going on. You may have to clean it out more than once but the sugardine works really well and it will eventually stop the pus from forming. I was probably in the second week when I started to see no new pus that needed to be cleaned out. When you no longer see new pus forming you can just pack it with the sugardine and wrap. I was skeptical, honestly, but I was at the end of my options with him so I gave it a shot, it was bad enough that I considered culling him. I was truly surprised at how well it worked. Other than the labor of reapplying daily and the bandaging, it's simple and economical. After using it, his feet healed better and he's remained infection free (so far) since then. The first time I treated him, using standard methods, it took over a year. With the sugardine it took less than half that.

 

[ashawkins]

I will definitely try that when I bring her in this evening to soak and treat. Thank you!!