Where do I cut on a bumble foot?

[taprock]

I have read all the instructions on what to do to bumblefoot. However on all the pictures there is the core and that's it. Here is what I have. What is the second area? And how do I treat?

 

[klmclain1]

You may have to cut it SEVERAL places - even on the top. Wherever you FEEL a hard small lump - that will be a kernel and you will need to cut there as well as where you see the plugs. It looks to me like you're going to have to do what I did... a LARGE X cut on the bottom of the foot, and fairly deep to get all the infection and kernels. When I was done, I just sprayed with blukote, filled with neosporin, wrapped with gauze, then wrapped with vetwrap, then repeated daily for a week or so until it was healed. It didn't look pretty for quite awhile, but it's all healed up now and you can't even tell!

 

[dawg53]

I agree with klmclain1. You're going to have a deep hole and alot of digging to do. Just start in on the main scab, then the smaller one. Sqeeze the heck out of both of them to get the infection out. It wont hurt the chicken, then sqeeze more til you get it out and then dig around some more. If there's any stuck in there, soak the foot in warm epsom salt water for about 20 minutes to draw the infection out. Then squeeze the tar out of it! Then pack both with neosporin, gauze it, and wrap it up.

 

[fuzzybutt love]

WARNING: GRAPHIC VIDEO

This is a good video of bumblefoot surgery.

 

[Country4ever]

Thanks for posting that link fuzzybutt love.........great video of the procedure. And you can see that he might have stopped too soon, had he not known to keep digging for it and pushing hard from the topside. And you can hear him say something like "you have to let it develop awhile, in order to get it out completely."
Great video!

 

[taprock]

The surgery went well. My DH did it since I am a wimp. He took 5 kernels out. I believe there are still two in the top part, however he was afraid to do it at this point because there would be a hole all the way through the foot. We decided to let it heal some and then reevaluate what to do. I'm not sure if that is right but this is a first so we're learning.

 

[fishnet1971]

that is a priceless video. hard to watch, but a prefect example of how to do it.

Nicely done.

 

[klmclain1]

Taprock - go ahead and do a really good epsom salt soak today and do the top to get the rest. Otherwise it's just going to spread. Great job on the bottom! I had to go in a second time on the next day as well...

 

[dawg53]

Taprock - go ahead and do a really good epsom salt soak today and do the top to get the rest. Otherwise it's just going to spread. Great job on the bottom! I had to go in a second time on the next day as well...

x2.
Go in there and dig and squeeze all of it out. Gotta be aggressive when dealing with bumblefoot or staph infection will spread thoughout her system, then death.

 

[taprock]

We soaked her foot the past two nights and went back in and took out more off the top of her foot. We are up to a total of 8 corns that have come out of her foot. I didn't have time tonight to do a soak so I will in the morning and see what it looks like. It seems as if as the swelling has gone down we have been able to find smaller areas that we couldn't see at the beginning. Hopefully it's all gone now. My DH has become a pro at cutting them out. The last time it took more time to set everything out then to actually cut it out. I have been letting her out during the day and just wrapped press and seal over her bandage and vet wrap. It has held up and done a wonderful job. Tonight is her first night back sleeping in the coop but I checked on her and she was on a wide 2 x 4 roost and seemed fine. I'll put up another picture tomorrow.