Wondering if I should take him to a vet...

[FreeChicken!]

My Rhode Island Red rooster, Squeak, has been fighting various issues all his life, thanks mostly to other animals, so he's scarred, missing three claws and one eye. He's certainly not the most handsome creature around, but he's still very special to me. Squeak is just about the friendliest animal I've ever owned. When there are no hens around to protect, he will sit in people's laps, eat food off our hands gently, and follow us around the yard.
But here's the problem. Squeak has bumblefoot. He had it once before, and with the help of my mom and my sister, I did the surgery on his feet and he recovered. But now, more than a year later, it's back, and worse than before. This time no one is able to help me, and I can't do the surgery alone. He's a huge rooster, and very strong, and while he's friendly, he doesn't appreciate being flipped upside down and having his feet picked at. So I cannot do the surgery myself.
Squeak can barely walk anymore, and his infected foot is so swollen that it's practically a ball with toes. It's very hot to the touch, and red, and the scab is huge. I'm pretty sure it's too bad now to simply soak it in something. Is it too late for any hope of recovery...?
I'm hoping to get a vet to do this for me since I can't--assuming I can find an avian vet in this state that is willing to save a chicken--but no one has a lot of money to contribute towards the surgery. How much do you think it would cost? A lot?
Squeak is only four years old. He's far too young to die, in my opinion. Even though he's disfigured, and we do have two other roosters, as I said before, he's very special to me. I want him to recover.

 

[casportpony]

Take him to the vet.

 

[Judy]

Here's a thread about treating without doing surgery -- although it also says surgery is best. Dawg53 is generally an excellent resource. Perhaps you can soak and squeeze the foot back to health. Good luck!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/554991/antibiotics-for-bumblefoot/0_20#post_7139022

 

[OldGuy43]

Trying to be the voice of reason here. I can see that you think a lot of "Squeak", and that is admirable, but;

First, at least around here, assuming you can find a vet who knows anything about birds it costs about $150 just to walk in the door with no guarantee of success.

Second, an adolescent RIR costs $21. A chick is even cheaper. You do the math.

 

[dawg53]

My Rhode Island Red rooster, Squeak, has been fighting various issues all his life, thanks mostly to other animals, so he's scarred, missing three claws and one eye. He's certainly not the most handsome creature around, but he's still very special to me. Squeak is just about the friendliest animal I've ever owned. When there are no hens around to protect, he will sit in people's laps, eat food off our hands gently, and follow us around the yard.
But here's the problem. Squeak has bumblefoot. He had it once before, and with the help of my mom and my sister, I did the surgery on his feet and he recovered. But now, more than a year later, it's back, and worse than before. This time no one is able to help me, and I can't do the surgery alone. He's a huge rooster, and very strong, and while he's friendly, he doesn't appreciate being flipped upside down and having his feet picked at. So I cannot do the surgery myself.
Squeak can barely walk anymore, and his infected foot is so swollen that it's practically a ball with toes. It's very hot to the touch, and red, and the scab is huge. I'm pretty sure it's too bad now to simply soak it in something. Is it too late for any hope of recovery...?
I'm hoping to get a vet to do this for me since I can't--assuming I can find an avian vet in this state that is willing to save a chicken--but no one has a lot of money to contribute towards the surgery. How much do you think it would cost? A lot?
Squeak is only four years old. He's far too young to die, in my opinion. Even though he's disfigured, and we do have two other roosters, as I said before, he's very special to me. I want him to recover.

You CAN do it YOURSELF. Get everything you need staged, ready to go before you do the surgery. Get a towel and snugly wrap it around your rooster with the infected foot sticking out at the bottom. This way he wont be able to flap around and try to escape. Then get to work on it If you dont, once the infection gets to the legbone, it quickly spreads throughout their system, then death. No amount of antibiotics will stop it once the infection once it gets to the legbone.
Here's an excellent link with pics to help guide you:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/236649/bumblefoot-surgery-with-pics-and-how-to

 

[FreeChicken!]

I can try doing it myself, I guess, but he refuses to relax even when wrapped up in a towel. Last time it took two hands to hold him still inside his towel, and two more hands to do the surgery.

 

[OldGuy43]

I can try doing it myself, I guess, but he refuses to relax even when wrapped up in a towel. Last time it took two hands to hold him still inside his towel, and two more hands to do the surgery.

Did you try covering his head/eyes? Most birds will calm right down if you do.

 

[FreeChicken!]

Here's a thread about treating without doing surgery -- although it also says surgery is best. Dawg53 is generally an excellent resource. Perhaps you can soak and squeeze the foot back to health. Good luck!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/554991/antibiotics-for-bumblefoot/0_20#post_7139022

I'll certainly take a look at that. Thanks.

 

[FreeChicken!]

Did you try covering his head/eyes? Most birds will calm right down if you do.

Yeah. And he remained calm until we touched his feet.
Perhaps I can see if my friend can come help. She's offered to help with surgery before.

 

[casportpony]

Take him and your hen with the plugged vent to the vet... Dealing with bumblefoot is harder than unplugging a vent, IMHO.