Bumblefoot

Illness & health

Overview

What is Bumblefoot & how they get it

Formerly known as Plantar pododermatitis, Bumblefoot is a bacterial infection (typically from Staphylococcus infection) that got into a foot wound. It might’ve been something as simple as:

  • a lose nail on the perch they sleep on at night or a sharp edge where they sleep
  • chickens are constantly scratching in the ground, which can accidentally bury splinters into their
    feet
  • if their roosts are too high and they are jumping down from a height of more than a metre especially
    if onto rock or a hard surface.

Symptoms

Chickens have soft pads on their feet which should be soft and mobile. Here’s what to look for:

  • limping
  • a scab or heavy callous
  • signs of infection around the foot – swelling, redness, a change in texture
  • In advanced cases, the abscess may have worked its way out, leaving an open sore on the underside
    of the foot

Treatment – what to do

Treatment for bumblefoot is the same as for any other abscess. You may need to lance or open up the abscess, if it is still closed. Once the infected tissue is removed, her system will be able to heal the injury. If there is no redness but an obvious dark scab then we would still attempt to open it up and clean it up. If there is redness and a dark scab then definitely operate on her foot as it’s now infected. If you’re not comfortable doing this, you should see your vet as the bumblefoot will only get worse if not treated. Here’s how we do it in our Hen

Hospitals

What you need

  • Pain Relief on hand. CBD oil, Meloxicom or
    baby aspirin. It can help to give this to them 15 minutes before starting to help them stay calm. We
    also use a few drops of Rescue Remedy (Bach Flowers) to help with any anxiety/stress they will feel.
  • 2 chook towels & light cloth. One small one to dry foot and one larger one to lay across lap and over
    hen while operating. The light cloth is to drape over her head.
  • Epsom salts, warm water, tub for hen to soak its foot in
  • Iodine (5% dilution) or hexacon spray or similar antibacterial solution
  • Jar of iodine solution for cleaning tweezers
  • Tweezers ideally with teeth on the end so they can grip the tissue you are pulling out
  • Paper towel to wipe away blood and to put the removed plug and debris onto
  • Cotton swabs to dry wound before wrapping and to use under bandage,
  • Vetwrap or similar (2 pieces, cut into 3cm width and at least 30cm lengths)
  • Ichthammol is preferred ointment as it draws out gunk left in wound (buy from chemist) to apply
    before wrapping. Other things you can use is Dragons Blood, manuka honey & turmeric mix,.

What to do

  1. Soak the inured foot in warm Epsom salts bath for 5 minutes. This will soften the scab on the foot. Remove her and pat dry the foot.
  2. Lay her in your lap or in rolled towel on table, comfortably on her side with the foot to be treated on the top side (do not lay them completely on their back, as it can make it difficult to breathe easily). Drape a light towel over her head, so she feels calm
  3. Using the tweezers, start opening the wound. Continue gently digging around the scab, dipping the tweezers into jar of iodine (or similar) to keep them clean, using paper towel to mop up the area. Clean the wound well, making sure not to leave any debris. Main objective it to remove the ‘plug’. If there is no ‘plug’ to remove the wound may be immature
  4. When debri removed, clean again with antibacterial. Pat dry.
  5. Dab Ichthammol (or other options) into open wound area.
  6. Cotton swab on top, then wrap vet wrap around wound, foot and ankle in a criss cross pattern to ensure it’s secured.
  7. Give her pain relief.
  8. You may need to repeat this procedure a few times, as the infection comes out. Every 3-4 days, remove the bandage and check progress. If still infected and appears to be debri or plug remaining, then repeat the procedure.
  9. If the infection is not clearing, then you need to give her antibiotics so this will be a vist to your vet. Typically antibiotics such as trimethoprim sulfa is a frequent first-choice on an empirical level

 

Prevention

  • Reduce height of perches or ensure accessible ladder
  • Soft coop floor material
  • Check roosts for loose screws or splinters
  • Check their free range area for anything that could pierce their foot pad
  • Check the bottom of their feet when you do the twice a year health check