Bumblefeet ends up in necrotism?

wfoppe

In the Brooder
Mar 27, 2025
2
16
21
Last December a Sussex Lavender was limping a bit. I had to search for a long time for a vet who wanted to do chickens because here in the countryside of Thailand there are two types of vets: one for dogs and cats and one for cows and horses. And if you take a chicken to the vet you get laughed at.
The doctor (who later turned out not to be a real vet) diagnosed bumblefoot on both paws and cut away the inflammation. Went back for another week for a check-up and from that moment on cleaned the paw myself every day, smeared it with an antibacterial cream and bandaged it. The chicken is in a separate pen from the rest but during the day the pen is outside and the chicken is with the rest. So she does have company.
The problem now is that the wounds do not want to close and I fear that it is actually getting worse.
The wounds have turned black and it looks like necrotism.
I don't know what to do now, the black spot is only getting bigger.
See photo.
Who has some good advice?
first is the left foot en second is the right foot
 

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It is hard to say of that is necrotic or scabbed. What is the surface of the coop or pen that she has been in? Has the bedding or surface been wet or muddy or dry? Droppings and damp bedding can enter the skin through the opening and cause infection and necrosis. How have you treated it since the vet visits? I would start soaking it in warm water with chlorhexidene or povidone iodine in a pan for 20 minutes daily. Then rub the black area with gauze or a cloth to get some of the scab off. Then cover the wound with antibiotic ointment and gauze and wrap the foot. The following link is helpful with dealing with bumblefoot and at the bottom of the page there is a good video of applying the foot bandage to not get it too tight cutting off circulation:

https://the-chicken-chick.com/bumblefoot-causes-treatment-warning/
 
I'm going to suggest you try using sugardine. It won't hurt anything, and may help a lot. It's simple and inexpensive. I've had very good results with some really bad or stubborn cases. The first time I tried it was on a bird that absolutely nothing else had helped for many months and it was getting so bad I thought I'd have to euthanize. The bird whose foot is pictured in this post, he ended up living many more years... See post #8 here for explanation and video on sugardine:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/bumblefoot-not-healing.1443809/
 

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