# Baby collared dove



## Guest (Apr 9, 2009)

Hi, This is WildlifeVetToBe but i cant remember my password!!
Im currently looking after a wood pigeon with a wound on its wing(was on Baytril-now almost fully healed so just waiting til 100% til release), one rock pigeon with a cyst on one wing (on dexafort) and my newest addition is a young collared dove, I can fid any images on the web to age it. He has all his feathers and is learning to fly. He was probably caught by a cat and has a wound under one wing. He is on Baytril but im mostly worried about what he's going to eat. I have bird seed and will try to get him to have a small drink of warm water. 
Ive read that you can use some baby foods(wheat based w/no fruit). I can go to tescos but everywhere else is closed. Any tips??

Thank you!
Charlotte


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

Hi Charlotte,

Welcome back! It is good to hear from you and to know you are keeping busy with the rescues. I was just thinking of you this evening when I came across photos of Roger.

You can feed a baby dove Ready Brek made up with warm water. I usually scatter seeds around the very young ones and they start picking them up very quickly, they are clever little things.

A lot of collared doves have a calcium deficiency, check his beak to see if it is hard or "rubbery". If it is rubbery then give him calcium supplements.

If you go into my profile and look in my albums there are some photos of Coriander. I meant to check the dates the photos were taken so that I could provide an "aging guide", but haven't got round to doing it. If you let me know which of the photographs resembles your dove most closely then I will try to establish her age. The length of the tail and flights are the best indicator.


Cynthia


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## PoppyFieldVet (Apr 9, 2009)

Ive had a look and they're both about the age of the image "This is Coriander a few days later, her tail and flights are much longer". The one my brothers found is a bit younger. 
They were both gulping down baby rice but are not so interested anymore. Im still feeding the younger one some baby food as he still seems a bit lethargic but he is eating seed on his own, as in the other dove. The beaks seem fine but ill try and get some calcium. The dove that fell out of the nest also seems a little wobbly. His left wing is lower than his right when he flaps. The vet has seen them both and said to carry on as i was as he's still going. 
XxX


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## PoppyFieldVet (Apr 9, 2009)

*Unable to perch.*

Hi again, Three out of my hour rescues are doing great. My woodie is extremely wild and tosses most of her food and water everywhere as soon as I give it to her which made me worry that she'd start losing weight and becoming weak although that really doesnt seem to be the case!
My rock pigeon is also doing fine. Hes very calm and very tidy. Ive seen him showing off to my woodie several times, although shes not impressed!
My collared dove with the cat injury is 100% healed and eating great. Shes also learnt to become a great flyer and loves perching and flying between perches on a huge twig I brought from a local woods. 
Unfortuately my other dove, Poplar, is not doing so well. I believe she's eating ok although she's not as well covered as the other dove. 
My brothers brought her home after finding her fairly near to an adult dove who'd been killed by a car. I suspect Poplar has fallen out of the nst in her attempt to fledge. She was unable to perch properly and when she flapped her wings one was lower than the other. I took her to see the vet I work with who said she should be fine. Ive been keeping an eye on her and suspected nerve damage. 
Ive been pretty much leaving them to their own devices and my other collared dove, Periwinkle, is no longer very tame. However, when cleaning them out today I tried again, to get Poplar to perch. She still cant fly and cannot perch for any great amount of time. She can move her legs but they do not look right. She was getting quite stressed so I sat with her for a couple of minutes and then put her legs in some warm water. She loved it and sat there for a bit just enjoying it. Now she was more relaxed and i managed to get a good look at her legs. I have to be honest, both looked deformed. Her left leg looks the most normal although she doesnt seem to know how to grip with this foot. Her right leg is worse. It looks like it was broken and has fused at an odd angle. I wished I'd noticed this before. 
Even though I wish I could have done something about the possible break, I still feel like she has some nerve damage. It takes quite a few attempts before she'll curl her toes to perch and when she does they still cand hold the branch properly. When I put my fingers to her feet they simply stay flat. 
Both Poplar and Periwinkle are eating and drinking fine, although Poplar is more skinny than Periwinkle. Im planning to take them to the vets today to get the vet to look at Poplars legs. Ill try to post some photos later. 

Thanks
Charlotte & co.


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

Hi Charlotte,

Try something like Calivet for the little dove. Just one drop a day for three days, see if it makes a difference. I can send you some if you like, your address is still in my Pigeon book. 

The leg might be splayed, but he should still be young enough for correction with self adhesive bandage.

http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/193589827zTYswz

Cynthia


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## PoppyFieldVet (Apr 9, 2009)

You are literally a life saver! Ill take some photos of your pigeon Gonzo to the vets and try and get some tape today. He is still young and is very bright, much brighter than when we found him.

Will take some photos this evening. 
Thanks
Charlotte & co!.


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

This is the bandage that I use, it works better that vetwrap:

http://www.boots.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10052&productId=7822&callingViewName=&langId=-1&catalogId=11051


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## PoppyFieldVet (Apr 9, 2009)

*update*

I took Poplar to the vets last week and had the vet look at her. She said she is underweight and to keep hand feeding her. Ive been giving her ready brek with sugar and water twice a day by syringe. She has approximately 10-15ml at a time, enough so i can feel her crop is quite full. 
The vet said she didnt think her legs were broken, both seem to be the same. Ive bought some bandage from boots and been using it on her legs. She is using her legs a little but im also a little worried about her wings as shes still using them to help her walk and cant fly. 
I cant find anything I could really use for calcium supplements for her but am going to pets at home after college today so will have a look. 
Shes otherwise bright and interested in whats going on around her. I certainly havnt given up on her. 
My other pigeons and dove are fine, eating very well and propably near release. My rock pigeon is still hanging his wing low, ill take him to the vets next to see how thats progressing. 

Thank you!
Charlotte & co.


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

Hi Charlotte,

I will send you some calcium today, it should arrive tomorrow.

Can you way her daily to make certain that her weight is increasing? It might be necessary to increase meals, but if you scatter some very small seeds around her she might start to eat those as well.

Cynthia


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## PoppyFieldVet (Apr 9, 2009)

Thank you. Yes, i will. She can eat seed, in fact she was eating seed better than my other dove when i first started looking after her. Problem is the last time I actually saw her eat seed was a while ago, at least a week. Thats not to say she isnt eating seed. Ive also noticed any time I check on her, her crop is empty. Shes got plenty of seed, I think one of the problems is that she could reach it or that the other dove is a little dominant. 
Thanks again, will start weighing her today.


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## PoppyFieldVet (Apr 9, 2009)

Wow, the liquid calcium arrived at 12 today. Ive already given poplar a drop and have separated him from the other dove for a couple of hours to give him a chance to feed properly.


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## PoppyFieldVet (Apr 9, 2009)

Ive given up on my camera so will get my brother to take some photos when he gets in. Poplar does seem more active today. Shes using her legs more but still is completely unable to grip and still cant fly. Im also still syringe feeding her ready brek because i cant feel any seeds in her crop. On mon and tues she was 90g but today she is 100g.
XxX


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

It is good that she is making progress. I usually give a drop of calcium for a few days in a row. I have seen some amazing recoveries.

This is a link to a thread about one of my rescues that sounds very similar to the one you have:

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=10013&referrerid=560



Cynthia


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## PoppyFieldVet (Apr 9, 2009)

*Photos*








"Rosie-she is extremely strong!"







"The wound doenst look amazing, its where the scab has fallen off-there is a little dip left where it was and its still got to heal. The blood at the top is just where shes been flapping in her cage, Ive moved her from another cage to try and prevent her doing anymore damage. Even though the wound doesnt look great shes got alot of power in those wings"







"Rock Pigeon-Hes a real sweetie. Unfortuately he's obviously had his injurys for a while. He's extremely bright and runs around like a runner duck. He cant fly though, his right wing is fine but im worried he had an old injury in his left "elbow" joint which has fused"







"This is the cyst on the joint. It looks like Im squeezing it but im just parting the feathers from around it!"


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## PoppyFieldVet (Apr 9, 2009)

"He obviously had a number of wounds as practically all the feathers on his body are regrowing. When I first got him the vet pulled off alot of old scabs off his back. This is why I think his wing injury may be a little old. The lil guys extremely bright otherwise"







This is Poplars feet. I couldnt get a better shot, hes a real wriggler. This photo is honestly how he sits, not attempting to perch at all. He is using his legs more to walk however."


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## PoppyFieldVet (Apr 9, 2009)

http://yfrog.com/33dsc0271tjx


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## PoppyFieldVet (Apr 9, 2009)

Hopefully the link will work-the images are in the order of the desciptions above


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## PoppyFieldVet (Apr 9, 2009)

Poplar is better she is flapping her wings more and more and starting to stand up for short amounts of time. Im going to have to keep separating the two doves as Periwinkle keeps sitting on Poplars head! 
Rosie the wood pigeon still has wounds on her wing, but they are apporx 95% healed. Shes extremely strong and restless. She hasnt enjoyed being in her cage and hasnt been eating properly, spending more time tipping her food/water up than eating it. She hes subsequently lost weight. I took Rosie and Deron(the Rock pigeon) to the vets this morning and the vet agreed it would be best if Rosie was released as shes almost 100% healed and has lost weight. If we release her when the weathers nice she has a chance to eat and heal without the stress slowing her recovery down. I live in a quiet close although there are cats about. However, to be honest where ever she is released there will probably be cats and/or foxes about and she is an adult bird who knew how to look after herself before she came into my care. 
Im giving her one last check to make sure she can fly fine before I release her this afternoon. 
The vet gave Deron a check up today, she said that the cyst was infact a callus around an old fracture on this elbow joint. It is restricting his movement and he is completely unable to fly. His only option is to remain in captivity, but to be honest he's extremely tame and the most chilled of all the birds I have at the moment. Im handling Deron more and more now although he'll be needed a permenent home as Im going to uni this year and he should be with other pigeons.
Periwinkle is absoltuely fine, Im just waiting until shes old enough for release. 
Thanks all!!!
XxX
Charlotte and co.


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## PoppyFieldVet (Apr 9, 2009)

Unfortuately its not quite gone to plan. I released Rosie into my garden but she is obviously still finding it too painful to fly. She simply ran about and bit under a bush. I picked her up only to find she'd managed to pull off all the scabs from her wound making it bleed again. Ive cleaned it with saline and bandaged his wing to prevent her doing it again. 
Fingers crossed she'll heal properly this time.


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

Hi Charlotte,

Are you going to pursue your original ambition to become a vet?

I am sorry that Rosie's release didn't work out. I can't remember how long I have been rescuing wood pigeons - not as long as I have been rescuing ferals - but of the three (woodies, ferals and doves) they are by far the worst as far as successful recovery goes. I adore them, but even though they are, perhaps, the most successful species in the UK I consider them one of the most fragile species if they are sick or injured.


Here are a couple of possible "permanent homes" for Deron in Kent. I know both have given homes to disabled pigeons in the past, but I don't know how they are fixed at the moment, there are always so many disabled pigeons needing an aviary!


http://www.foalfarm.org.uk/

http://www.retreatanimalrescue.org.uk/


Cynthia


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## PoppyFieldVet (Apr 9, 2009)

Thank you Cynthia. I will get in contact with them. My woodie still isnt eating properly. Ive cleaned her wound and redressed it and it doesnt look too bad. 
Poplar the calcium deficient dove is eating much better(he is on an EMP egg diet with seed) and the other collared dove is great. Deron is fine, extremely bold although a little underweight. 
The woodie, Rosie still isnt good. Im feeding her EMP with plenty of seeds but she's not eaten much at all. She has lost a lot of weight and I just dont know how to make her gain it. 
I do still want to become a vet, I applied to veterinary school last year and have one offer to study veterinary medicine at bristol university starting this year. I just need to get the grades!!!

Thanks again
Charlotte and co.


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

Hi Charlotte,

It will be great to have a vet that is interested in woodies, they are different from other pigeons and the wild ones don't seem to heal as well.

Can you have a very careful search over Rosie's body, particularly in thecrop area, look for any little lumps or scabs or irregularities in the feathers. My Ashwood was referred to me by the vet after being cat caught. He was outside in the doviary and one day when I thought that he was making good progress I found him weak and unable to fly. I brought him inside for nursing and happened to find a crusty scabby thing on his breast. I pulled it out and it was a lump of pus wrapped round a few seeds. I suspect that there had been a small tear to his crop which leaked seeds out and they worked themselves towrds the puncture wound at the serface.

How much does she weigh? You could try hand feeding defrosted peas and corn twice a day, 50 at a feed. You can put up to 4 peas or corn kernels in the mouth at a time to speed up the process.

Have a look at this thread about Tarralotti and her care of her woodie March. 

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=30871&referrerid=560

Maria lists the greens that he enjoys, Rosie might also enjoy them. I may be getting my memories and members mixed up, so if this doesn't make sense ignore it, but I think that you and Maria may have Amelia Kinkade in common. Either way you will enjoy reading about Maria's relationship with March and the speed with which he bonded with her .

There are also references to the homeopathic remedies that Maria used on March...all very good reference material.

Some members give their pigeons a course of Nystatin after a course of antibiotics, to fight off any yeast, I will get some in the post to you. Maria and others have also found that Vytalzim has helped woodies recover so I will put a few capsules of that in the envelope too.

Cynthia


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## PoppyFieldVet (Apr 9, 2009)

Thank you so much Cynthia. Ive read all the post on Maria and March with wonder. Im going to buy some greens asap and try and get him to eat some. Im also changing his living arrangments, make him more at home. He's currently living next to the young and very active collared dove and the little calcium deficient dove, so Im going to carefully introduce them to one another as he must be so lonely at the moment. Im also going to buy some little shelves for his cage so he cant tip all his food all over the floor within minutes of him getting it! I will weigh him today although our scales arn't very accurate. She was previously 600g approx, I last weighed her two days ago and her weight has plumeted to around 450g. I think Ive made a huge mistake in not getting too close to her. She is extremely skittish and huffs and puffs whenever I get close. Her wings are still strong however, Ive been trying to clean and bandage her wound every day to makesure she cant damage it again and the bandage is always off by the next morning. Anyway, I will try the greens and peas and get her improving asap. 

Its funny you should mention Amelia Kinkade, Ive been taking time out(between revision) to listen to her CD and read her books. My dog, Poppy was diagnosed with severe heart disease earlier this year and I am desperate to hear her properly. I went to her workshop last year in kent and it was even better than the previous year. I managed to successfully talk to three animals with amazing details confirmed by the owner. 
With my head currently filled with A level Chemistry and Physics Im finding it near impossible to clear my head at the moment. 

Thank you again!!
Charlotte and co!
XxX


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

I am so sorry that Poppy is ill. I was in a terrific panic about my Ruthe recently when she got ill, it turned out to be Old Dog Vestibular Syndrome and probably only caused by a little ear infection.

Woodies and doves tend to get along well. My Ashwood is in an aviary with Dovelette, who can't fly. It is not just a case of tolerating each other, they make a point of sitting side by side, touching each other.

Ashwood only weighs 360 gms. He came to me having lost his tail feathers a few months ago, but they still haven't regrown.



> I managed to successfully talk to three animals with amazing details confirmed by the owner.


 I must spend more time on this!

Cynthia


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## PoppyFieldVet (Apr 9, 2009)

It is amazing! You really should. Im much better with animals I dont know as I let my own emotions get in the way of talking to Poppy. Poppy's ok at the moment, shes not on any medication. Unfortunately we suspect shes got heart disease because shes a cross with a cavalier. Shes currently losing weight and getting more active, the only sign of her condition is a cough. Hopefully she'll do just fine. 
Poor Rosie, shes so terrified of me. I sat with her for an hour today after looking after the others and she just sat and stared at me. Im trying to look for a better cage for her so she feels more comfortable. Ive given her some greens but she hasnt touched it yet. I had to practically force feed her some seeds and greens, but even that wasnt working very well. She was so terrified she wouldnt swallow. 
Im going to try and get that cage as if she had some more room I could give her a friend-little periwinkle. 
The only good thing is Rosie is still very strong and her wings are still very powerful. I can feel her keel bone but shes still got some fat/muscle on her. I need to invest in some good scales too!

Charlotte and co. 
XxX


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## PoppyFieldVet (Apr 9, 2009)

Poplar the dove is using her legs more although shes using her ankles to walk rather than her feet. Periwinkle is practically ready for release. Deron is great and Rosie's wing is almost completely healed. On both Deron and Rosie I can feel their keel bone. Deron is extremely chirpy and cooing all the time and Ive seen him eating well. Rosie and Periwinkle are now in the same cage but Ive made it so Periwinkle can get to a separate cage. I did try to syringe feed Rosie this morning but she wouldnt swallow half to food i gave her. Thank you Cynthia-Ive started Rosie on the medication. Ive checked her all over and cant find any other wounds, hopefully she'll start improving. 

XxX


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## PoppyFieldVet (Apr 9, 2009)

Unexpected find. 
I found a scab on Rosies chest today, Previously i thought it would of just fallen off, she had a few scabs which are now gone with feathers back. This scab, approx 3mm across was on her chest, approx where the bottom rt hand side of her crop. After looking at it and pulling at it, it didnt bleed so i pulled it out. It came out, approx 4mm long. I then could feel more debris under the skin so squeezed it out. It looks like feaces or food. I will post a photo asap. Theres not much and its more of a pocket than hole. Anyway, i weighed her again and shes gaind some weight.


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

Sounds like Rosie had an abscess or a hole in the crop that plugged up. Please update us when you can .. pics would be helpful.

Terry


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

Hi Charlotte,

As I mentioned before, that seems to be a common injury in cat caught pigeons and doves, but hard to find until a plug forms and seed and stuff works its way to the surface...what worries me is the location and that you describe what you found under the scab as possibly being faeces. It wouldn't be faeces, it has to be food, but it is not good news that it is soft and hasn't "encapsulated", encapsulated food is so much easier to remove.

Hopefully the injury to the crop itself has healed now, so it will be just a matter of leaving the "hole" that the scab opened up open until all the gunk has worked its way to the surface and has come out. The fact that Rosie is gaining weight must be a good sign, but she will need to go back on antibiotics.

I have been lucky in that my woodies and doves with crop injuries have had the wound high up in the crop, so by ensuring that the food and water given was not above the hole level, the wound healed naturally. 

IF there is evidence that food and or water is still leaking out of the crop then you will have to reconsider. The problem with woodies is that they can die of heart attack too easily for surgery to be an option. Ideally she should be kept off food and water for a couple of days and have Hartmann's injected either IV, Ip or Sub Q by a vet, but this can also be too stressful for a woodie and could lead to a fatal adrenaline rush.

So, if there is further spillage what I would do is keep the hole open until all the spillage comes out, during that period keep her on antibiotics and for a couple of days offer her only Hartmann's orally, very little at a time but often, so hopefully it won't leak out of the crop.

You can get a bag of Hartmann's from the vet, but the fluids have to be withdrawn from the bag with a sterile needle so I will send you some of those...even if you do't need to use them this time, they will come in handy some time.. Do you have any antibiotics? I can send some more including Flagyl, but the Flagyl is in suspension and will have to be kept refrigerated, used soon and warmed to room temperature before administration.

This is a "case study" about a terrible crop injury Nooti dealt with about 6 years ago, it illustrates the incredible healing capacity of pigeons. Nooti suspected that the "victim's" crop capacity would be too reduced for her to be released or even to be in an outdoor aviary as she would not be able to take in enough food to stay alive over the cold winter nights, so Josephine (now known as Josefina) came here...she is still fine, lives in the aviary and raised the only pair of chicks that I have ever allowed to hatch in the aviary.



> ...the injury was to her crop which had been torn open and the vet team had stitched it up.
> 
> It looked to be a good job at first glance but a few days later as Laura, (my vet) and I were examining her, the stitched wound just fell apart and the most awful rotting smell filled our nostrils.
> 
> ...


Cynthia


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## PoppyFieldVet (Apr 9, 2009)

Ok, well, im just about to give it another look and take some photos. Ill clean it and keep an eye on it. 
Will post photos as soon as i can.


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## PoppyFieldVet (Apr 9, 2009)

Ok, taken a closer look. I dont think Ive described its position correctly. I felt her all over to check for any other injurys and her crop. The wound is not deep. The stuff I removed yesterday is all I could find. The only thing I saw was a little bit of pus when squeezing it, but literally this was approx 1/4 drop of pus. Its not actually over her crop. Her crop is presently full of 1/2 a handful of seed. The little scab/wound is further up, under her wing. Its actually almost directly underneath the wound on her wing. I let her out today and unlike last week, she is flying. She flew approx from the floor to 2m off the ground where she landed.


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

Hi Charlotte,

That is good news, but it is important to keep that wound unscabbed so that no infection (however small) is trapped within the wound and it heals from the inside out, that will avoid the danger of a tracking abscess developing. She should also go on antibiotics while she heals. 

Cynthia


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## PoppyFieldVet (Apr 9, 2009)

Yep, absolutely I will be cleaning it daily. It had almost closed up within 24 hours but ill keep cleaning, making sure theres no pus etc. My mums bring home some saline so i can flush it out.


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## PoppyFieldVet (Apr 9, 2009)

Im starting to feel a little out of my depth. Periwinkle is great, eating well and ready for release(he still has a little growing to do). Deron is doing great, getting around ok with only use of one wing. 

Then unfortunately Rosie and Poplar arnt so good. Poplar is ok, still eating well, but his feet are the real problem. He just cant perch and he still has to use his wings to help him walk and although Ive seen him stand a little, he spends most of his time sitting in the same place and shuffles around to get to his food. Ive been bandaging his legs but its not really helping, his problem arnt his legs, it all starts going wrong at his ankles. His right foot turns inward and all four toes point in the same direction. He has a slight grasping reflex but again, all toes point in the same direction. His left foot is better, he grasps stronger and with his forth toe gripping behind the other three. Ive found a pigeon sling on the web which I thought i could try to try and get him to use his feet more. Ive been getting him out and trying to get him grip and stay on my fingers. As soon as he stops leaning on his wings and trys balancing he falls off. He isnt flying but his wings are fine. I suspect he cant fly as he cant lift himself up. 

Then theres Rosie, shes ok, when I pick her up she feels really thin but I just weighed her and she weighs about 480g-is this underweight/normal???I did try syringe feeding her but she literally doesnt swallow. Her wing is healing and I flushed the found today. There wasnt any pus but i felt it and I dont know what it is, it feels like theres somethng under the skin. I tried flushing it out with pressure, using sterile tweezers. Could it be scar tissue? Another thing which entered my mind is, could poor Rosie have been shot??? The wound is literally right underneath her wound on her wing is. Ill take her back to my vets as soon as I get a chance, theres a possibility she'll xray her for me. Not sure it could be though as there is no entrance point. Its a bit of a mystery how she got her wounds. Another possibility is maybe she got caught on barbed wire. One piece may have imbedded in her wing and the other side in her chest.

Im trying to get some photos uploaded but my computer is uploading them, crashing each time I try to load them. 

Anyway, thank you for your help, especially Cynthia for the meds, but, am I doing ok? Im so worried that theyre just deterioating. Ive moved Rosie and Periwinkle into our summer house/shed for the daytime so theyve got more room and can stretch their wings. Plus the windows are pretty low and big so they can see more. Poplar has a larger cage, not that she uses it and every time I put her bandages on or off or pick her up she starts mouth breathing. 

Sorry this has gone on a bit. My A2 exams start next week and Im worried about them. Poppy has started coughing again as well so Im also worried about her. 

Thank you!!
XxX


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## PoppyFieldVet (Apr 9, 2009)

I have uploaded some photos in my album to show the extent/size/location of Rosies wounds. See what you think! Theres also photos of Poplar(the dove with calcium deficiency), Periwinkle and Deron looking handsome. 
XxX


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

Hi Charlotte

I can't find your album! I went into your profile....

Cynthia


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## PoppyFieldVet (Apr 9, 2009)

O sorry, It wasnt on public-it is now! On the right hand side of my profile-hopefully!!
XxX


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## amyable (Jul 7, 2007)

Hi Charlotte,

I enjoyed you pictures, you do have your hands full at the moment.

You may have looked but as you have two wounds on Rosie that 'match' up as far as the position goes on her wing and chest, is there another wound on the outside of the wing where something may have entered and gone straight through. I wasn't sure how deep this wing wound was, and if it went all the way through. If she had been shot that maybe the case, if the wound is on the under surface only, then probably not a shot wound.

I have a pigeon that initially looked as if she had a wound on the underside, but when I parted the feathers, (needed to wet them a little to do so), then I found the hole went all the way through at an angle. That felt like a lump inside and it didn't heal until the whole scab came out.

My vet told me to very gently tease the hole with a damp cotton bud, don't push and use force, but this helped to see how deep the wound was.

Are you using a syringe to flush the wound?

Good luck with your exams by the way, don't forget to take time to study, 


Janet


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## PoppyFieldVet (Apr 9, 2009)

Yes, i have been flushing it with a syringe. Im going to have a good feel to see if there is an entrance point. My mum and dad were getting worried that I was spending all my time with and worrying about my pigeons rather than my studies. Thankfully, Cynthia has offered Rosie and Poplar a home so that they get t he attention they deserve. If It was 4-5weeks later I would have all my time free to look after them but its not fair on them now.
Thank you!!
Charlotte and co
XxX


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## amyable (Jul 7, 2007)

Well that's good news about Rosie and Poplar.
I fully understand your parent's concerns, my girls are both going through crucial exams at present, and I know I'd feel the same, important as the birds welfare is. ( I didn't like to say, but that's why I made that comment earlier). 

That's a weight off your mind for now, and you will no doubt have many more patients to come.

Janet


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## PoppyFieldVet (Apr 9, 2009)

I have looked for any signs of a possible entrance point and I cant find any signs of a wound on the top of his wing. The scab on his wing is oozing slightly but his skin is looking the healthiest its been. The little wound on his wing was bleeding slightly after he knocked it but it is only small. My biggest worry is that he is still losing weight. He is eating but is now 410g. He has EMP and seed. 
Poplar is still shuffling about but she did her first proper hop today. She is using her wings more but not to properly fly. Poplar has gained weight. Her chest is not skinny at all and she is continuing to eat well. 
Periwinkle is more tame than I thought. I know a lady who released my hand reared starling so Im going to give her a call. Deron is doing great and loves chatting when I go and sit with him. 

Charlotte and co
XxX


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## PoppyFieldVet (Apr 9, 2009)

amyable said:


> Well that's good news about Rosie and Poplar.
> I fully understand your parent's concerns, my girls are both going through crucial exams at present, and I know I'd feel the same, important as the birds welfare is. ( I didn't like to say, but that's why I made that comment earlier).
> 
> That's a weight off your mind for now, and you will no doubt have many more patients to come.
> ...


I wish I could carry on with them but I hope to become a great vet and I cant wait to help all the wildlife who wouldnt otherwise be helped. I want to spend the rest of my life doing this but I have to admit, the animal lover in me takes over and I cant help but feel the animals life is more important than a couple of exams. 

I am so glad I found this forum, its so encouraging to find so many people who have a real passion and dedication to these birds.


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## amyable (Jul 7, 2007)

PoppyFieldVet said:


> the animals life is more important than a couple of exams.


Oh the impatience of the young !! 
Just think how much more you'll be able to do to help US by passing your exams and becoming the great vet you're wanting to be !! ( if I'm still alive by then, It's a long haul, but will be worth all the hard work. Two of my daughter's friends are three years into their vet's degrees, one at Cambridge, the other at Edingburgh, they love it.

Janet


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

If you want to then you can bring Periwinkle too. If she can fly she can go in the main aviary and keep Poppet and Jack company. Poppet is completely tame.

Cynthia


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## PoppyFieldVet (Apr 9, 2009)

Thank you Cynthia. Im going to keep flying him and if he can fly I might try and release him if I get a nice day. Ill just see what happens. To be honest at the moment hes keeping Rosie company. 
Poplar is really good. Although she just shuffles in her cage and isnt using the perches, when i get her out she is now able to balance and perch on my finger and if flapping her wings more and more. If I compare her to the others she feels overweight(!!). She is definately eating well. 
Rosie feels really skinny to me but I can feel a few seeds in her crop. As I said, she is approx 405-415g. 
I was over the moon today seeing Poplar actually perch. Ive had another look at Rosie's wound on her chest and theres still a lump there but I dont wont to hurt her, it truely wont budge.


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

Is Rosie on antibiotics?

Difficult to tell how much she should weigh, it really depends on her size.

Cynthia


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## PoppyFieldVet (Apr 9, 2009)

She's not at the moment. Ive found her favourite food is sunflower seeds which she is eating well. Ive bought some spinach which Im not sure if shes eating it or just spreading it around. Shes still strong. 
Poplar has been perching on a stick for short periods. Still no real flying but plenty of flapping. 
Periwinkle is ready for release. Her flying has improved and she is now takng off from the floor. 
Deron is very proud of his box. Its just the right height for him to hop and and off as he wants and is eating fine.


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

Hi Charlotte,

Keep periwinkle a bit longer before release. She needs to be a very good and agile flier to evade predators.

You know you van always bring her here to build up her skills a little and I can release her in my garden. There is a constant stream of collared doves dropping in for a meal.

Cynthia


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## PoppyFieldVet (Apr 9, 2009)

Thanks Cynthia. We do have a few pairs round here but we also have quite a few cats. I would be extremely greatful if you could take Poplar. 
I looked at Rosie's wound last night and it has healed over. You can hardly see where it was. The skin looks healthy and Rosie is eating better. Im not sure what is defined as underweight. Poplar and Periwinkle have fat/muscle which is level with their keel bone so you can just feel a strip of the bone. Rosies chest however forms a definate v shape and you can definately feel her keel bone. She panics easily still so her tail feathers are not in top condition. 
The skin on her wing looks amazing. When I first met her her wing was green and gangrenous, so the vet was considering euthenasia. Slowly it turned a more "healthy colour" although it has looked a little yellow for a while. It doesnt look at all yellow now, it is a lovely pink colour and the swelling has come right down. The wounded part of wing was about 2.3-3cm thick due to inflammation but now is only 1-1.5cm. 
XxX


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## PoppyFieldVet (Apr 9, 2009)

Hello all! 
I now have one remaining Pigeon, Deron. Cynthia has kindly taken Poplar, Periwinkle and Rosie to let me focus on my studies. 
Deron had spent all his time in my room hopping in and out of his box and was perfectly happy, cooing and preening himself. 
On Sunday when we had the good weather we decided to let him outside, initially in a small enclosure I made and then free run of the whole garden. He was very nervous but had a walk around but then stopped and sat next to our patio doors. I put him back on the grass and he made his way back to the window. He has been constantly alert, especially with our two dogs and cat. When the patio door was left open, he ran back inside the house and for the past two days has been sitting infront of a low mirror. He was fine yesterday but today he has started to look depressed. 
He is sitting, falling asleep with his feathers fluffed out and both wings hanging down infront of the mirror. 
I have fed him some sugar water and given him a hot water bottle which he is sitting on at the moment. I have felt his crop and there is some seed in there. Ive also offered him some greens, emp and peanuts. 
I know he needs to be with other pigeons so I have organised for him to go to Retreat Animal Centre on Friday where they have the Trafalgar Square Pigeons and several unreleasable pigeons including a pigeon with no legs!
The "callous" on his wing has fallen off. The wound has healed well and he has a little more movement in that wing but still not enough to fly, although he can hop well. 
Anyway, any ideas to cheer him up would be appreciated. 
Thank you and thank you Cynthia for looking after the others. Hopefully they are doing well. 
XXxXX


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