# Mourning Dove Rehab / Yeast Infection / Itraconazole



## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

I like to share with members things that I learn at the vets and hope it can help if you find yourself in similar circumstances.

We have a little mourning dove (have named him Milo) that had a bloodied keel bone and is underweight. The keel bone was a bloody mess - looked like a slab of raw meat. Applied silver sulfadene to the area and started him on Baytril, 1xday (Saturday). Got him to the vet yesterday morning and she said continue with the sulfadene and Baytril. The wound was already looking very good. She decided to x-ray him and I never knew that vets can spot possible yeast infections from x-rays but apparently there are shady areas that are indicative of yeast infection. She started him on Itraconazole instead of Nystatin because the Itraconazole will get directly into the blood whereas Nystatin has to actually touch the fungus.

The interesting thing about this trip was that she has stopped compounding the Itraconazole at her office because of the time involved in making it up for such a small dose. Instead, she uses a pharmaceutical compounding laboratory so we went there this morning to pick it up. It must be made of pure gold because we paid $80.00 for a 2xday, 7 day supply, and the dose is only 0.05cc.

Maggie


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## Pigeonpal2002 (Jul 27, 2002)

Hi Maggie, 


This is very helpful information and hopefully it might help someone else down the road. This is the exact purpose of this forum, to share our knowledge and experiences so that others may benefit from it sometime down the road. We all talk about things daily and regularly but there are others that perfer to remain silent and read only. One of these days, someone might have a similar problem and search and find this post

I'm glad to hear that your Milo is doing so well after the intraconazole and your expert care. Boy, it sure sounds like liquid gold at that price, but there must be a reason! Even within animal medicine, there is cheap stuff and expensive things. And this does sound like it's much better and more effective than the nystatin.

Perhaps you should change the title of the post to include "yeast infection in dove and itraconazole" somewhere in there. Thanks for this post.


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## Camrron (Dec 19, 2005)

I have to agree Brad. That is terrific information Maggie offered. The Nystatin does need contact so I have been told so some situations can be difficult if not impossible to treat for serious yeast outbreaks. Eighty bucks though! Yikes. 

You do love your birds a lot Maggie (I would do the same and just pay it too, of course not telling family and friends who already think I am a lunatic for keeping pigeons!). Thanks for passing along the info about the X-Rays too. I have never read that anywhere else.

Cameron


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Maggie,

Thanks for sharing such wonderful information, we need to add this to our medications list, and the differences between the two. 

I'm sure the little dove is doing very well in your care.

Now, if we could just have a drug prescription plan for avian prescriptions, and get a discount!


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

Thnaks, hope the little guy makes it too. I will be finishing up the drug dosage info on the meds I use in, I hope, two weeks and I am including nystatin in it but Itraconazole dosages may have to wait until I can get more info on it. I think I mentioned that I had to clear some things with my vet but her husband has been seriously ill but had his surgery and things are looking well for him. She was able to see me yesterday and I got the info I needed.

Maggie


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## feralpigeon (Feb 14, 2005)

Hi Maggie, 

That is news to me about seeing the fungus in an x-ray, always love this kind of information, one never knows when it will 'feather out a picture' for you down the road. The Itraconazole is pricey, although there is some good news coming to you straight from MedsMex.com.... 

http://www.medsmex.com/xcart/customer/search.php?substring=Sporanox

Sporanox is the generic name for Itraconazole.

There is also Fish Fungus from Thomas Labs, although the Ketoconazole is now a second choice type of drug after Itraconazole came out. Itraconazole also being used for aspergillosis, where the Ketoconazole is not an effective choice and not as well tolerated. Here's an interesting link on the azole family from Dr. Fungus:

http://www.doctorfungus.org/thedrugs/azoles.htm

As you've brought up in the past in your threads, fungal treatments are an important part of the rehab process in terms of problems encountered w/rescues, this is an important point that you're bringing up about the difference between systemic and topical treatments. Looking forward to your 
magnum opus on dosages, Maggie  .

fp

PS--Maggie, have you seen this thread?

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=14516


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

fp - I still say you are the absolute best "googling". I've bookmarked the Dr. Fungus so I can read it later in depth.

Brad, I don't know how to change the title of this thread to "Yeast Infection in Dove/Itraconazole".  I went to EDIT but that just changes the text. Would you or one of the other moderators change it for me?

Thank you, Maggie


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

Thanks to my little "genie" for changing the title for me.

Maggie


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## TerriB (Nov 16, 2003)

Maggie, so glad that your husband's surgery went well and he is feeling better! Hope this med clears up the problem for your dove!


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

Hi Terri, thank you but it is my vet's husband who had the surgery. 

Maggie


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## feralpigeon (Feb 14, 2005)

Well, ok then Maggie, we're glad to know that you aren't nursing both your bird babies along w/beau, and hope that you're vet's hubby gets better and better 

How is your rescue coming along?

fp


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

Hi fp - Milo is doing pretty good. Has not lost anymore weight and the keel wound continues to heal. He is not a happy camper.  

Maggie


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## feralpigeon (Feb 14, 2005)

Lady Tarheel said:


> Hi fp - Milo is doing pretty good. Has not lost anymore weight and the keel wound continues to heal. He is not a happy camper.
> 
> Maggie


Hi Maggie,

He may not seem like a happy camper, but all things considered, I'm sure he's far happier in your care than he realizes  . W/a yeast/fungal infection, it is good news indeed that no weight has been lost, so he's happier than he realizes . Keep us posted, Maggie,

fp


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

*Update*

Little Milo doing very well. Has finished his Baytril and has one more dose of Itraconazole. Has gained two grams and is eating really, really well. His keel is looking very good so, still keeping fingers crossed because I know yeast infections are hard to overcome sometimes.

Maggie


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## mr squeaks (Apr 14, 2005)

Good News, Maggie!


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Lady Tarheel said:


> Little Milo doing very well. Has finished his Baytril and has one more dose of Itraconazole. Has gained two grams and is eating really, really well. His keel is looking very good so, still keeping fingers crossed because I know yeast infections are hard to overcome sometimes.
> Maggie



Sounds like all is going very well for little Milo. I love that name!  

Thanks for the update.


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