# I need help with an injured feral pidgeon!



## Buttercupbrickley (Apr 3, 2012)

Earlier this evening, before it got dark, my husband and I saw a pigeon in our driveway acing very strange. It was standing by my car leaning over and putting it's head on the ground. After watching it sit like that for a minute we knew something was wrong and we tried to get closer. As we approached the bird, it didn't seem to shy away. Upon closer inspection we noticed it's right wing looks severely injured. It has a large round spot about the size of a 50 cent piece, that is bloody looking and missing feathers. It seems that the wing may be broken, the wing drags a little, but I am not sure because the bird has flapped it's wings a few times to try and fly. Anyway, the beak had some feathers stuck to it with what seemed to be dried blood, and the bird also has a puffy looking spot above one eye, and missing feathers on the back of it's neck.
The bird was trying to eat out of a bowl of cat food we have on our porch, but it couldn't seem to pick up the kernels of food. I brought it some bread crumbs, but it seemed to have to same problem. I am not sure but I think the bottom half of it's beak may be broken. It isnt detached, but it looks crooked like it may be cracked. We pulled off the feathers that were stuck to the beak, because we thought they may have been what was preventing the bIrd from eating, but it didn't seem to make a difference. It sill couldn't eat the bread or cat food, though it tried for a while. 
My husband and I took the pigeon inside of our garage and I made up some blended fruit and veggies (about the consistency of baby food) and my husband tried to give it to the bird in a syringe, but it didn't seem to want to eat it. We left the food in a small bowl, a long with a small bowl of water. The bird hasn't shown much interest in either. We left the bird in our garage with a box of some towels, and the food and water, but every time i check on it, it is just standing out there with its head resting on the ground. 
I feel so bad for the poor little dear, it's just breaking my heart. I am sorry for the long post, but i just wanted to be a descriptive as possible. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated! Please tell me what I can do.


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## Msfreebird (Sep 23, 2007)

Thank you for caring for this little one. 
Sounds like he was attacked by something. Where are you located in case we have a member near you? First off, can you bring him inside and secure him in a cage or pet carrier? He should be put on a heating pad (set on LOW) with a towel over it. He needs direct heat. Also, a small, deep (2-3") bowl of tepid water (room temp) with a dash of salt and sugar in it (rehydrating solution). Pigeons use their beak like a straw and suck water.
He will need antibiotics asap. Infection from predator attacks set in quickly. Do you have any antibiotics (amoxicillian, augmentin) available? Do you have a 'pigeon friendly vet'? If not, post your location so we can see if we can find you one, or a rehabber.


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## Buttercupbrickley (Apr 3, 2012)

Msfreebird said:


> Thank you for caring for this little one.
> Sounds like he was attacked by something. Where are you located in case we have a member near you? First off, can you bring him inside and secure him in a cage or pet carrier? He should be put on a heating pad (set on LOW) with a towel over it. He needs direct heat. Also, a small, deep (2-3") bowl of tepid water (room temp) with a dash of salt and sugar in it (rehydrating solution). Pigeons use their beak like a straw and suck water.
> He will need antibiotics asap. Infection from predator attacks set in quickly. Do you have any antibiotics (amoxicillian, augmentin) available? Do you have a 'pigeon friendly vet'? If not, post your location so we can see if we can find you one, or a rehabber.


I live in Southern California, in the high desert. I have 3 small (and very curious) dogs, so I am afraid to bring him inside the house. He is still in my garage. I gave him a warmed up sock filled with rice, and he has a bowl of water (I will add some sugar to it) and food. When I checked on him this morning he seemed to be a bit more alert. I tried giving him some very small round dog kibbles, and he actually did eat about 5 of them. He still seems to be having difficulty eating though. I do not have any antibiotics, but would it help if I put some bactine on his wounds? (i read in another thread not to use anything greasy like neosporin) 
I also took some pictures of him and his wounds this morning. If anyone would like me to post them, please let me know and I will do so. Any information on a rehabber would be wonderful.


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## Buttercupbrickley (Apr 3, 2012)

Here are some photos of the bird and his injuries-


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

If he was predator attacked, and it looks like he was, he really does need antibiotics. He can die from an infection very easily. Do you have a vet that you could get these from, or maybe a family member with some left over antibiotics? With treatment, he can go downhill very quickly.
Do you have any bird seed? Or maybe frozen peas, which you can defrost under warm running water, and give them to him. He may be able to pick them up on his own. His wounds should be washed with a steril saline solution. You can make your own saline by adding one heaping teaspoon of salt to 1 liter of boiled water. Then cover them with an antibiotic cream, like neosporin.


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## Buttercupbrickley (Apr 3, 2012)

I may be able to get some antibiotics from a family member, once I do how do I administer them? I have spent some time feeding him and I am pretty sure the bottom half of his beak is broken. He cant pick up food on his own, I have been picking small pieces up with tweezers and handing them to him one at a time. When he tries to peck at the ground to pick up food it seems to cause him pain. Also, I have not seen him lay down at all. He just stands up with his head dipped low resting it on the ground (or the towel pillow I made him) 
What should I do?


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## Bella_F (Nov 29, 2008)

He's got a very good chance of making it if you get him some antibiotics and food. 


He might not be eating because he doesn't recognise dog kibble as food (its not normal food for pigeons, as they eat seed). The dry kibble pieces look a bit too large as well.

I would soak those dog kibble pieces, and once they are fully rehydrated in a hour or so, try feeding by hand if you feel comfortable. Ten pieces to begin with, you might have to break them in half. You can also offer grain bread until you manage to go shopping for proper food for him like parrot seed, sunflower kernels or the frozen peas and corn Jay3 mentioned, if you intend to hand feed.


For administering antibiotics, you'll need a small 1ml (1cc) syringe. The first time I needed one in an emergency, I went to a drug store and asked. They didn't have one, but they were able to sell me a bottle of child's paracetomol, which had a 1ml syringe in the box. Nilstat also has a 1ml syringe in the box...so you could try something like that to get the syringe.

To mix up antibiotics, one pill needs to be crushed into a powder (or if its a capsule, then open it and put the powder in a cup) . You will add a quantity of maple syrup, honey, or water to this. The quantity will depend on the type of antibiotic you get....usually 1-5ml of syrup for one tablet. Then you mix it all up. With a mixture like this, you will be giving only 1-3 drops of the mixture, with the 1cc syringe. You will put the drop way back into the pigeons' throat, slightly aimed to the back right. Keep his head vertical, and open his beak by gently lifting his upper mandible.

When I've been desperate, I've made an emergency visit to a human doctor to get human antibiotics for a bird. If you can do this, ask for ciprofloxacin or amoxicillin . I look up on wikipedia for human illness that require the drug I need, and say I have it just so the doctor will give it to me. Hey, its worked.

Can you do any of this for him, and are shops still open?

PS. IS there a pet store near you?


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## Buttercupbrickley (Apr 3, 2012)

Ok, update- I gave him some clear Pedialyte and he is now eating on his own. The kibbles are a little big, but he is able to swallow them. I will definitely get him some bird seed tomorrow morning. I called a local rescuer earlier, and when I described the way he was acting, with the whole putting his head on the ground thing, she told me (over the phone without even seeing him) that he has nerve damage and isn't going to make it and he must be euthanized immediately. I haven't followed her advice, because I have seen improvement in him just within the 24 hours that I have had him, and I think if he was going to die his health would be declining. Am I wrong? Does anyone know more about this behavior?


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## nycpigeonlady (Jan 22, 2012)

No, you are not wrong. You can always euthanize, but you can never go back. Be patient and give him time. With enough time and care, pigeons can make recoveries that seem miraculous, and this bird deserves a chance - thank you for giving him one. 

Until you get the birdseed, you can offer him any uncooked grains or seeds or pulses that you may have in you kitchen, like popcorn or rice or oats or lentils, peas, shelled sunflower seeds, etc. No raw beans though (except mung beans).


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## pigeon-lover0 (Apr 1, 2012)

Euthinize is an option but don't do it to early whereas he/she might still have a fighting chance. Birds can't just 'fight' off infection, so antibiothics are needed without them infection can set, if not already can lead to a painful death to the bird or moral suffering. And we all don't want that. But from what I have read so far you are doing awesome! But remember don't euthinize while he/she still has a chance. Consult with a vet get some tips from the vet if possible and us on the forum will also help you get through it. A pigeon may become your closest friend.
Lucas


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Pigeons are amazing in their healing power. Given time, he could heal. If you are planning on give him seed to eat, I would put it in a small crock or something maybe 1 1/2 inches deep, as it has to be hard for him to pick things up with that beak. 
Bella suggestion of soaking the kibble and cutting it in half was a good one. I was thinking that too. I have gotten 1 ml syringes at CVS Pharmacy. Her idea to get the meds was pretty good too actually.


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## Quazar (Jul 27, 2010)

Buttercupbrickley said:


> Ok, update- I gave him some clear Pedialyte and he is now eating on his own. The kibbles are a little big, but he is able to swallow them. I will definitely get him some bird seed tomorrow morning. I called a local rescuer earlier, and when I described the way he was acting, with the whole putting his head on the ground thing, she told me (over the phone without even seeing him) that *he has nerve damage and isn't going to make it and he must be euthanized immediately*. I haven't followed her advice, because I have seen improvement in him just within the 24 hours that I have had him, and I think if he was going to die his health would be declining. Am I wrong? Does anyone know more about this behavior?


What a load of CRAP.
many birds who have incidents with predators, or flying accidents get nerve damage. This can range from temporary paralysis to "stargazing" or even unbalance. 
Yes, some may not recover sufficiently to release, and some in the wild may die because they they starve due to not being able to eat, but most do recover after a period of time & supportive care,
My latest rescue which was hit by a car had no power or movement in his legs (even though they werent broken) took 3 days to get use back in one.
A couple more days and he was walking again without any problems.
The first concern for this one is antibiotics and to treat injuries.
If the bird is eating & drinking then there is a good chance that if bacterial infections are curtailled it will survive & recover irrespective of actual injuries.


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## Buttercupbrickley (Apr 3, 2012)

Thank you all so much for your input! It is nice to know I have access to so many helpful people. I am getting antibiotics tomorrow from my mother-in-law. I'm a little concerned about administering them, because I'm not sure if the bird will let me hold his mouth open, but I will try my best. I'll post an update tomorrow!


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

You can post what the antibiotics are, so someone on here can help you with the dosing. Do you happen to know what it is that she is giving you?


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## Miss-Sassypants (Sep 25, 2010)

Good luck! And thank you for caring for him!!


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## Bella_F (Nov 29, 2008)

Yes, please let us know what the antibiotic is so we can help you give him the right dosage.

Pigeons get a bit wobbly and sick looking when they are starving too. The sooner you can get him proper food the better. Also, are you giving water?


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## Buttercupbrickley (Apr 3, 2012)

The antibiotic I was able to get is doxycycline. I am going to clean his wounds with saline right now, and then give him the medicine. He has not eaten this morning (I got him the seed and he hasn't shown any interest in it) but he did drink more of the pedialyte. I am a little worried.


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## Bella_F (Nov 29, 2008)

May I ask , how much medicine were you planning to give it? Can you tell us how many mg of Doxycycline are in each pill, as they come in different strengths?


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## Buttercupbrickley (Apr 3, 2012)

they are 100 mg each and they are in pill form, how much should I give? I was able to get a 1 ML syringe from the Target pharmacy.


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## Buttercupbrickley (Apr 3, 2012)

http://www.pigeoncote.com/vet/formulary/formulary.html
This site says 10-50mg once a day for doxycycline. How do I know how much to give?


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## Bella_F (Nov 29, 2008)

Buttercupbrickley said:


> http://www.pigeoncote.com/vet/formulary/formulary.html
> This site says 10-50mg once a day for doxycycline. How do I know how much to give?


Thats really great.

All you have to do is crush the pill up very finely (you can do it with two spoons for example). When its crushed up, you can add 1ml of maple syrup, water, or honey to the powder. Maple syrup is best if you have it. Mix it up really well. 

To give 10mg of doxycycline, fill up the 1ml syringe one tenth of the way (0.1ml). You need to get this down his throat, however you can. If you have difficultly because of the broken beak, make sure that you at least aim for the back of the throat, slightly to side, so you don't get it in the air passage. Keep his head vertical when you do this..


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## Bella_F (Nov 29, 2008)

PS. If you have no luck with this, we can talk about putting the doxycycline in water. Its not as good a method, and it uses up way more medicine, but its possible, just so you know.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

You know what? Not to disagree, but Doxy is more for respiratory. Some sites just give the dose of 50mg. So I would be inclined to go with the larger dose, which would be 50mg. It might be easier to just cut the pill in half and put it to the back of the throat and then let her swallow. This way also, you aren't putting liquids down it's throat if you are not used to that, where you could get it in her trach.

Putting it in the drinking water is not good as you can't be sure that she would drink enough to be of any help.


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## Bella_F (Nov 29, 2008)

PS. I just wanted to add a link to dosages for common medicines used for pigeons. The correct dosage for Doxycycline is 10-50mg per kg body weight, twice daily. A sick pigeon can weigh 200-350 grams, so I think you'd be safe giving 10mg of Doxycycline, twice daily. This is on the high side.

http://www.ahc.umn.edu/rar/umnuser/formulary.html#Doxycycline

The pigeon cote link that says the dosage for doxy is 10-50mg per pigeon, whereas it should say 10-50mg per KG, not per pigeon. For some reason all the dosages given on that pigeoncote site state that the dose is per pigeon, instead of per KG.


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## Bella_F (Nov 29, 2008)

Sorry, Just saw your post jay3.

50mg of Doxy is too much for a pigeon. I don't know how much safety margin there is though.

I would be happier if the pigeon was receiving ciprofloxacin or amoxicillin, but doxycycline is better than nothing. You're right, it usually used for respiratory illness (plus strep and ecoli)


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## Buttercupbrickley (Apr 3, 2012)

So I should give him 10mg then? I will have to wait for my husband to get home to help me, because the bird doesn't let me lift his head up, and I dont have enough hands to hold him, lift his beak, and give the medicine lol. 
I did just bathe his wounds with saline solution and put neosporin (the not greasy cream) over them. I was able to get a closer look at him, and his bottom beak is definitely broken. It is cracked and slightly bend toward the left. Is this something that will heal? The few people I have talked to have told me there is no hope for a broken beak, but I trust what you guys think over anyone else I have spoken to.


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## Bella_F (Nov 29, 2008)

Buttercupbrickley said:


> So I should give him 10mg then? I will have to wait for my husband to get home to help me, because the bird doesn't let me lift his head up, and I dont have enough hands to hold him, lift his beak, and give the medicine lol.
> I did just bathe his wounds with saline solution and put neosporin (the not greasy cream) over them. I was able to get a closer look at him, and his bottom beak is definitely broken. It is cracked and slightly bend toward the left. Is this something that will heal? The few people I have talked to have told me there is no hope for a broken beak, but I trust what you guys think over anyone else I have spoken to.


The cracked part of the lower beak might grow out eventually. It depends.

I would personally give 10mg of the doxycycline twice a day. Because he's in urgent need, Jay3's suggestion about loading him up on a high first dosage of antibiotics is a good idea. But I would only give a quarter pill, not half. Alternatively, you can give 0.2ml of the mixture I described, if you're doing it via syringe.


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## Buttercupbrickley (Apr 3, 2012)

I don't know if I am worrying too much, but the bird hasn't eaten much today. I saw him eat a few small pieces of corn out of the bird seed earlier, but that is all. He has had some water and pedialyte. Should I be worrying?


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

*The following medical formulary was compiled and is recommended for use by the Association of Avian Veterinarians,*
Name: Doxycycline (Vibramycin)
Description: Doxycyline is a bacteriostatic antibiotic with a wide range of activity against gram + and gram – bacteria. Usage: Doxycyline can be used in bacterial infections susceptible to the drug. Adverse reactions: None reported as common. Dosage: 10 – 50 mg/ bird once a day. Comments: Preparations require individual bird dosing. Very effective against chlamydia. Remove calcium containing grit during use (oyster shell, health grit), as calcium will bind the drug and decrease absorption.

http://www.pigeonracingpigeon.com/menu/pigeon-medical-formulary/


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## Bella_F (Nov 29, 2008)

Jay3, It sounds like they're just quoting the pigeoncote information, which has been established as incorrect in the past on this forum. 

Its not usual to quote dosages per bird, as every bird weighs a different weight, ranging from squeaker weight right up to 1kg. It just doesn't make sense to write dosages in that form (per bird), and some of those drugs don't have the leeway for overdosaing 2 times, let alone 4 or 5.

The link I posted is from the university of Minesota.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

My heart breaks looking at the pictures of this bird. She looks to be in so much pain, and she is trying to eat because she's hungry, but probably can't because of the broken beak. She is going to starve at this rate, and hand feeding her is difficult with the beak the way it is. You're almost afraid to even touch it. She probably needs pain management also. She really needs to be evaluated by an avian vet, or at least a vet who routinely treats birds in their practice. for the right meds, and an opinion on that beak. If it breaks off, she won't be able to eat either. And she would have to be placed with someone who would be willing to hand feed a bird forever. Not that easy to find. If the beak can be fixed, then seeing a vet would be the only way to do this. If it heals in the position it looks like in the pictures, curving downward, she won't be able to pick up seed. For now, all I can think of is you hand feeding frozen peas that have been warmed up under warm running water. You would have to hold her on your lap and against your body to do this, maybe wrapped in a towel, and gently open her beak and put in a warm pea, then push it to the back of her throat and close her beak. She should then swallow it. She would need 40 or 50 of these peas about twice a day. If she isn't drinking, she will dehydrate.


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## Bella_F (Nov 29, 2008)

Also, this is a link to 100mg doxycycline tablets for pigeons, sold at Jedd's.

Note the instructions are to mix one 100mg tablet with 227 mls of water.

That makes the dose per bird around 13mg per day, based on drinking 30 mls of water per day.


http://www.jedds.com/-strse-230/BIRD-dsh-BIOTIC-100MG--dsh--30ct-fdsh-100ct/Detail.bok


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## Bella_F (Nov 29, 2008)

When I'm not sure if a bird is eating or not, I look at their droppings. If the pigeon is passing fecal matter in the droppings, and passing quite a few of them, then I assume the bird is eating. Sometimes you just don't see them eat.


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## Buttercupbrickley (Apr 3, 2012)

We gave the bird 25 mg of the doxycycline diluted down in 50mg of sugar water. We aimed it down the right side of the throat, but now the bird is coughing. Is this normal? Did we do it wrong?


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## Buttercupbrickley (Apr 3, 2012)

Jay3 said:


> My heart breaks looking at the pictures of this bird. She looks to be in so much pain, and she is trying to eat because she's hungry, but probably can't because of the broken beak. She is going to starve at this rate, and hand feeding her is difficult with the beak the way it is. You're almost afraid to even touch it. She probably needs pain management also. She really needs to be evaluated by an avian vet, or at least a vet who routinely treats birds in their practice. for the right meds, and an opinion on that beak. If it breaks off, she won't be able to eat either. And she would have to be placed with someone who would be willing to hand feed a bird forever. Not that easy to find. If the beak can be fixed, then seeing a vet would be the only way to do this. If it heals in the position it looks like in the pictures, curving downward, she won't be able to pick up seed. For now, all I can think of is you hand feeding frozen peas that have been warmed up under warm running water. You would have to hold her on your lap and against your body to do this, maybe wrapped in a towel, and gently open her beak and put in a warm pea, then push it to the back of her throat and close her beak. She should then swallow it. She would need 40 or 50 of these peas about twice a day. If she isn't drinking, she will dehydrate.


I have been feeding her (how do we know the gender of the bird?) by hand and she is also able to eat a bit on her own. She wont eat anything soft, so I don't think peas are an option. She has been drinking water also, and I have also given her Pedialyte, so dehydration is not really a concern. 

There are no vets in my area that will work on a pigeon. I have called around and everyone refers me to animal control who also said "we don't do anything with birds". Even if we were to find a vet, we don't really have the money for any expensive procedures. 
I am trying to the best of my ability to take care of this bird. You are freaking me out and making me feel like this is hopeless. Can you refer me to someone? Everyone I have talked to so far can't help me. I am out of resources.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

If you tell me what town you are in, we may be able to find one. Sorry, not trying to freak you out, just saying what I am seeing. Also, as for the peas, whether she eats soft things or not really wouldn't matter, as you would be putting them in her beak. If you put them back far enough, she has to swallow.
How much pedialyte do you give her and how often?


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Buttercupbrickley said:


> We gave the bird 25 mg of the doxycycline diluted down in 50mg of sugar water. We aimed it down the right side of the throat, but now the bird is coughing. Is this normal? Did we do it wrong?


This is why it is easier to give a pill. No, she shouldn't be coughing. The water must have gone down her trach. If this happens, it can cause a pnuemonia, or even worse, aspirate and kill her. It is very difficult for someone who isn't experienced to give fluids to a bird. And dangerous.


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## Bella_F (Nov 29, 2008)

Buttercupbrickley said:


> We gave the bird 25 mg of the doxycycline diluted down in 50mg of sugar water. We aimed it down the right side of the throat, but now the bird is coughing. Is this normal? Did we do it wrong?


Not sure I understand `50mg of water'- do you mean you tried to give 0.5ml of sugar water ? Personally, I found that to be a bit too much liquid to try getting down a bird's throat when I was inexperienced...that's why I suggested diluting down to 0.1 ml -much easier to give such a small amount. 

If you are uncomfortable with administering the doxycycline orally and think you are putting the bird in danger , please add 2 X 100mg pills to 227mls of water and leave it for the bird to drink on its own. Change it daily. That will give 26mg per day, if its drinking 30mls (you may need to measure how much she drank at the end of the day to be sure). Do you have many of these doxycycline pills? (EDIT: you can also cut the pill in quarters and give a quarter pill like Jay3 said)

Coughing is not good, but it could be a sign that she coughed up only a little bit of water, rather than of you putting the whole lot down its windpipe.

Can you tell me, how its its breathing? Can you tell me about its droppings or post a photo (to see if its eating enough)? How many droppings approx are you seeing passed?

Personally, I think its way too early to give up on the bird or know if the worst is going to happen. Birds are always off after a trauma like this, and some rescuers advise not to feed at all for at least 8 hours. 

The only other thing I can advise is offer some smaller seed as well, like budgie seed. I have a very badly wounded pigeon with me now with its eye taken out on one side, and a long, deep wound under the wing on the other side. It looked stunned and out of it for 3 days. It stood with its head down and looked like it wasn't going to eat or move. I hand fed it rehydrated dog kibble, and offered pigeon seed. it wouldn't touch the seed. Then I got the smaller seed, which it ate right away for some reason. And now its eating and passing a lot of good droppings. Its day 4 and I'm seeing some alertness and preening finally.

Like Quazar mentioned, you have to give them a bit of time before you give up.


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## Buttercupbrickley (Apr 3, 2012)

Bella_F said:


> Not sure I understand `50mg of water'- do you mean you tried to give 0.5ml of sugar water ? Personally, I found that to be a bit too much liquid to try getting down a bird's throat when I was inexperienced...that's why I suggested diluting down to 0.1 ml -much easier to give such a small amount.
> 
> If you are uncomfortable with administering the doxycycline orally and think you are putting the bird in danger , please add 2 X 100mg pills to 227mls of water and leave it for the bird to drink on its own. Change it daily. That will give 26mg per day, if its drinking 30mls (you may need to measure how much she drank at the end of the day to be sure). Do you have many of these doxycycline pills? (EDIT: you can also cut the pill in quarters and give a quarter pill like Jay3 said)
> 
> ...


Sorry, yes I did mean 0.5ml of water. I will definitely try the quarter pill method. I don't think I have enough pills to use 2 a day in the bird's water. How long should the bird be on the antibiotics? I have seven 100mg pills left.

That makes me feel better hearing about your bird. I am going out to check on her now and I will take some photos of the droppings.


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## Buttercupbrickley (Apr 3, 2012)

Here is a photo of the droppings. She has been sitting in the same spot for a couple of hours.









She has been perching on top of the warmed up rice filled sock I gave her. I just sat out there for a little while with her and her breathing sounds normal. She is no longer coughing. I offered her water and she drank a little bit. I'm just letting her rest for now. How does the stool look?


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## Bella_F (Nov 29, 2008)

That's good buttercup, she's eating. The green-brown part of the droppings is the fecal matter, and it has a little bit of form to it (which is good). The droppings aren't perfect but who knows how long she was hungry before you rescued her, or whether she was sick before the injury? The droppings should improve after few days on antibiotics & decent food.

I'm glad you feel comfortable about giving her quarter pills..that's great. You'll only need to do it once a day, for at least ten days (14 is ideal). 

However, I should reinforce that Doxycycline is not the ideal antibiotic for a wound like this. It is a broad spectrum antibiotic and *could* work just fine. But if you can, it would be a good idea to look for amoxicillin antibiotic in case there is cat saliva involved. The bacteria carried in cat saliva is known to be very toxic to birds and penicillins have a very good action against it. Though the wound looks like a collision/impact type wound doesn't it? What do you think?

Can you possibly afford to order some from Jedd's ?

http://www.jedds.com/-strse-Medicin...phoid-cln-Amoxicillin,-tablets/Categories.bok


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## Buttercupbrickley (Apr 3, 2012)

Happy update!- The bird is improving! Today we gave him a quarter of a pill and it was much easier that the liquid method. He swallowed it no problem. He is also eating and drinking on his own and moving around more, although he does still rest a lot. He seems more alert and aware now. 
I have a question about his wound, will the feathers grow back? I know sometimes when furry animals are wounded and scar the hair doesn't always grow back. Is it the same for birds?


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## Miss-Sassypants (Sep 25, 2010)

Well done!! Thank you for your efforts! You've done so well - with the good advice you've been given, thank you for wanting to save this little fella's life!

I'll be checking this thread everyday for more good news (and pictures!) hehe..


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## Bella_F (Nov 29, 2008)

That's great news, thank you for the update ! You're doing such an awesome job

I don't know if the feathers will grow back, it depends if the skin was lost. Usually they do though. But it doesn't look like an issue either way with this little one.

I don't know if I mentioned it, but one other wounded pigeon I'm looking after right now had a tear/hole down its chest as well as a tear in its crop (an internal organ!) that you could see from outside, full of seed and water, that was spilling out of its chest wound I thought it would die for sure. And yet its been only 8 days on amoxicillin, and this pigeon is bouncing off walls with health and vitality, I am just so amazed by the speed of healing. Only 8 days! Pigeons seem to have this amazing gift for healing from wounds, much more easily than from sickness.


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## Buttercupbrickley (Apr 3, 2012)

So our bird friend seems to be doing much better. He has much more energy. Our problem now is that he wants nothing to do with us. The past few days he runs from us when we try to give him his medicine, and actually yesterday we weren't able to give it to him at all. He got very upset anytime my husband tried to pick him up, so much that we were afraid of accidentally hurting him. We tried using a towel to wrap him in, but he wasn't going for that either.
We gave him 25mg of doxycycline a day for 4 days, but now I'm not sure what to do. I know you're not supposed to stop antibiotics early, but he just wont let us give him the medicine anymore.
Any suggestions?


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## nycpigeonlady (Jan 22, 2012)

That he's trying to run from you is an excellent sign - you guys have done great, but you need to continue with the medicine. I'd try getting the room as dark as possible (it's easy to do at sunrise and dusk) before catching him, because pigeons do not get around very well in the dark, so once the light is very low, they tend to stay still. Approach him very slowly and once you have him, you have to wrap him up. I know he's very badly injured and you're afraid of hurting him further, but it's actually better to wrap him up tightly so that he cannot flap while you're holding him.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

nycpigeonlady said:


> That he's trying to run from you is an excellent sign - you guys have done great, but you need to continue with the medicine. I'd try getting the room as dark as possible (it's easy to do at sunrise and dusk) before catching him, because pigeons do not get around very well in the dark, so once the light is very low, they tend to stay still. Approach him very slowly and once you have him, you have to wrap him up. I know he's very badly injured and you're afraid of hurting him further, but it's actually better to wrap him up tightly so that he cannot flap while you're holding him.


Yes, this is how you can catch him. Or when you do get him put him in a cage so that you don't have to chase him. It's very important that you do continue with the meds.


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## Quazar (Jul 27, 2010)

Buttercupbrickley said:


> So our bird friend seems to be doing much better. He has much more energy. Our problem now is that he wants nothing to do with us. The past few days he runs from us when we try to give him his medicine, and actually yesterday we weren't able to give it to him at all. He got very upset anytime my husband tried to pick him up, so much that we were afraid of accidentally hurting him. We tried using a towel to wrap him in, but he wasn't going for that either.
> We gave him 25mg of doxycycline a day for 4 days, but now I'm not sure what to do. I know you're not supposed to stop antibiotics early, but he just wont let us give him the medicine anymore.
> Any suggestions?


Glad to hear he is doing well so far 

As others have said, it would be better to keep him in a box & use a towel to wrap him before giving meds. 
If there are two of you it is much easier.
Pick the bird up gently and hold it with both hands, making sure you are holding both wings closed & also holding his legs straight back towards the tail.
(If the legs are not held back he will get purchase against the towel with his toes to wriggle out very easilly)
Once held, get your partner to drape towel over him diagonally making sure one corner drapes over his head. wrap the two side corners around & underneath him as you remove each hand, tighten up the towel & replace hand over towel, keeping the legs straight back.
When wrapped like this (burrito style) either you or your partner can hold the bird while the other turns back the corner covering the head, then gently opens the beak to give the medicine.

Although he is acting better at the moment, this is probably because a pigeon does try to hide any illness, and he now has more energy to do this although may not be completely well. Without the full course of meds any bacteria can still get a grip and take hold again.


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## Bella_F (Nov 29, 2008)

I agree with Eva, (she has a lot of experience with doing this successfully too!) 

I have to give some of my sick ones that are free in my house their meds after dark too. They are so easy to catch when they are roosting, if you have a little patience. When I've had a really sick bird with me for over two months, I tend to let them free in my kitchen for a week or so, to worm them and build up fitness before release, so I have to give meds via catching during roosting time a lot.

Please try to continue with the antibiotics. You've brought him this far, and you can do it!


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