# Need help with dying Diamond dove



## Taschafay (12 mo ago)

I need help! My Diamond dove is very ill. I have an open aviary in my house and he lives in there with his female mate, two canaries, one finch, two ringneck doves and one starling. A couple weeks ago I noticed him walking a bit off, a little wobbly. I figured he might have flown against something or that he was molting because some of his tail feathers were missing, so I separated him with his girl into their own fly cage so that he could recuperate without being picked on by anyone. But he is just getting worse. He is still eating and drinking but he can’t walk or fly, he can’t keep his balance and moves around by rolling in a crazy matter. He is actively dying and I don’t know what to do. Graphic video attached.
Update: I found him on his back with his legs in the air. I placed him upright but he keeps on going into this position. I placed him into a little box with a donut around but he keeps on flipping forward into this position. He is getting worse and at this point I don’t know what to do. He is actively dying and I just want to take him out of his misery but I don’t know how. I don’t want to break his neck or anything like that.


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

That must be horrible. Is he producing droppings? Are they healthy looking? Must be firm and have a brown colour. If he is eating, then he can't be sick. Sounds like neurological issues or maybe a lack of vitamins. Will he calm down if you put him in a dim lit area?


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

There's no video attached btw. Don't give up on him. He might recover with calcium and vitamins.


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## Taschafay (12 mo ago)

It’s not letting me attach the video. His poop is normal, and he pecks at seeds. I started to give all my birds a new vitamin supplement in their water and his condition started shortly after, so I stopped the supplement after I saw on the reviews that two other birds had died suddenly after starting this supplement. Of thousands of reviews this could have been a fluke, bit I still stopped the supplement sinice all my birds were doing fine without it. I use Avian sun for their vitamin D absorption, and grit for calcium, but their seeds and pellets are also fortified with vitamins. I am not giving up on him but his condition is bad, he can’t keep himself on his feet, its almost like his feet are stretched forward in front of his body. As soon as I set him upright he starts pecking for seeds.


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

Post a few photos plse.


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## Taschafay (12 mo ago)

Video of my dove


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

I couln't download the whole video. Will try again later. But looking at the photo, looks like he got severely pecked on the head. Ringneck doves can be very aggressive and they are much larger than a tiny diamond dove. So maybe there's a bit of brain damage involved. Damage to the kidneys can also affect walking as the nerve to the legs run through the kidneys (something like that). The vitamins could maybe caused that.

So keep him seperate in a small cage with food and water within easy reach. Hopefully he will improve over time. Keep us updated. I will try download the video again later.


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

I just watched the video. Are you sure he is eating enough? His bottom is yellow and if the droppings are yellow and green, then he is producing starvation droppings. He might be weak and that can also cause the symptoms of falling around and being unbalanced.


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## Taschafay (12 mo ago)

I am seeing him pick at seeds and it looks like he is eating them. His beak is a little long in top could that cause him to not be able to eat right? I see the seeds growing into his mouth. His poop was normal but I think now he is just rolling himself around in it.


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## Taschafay (12 mo ago)

I just pruned his beak a little. I don’t think that would hinder him from eating. He is pecking at seeds a lot. I have also noticed their grit emptying faster than usual. His legs are completely stiff now pressed to the front. But still flexible enough when I hold him, when he tries to stand he presses them forward. I went ahead and added the vitamin supplement back to their water. Non of the other birds got sick from it so it might have just been a coinicende. I think he must have been attacked by one of the ringneck doves. Although they would leave him alone, he was very territorial and would land on their backs and Harris them a little when they came too close to his tree, maybe one had enough and gave him a good peck on the back of the neck or something. He has no visible injuries but he is molting without any feather regrowth. Maybe he just is a defective little guy and has some kind of organ failure. Who knows. I am still hoping for the best. He does not have a heat lamp but it’s 75 degrees in my house. I will give him a couple of hand warmers on my lunch break. He is most compfortable in my hand being held but I can’t carry him around all day especially with having to go to work. If it goes in like this and he is suffering I want to put him out of his misery somehow, I was thinking some sort of carbon monoxide poisoning or something might be the painless way to go. No way could I break his neck or do anything else like that that could cause any pain. The vet would poke him with a huge needle which for a little guy like that is like a huge knife.


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## Taschafay (12 mo ago)

FYI, although I did not previously used vitamin drops in their water, the room has 4 avian sun fluorescent bird bulbs and their feed is fortified with vitamins.


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

Line the cage with a white cloth and check the droppings he produces. If it is green and creamy, then he is not eating. If the droppings are brown and resembling raisins, then he is indeed eating. At least give him a chance. He might have some kind of infection as well. Is there no way you can take him to an avian vet for a checkup? An inner ear infection can also cause neurological symptoms.


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## Taschafay (12 mo ago)

Marina B said:


> Line the cage with a white cloth and check the droppings he produces. If it is green and creamy, then he is not eating. If the droppings are brown and resembling raisins, then he is indeed eating. At least give him a chance. He might have some kind of infection as well. Is there no way you can take him to an avian vet for a checkup? An inner ear infection can also cause neurological symptoms.


My regular vet can't help him but I will call around. He is with his girlfriend in the same cage, should I take her out? I wanted him to have company. I don't see any abnormal droppings on the towel, only little regular dried swirls but that could be from the girl. I will carry him around in my hand tonight to see what his poop looks like.


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

You should seperate them just in case, will be easier to monitor his droppings. If he calms down in your hand, put some seeds in front of him. Might be easier to eat that way.


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## Colombina (Jan 22, 2017)

Hi, please do not think about putting him down. 

Last May my pigeon Marshall had for a week horrible seizures, they looked like epileptic fits (he had PMV in 2014, that was the first time he got his symptoms back). I had to spend a whole nigh awake keeping him into my hands... They lasted for a whole week then they stopped and, as time goes by, he came back to his normal life.
He could not stand, walk, often he pushed his stiff leg trying to get up (sometimes, with our help, he was able to get up...), he was all twisted with the head on the floor...

Try to give a look at this link:









Seizures in Birds - Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment, Recovery, Management, Cost


Seizures are upsetting to witness in your bird, involving loss of muscle control and muscle spasms such as leg twitching and wing flapping.



wagwalking.com





From what you wrote, your dove could have seizures which are sudden, uncontrolled electrical disturbances in the brain. I don't know how to explain but in some moments by touching the head it's possible to feel something like "electricity". 

The article mentions different causes like head injury (maybe the ringneck dove attacked him as you thought or maybe your bird hit his head somewhere trying to escape from him), nutritional deficiencies, diseases, etc. 

Have you found a vet? It would be really important to understand the cause of the issue. 

You could try to change your supplements. Just to get you an idea, this is a good complete vitamin supplement (vitamins, amino acids and trace elements):



https://www.versele-laga.com/en/fr/oropharma/products/oropharma-omnivit



As calcium supplement you could buy a water soluble calcium supplement like this one: 



https://www.versele-laga.com/en/vl/oropharma/products/oropharma-calcilux




or picking blocks (they are good sources of calcium. Depending on what you buy they could contain other ingredients like anise, insoluble grit, minerals, clay, etc) or cuttlebone. 
Give them regularly according to directions for use. 

In case he got a head trauma, here are two links with useful info:






CONCUSSIONS AND HEAD INJURY - Pines Meadow Veterinary Clinic


Injury to the head (head trauma) can be very dangerous–even result in death of your pet. A blow to the head can cause swelling of the brain tissues, and also internal bleeding from ruptured blood vessels as a result of the injury. Since the brain lies inside the bony skull, any bleeding or...




pinesvet.com







Concussion – Pigeon And Dove Rescue UK



Birds suffering from head trauma should be kept in the dim light (because they are very photo-sensitive), in a quiet and cool place (it's very important to not keeping birds suffering from a concussion on a hot waterbottle or a heatpad because warmth could make the situation worse. The suggested temperature should be around 21 degrees Celsius /70 degrees Fahrenheit). 

When Marshall had his seizures I bought him a small soft dog's bed (chihuahua size) and I put it into his home. You could buy one too and put it into the cage. This way he will feel more comfortable. I covered it with a puppy pad trainer. I attach a pic so you can get an idea of it.

To answer your question about his wife: as Marshall was not contagious I allowed his wife Apple to spend day-time with him. I brought her back to her room only at night because I feared that inadvertently she could harm him. She supported him a lot and I'm sure she helped him to recover in a fast way. It depends on what is wrong with your bird.. 

I have a question: have you recently given him any antibiotic? If yes, what? 

Please keep us updated and don't give up.


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## Taschafay (12 mo ago)

Thanks for all that info. He is getting worse, his head is almost turned all the way around sometimes. I don't think he is eating anymore, I will give him a warm bath later and take a close look at his vent and try to feed him baby bird formula. I will of course not give up, but it is horrible seeing him like this. We can't take him to the vet, the closest avian vet is over 30 miles away. I am just hoping for the best. I made him a little donut nest out of a towel but he keeps on ending up somewhere else in his cage. He has not been on any antibiotics lately, only thing that happened is that he was pecked by the bigger dove, but the only way that could have happened is if he was feeling ill already. And he was fine after, got steadily worse. I hope he gets better.


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## Colombina (Jan 22, 2017)

I understand, I was very scared too, especially at the beginning. The first night (the one I had to spend awake) I was sure I would have lost him. 

Marshall did not eat on his own, we had to hand feed him (of course, it was very complicated... We waited for the "best moment" and we found a way to help his head to stand straight). We also had to supervise him when he was drinking because he was at risk of drowning. Horrible experience. He was stiff, all twisted, with the head on the floor and had convulsions.

If it's really a head trauma the damage could be temporary, not necessarily permanent. Recovery could take even a long time.

Ringneck doves are lovely but could be very aggressive towards each other and other birds. I know that based on my own experience. He could have pecked at him even if he was healthy.

Keep us updated. I really hope for the best. Be strong.


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## Taschafay (12 mo ago)

I washed him a little and examined his vent and just as I did this he pooped creamy light brown, so his vent is not clogged. He straight out had a couple of seizures like I have not seen him do before with his head all twisted and his wings flapping, it sucked poor guy. I tried to feed him baby bird formula and he ate a teeny amount but not much, I could not get his beak open but I got some in there from the side I think. I still see him picking at seeds, and he drinks water when I hold his head over it. I will not put him down, since I don’t know what is going on with him and he might improve like you said. I will just wait and see and try to keep him compfortable. He was cold after I washed his bum so I sat him on some hand warm packs and covered him lightly with a blanket also to support him, if he gets too hot on the hand warmers he will move. He has done so before.


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## FITANDCHIC (Nov 20, 2020)

Taschafay said:


> I need help! My Diamond dove is very ill. I have an open aviary in my house and he lives in there with his female mate, two canaries, one finch, two ringneck doves and one starling. A couple weeks ago I noticed him walking a bit off, a little wobbly. I figured he might have flown against something or that he was molting because some of his tail feathers were missing, so I separated him with his girl into their own fly cage so that he could recuperate without being picked on by anyone. But he is just getting worse. He is still eating and drinking but he can’t walk or fly, he can’t keep his balance and moves around by rolling in a crazy matter. He is actively dying and I don’t know what to do. Graphic video attached.
> Update: I found him on his back with his legs in the air. I placed him upright but he keeps on going into this position. I placed him into a little box with a donut around but he keeps on flipping forward into this position. He is getting worse and at this point I don’t know what to do. He is actively dying and I just want to take him out of his misery but I don’t know how. I don’t want to break his neck or anything like that.


SOUNDS LIKE ATAXIA. YOU MUST HURRY AND GET ANTIBIOTICS OR BIRD WILL DIE. H U R R Y AND STOP WASTING TIME W THIS. SEE ATAXIA INFO.


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## FITANDCHIC (Nov 20, 2020)

Taschafay said:


> I washed him a little and examined his vent and just as I did this he pooped creamy light brown, so his vent is not clogged. He straight out had a couple of seizures like I have not seen him do before with his head all twisted and his wings flapping, it sucked poor guy. I tried to feed him baby bird formula and he ate a teeny amount but not much, I could not get his beak open but I got some in there from the side I think. I still see him picking at seeds, and he drinks water when I hold his head over it. I will not put him down, since I don’t know what is going on with him and he might improve like you said. I will just wait and see and try to keep him compfortable. He was cold after I washed his bum so I sat him on some hand warm packs and covered him lightly with a blanket also to support him, if he gets too hot on the hand warmers he will move. He has done so before.


Yeah you know, this is not acceptable-you have birds and must research and be informed. Bird is sick so be responsible and get help ASAP.


Taschafay said:


> I need help! My Diamond dove is very ill. I have an open aviary in my house and he lives in there with his female mate, two canaries, one finch, two ringneck doves and one starling. A couple weeks ago I noticed him walking a bit off, a little wobbly. I figured he might have flown against something or that he was molting because some of his tail feathers were missing, so I separated him with his girl into their own fly cage so that he could recuperate without being picked on by anyone. But he is just getting worse. He is still eating and drinking but he can’t walk or fly, he can’t keep his balance and moves around by rolling in a crazy matter. He is actively dying and I don’t know what to do. Graphic video attached.
> Update: I found him on his back with his legs in the air. I placed him upright but he keeps on going into this position. I placed him into a little box with a donut around but he keeps on flipping forward into this position. He is getting worse and at this point I don’t know what to do. He is actively dying and I just want to take him out of his misery but I don’t know how. I don’t want to break his neck or anything like that.


Be responsible and stop it here. You own these birds so get informed, do research and get off of here. Get the bird antibiotics ASAP. ATAXIA bird gets this with result of other illness too you need antibiotics quit dragging your feet on this and get bird the meds. H U R R Y U P.


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## FITANDCHIC (Nov 20, 2020)

And stop talking too much on here to people advising. JUST GET THE HELP.


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## Colombina (Jan 22, 2017)

How is he doing today?

It's a good thing that he is still pecking at seeds. If he is able to swallow something while he is pecking at them, you could only integrate his meals (this way you won't stress him too much). Check the baby bird formula ingredients, if it doesn't contain a wide range of vitamins and minerals (calcium, etc) you could prepare it with water enriched with vitamins and calcium.

Try to give a look at this link:






Recommended Vets in the United States


DISCLAIMER: These listings were compiled as a general resource, but we recommend that you research the vets and call the offices with questions before




www.beautyofbirds.com





There is a list of recommended avian vets, maybe you can find one in your location (hopefully one with a lab who could do tests...).

In all honesty I can't suggest you to give him antibiotics because we don't know what is wrong with him. Seizures could have many different causes. Antibiotics work only in case of bacterial infection. If it's not something bacterial antibiotics could be more harmful than useful (they kill good bacterial flora; risk of antibiotic resistance; etc). That's just my own opinion, of course.

Have you tried to gently touch his head? Have you felt something like an electrical activity?

Regarding head trauma (in case it's that) I forgot to say that in humans seizures could happen even weeks (or longer) after a brain injury. Not necessarily in the first days after it (you said that he felt OK after the attack of the ringneck dove). It could maybe be the same even in animals.

Keep us updated.


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