# Need Help! Possibly Poisoned Pigeons



## WannaBeBirder (Aug 21, 2012)

Hey everyone,

Hopefully someone can point me in the right direction...

Over the past few months I've had 4 pigeons who've acted strangely, panting a bit and approachable. One managed to fly a bit while obviously struggling and the others didn't fly at all.

I took one to a rehabber and one I found dead at my front door. The last two are the ones that really raised my concern though.

Yesterday I found one in my backyard and he just walked away from me slowly. I went inside to do a bit of research about pigeons not flying when approached and when I returned about 20 minutes later, he was dead 

This is when I suspected poisoning. I've been feeding them in my backyard and finally attracted a flock of around 16...my guess is that a neighbor didn't like the flock and baited them. Also, for the past couple of weeks I've hardly seen any.

Today, I found another pigeon in the backyard, breathing heavy with open beak. He couldn't even walk and tried to stretch his wings a couple times frantically. Within about 20 minutes, he was dead.

Though I don't have any pigeons in my care at the moment, I want to be prepared in the event I find another. Hopefully I can do something to help! I have a syringe and purchased some activated carbon today at the pet store. I also bought some narrow tubing (for fish tanks) so I can get liquid down the crop easier - hopefully not too much easier said than done.

Could this be something other than poisoning? I figure death is happening so fast that it can't be caused from disease. I should also mention that I didn't feel anything in the crop and just a bunch of water came out from both birds. I have a bird bath they drink from and now I'm thinking they're drinking which is causing the poison to act quicker. Possible? There's also no throwing up of corn or any odor to the birds as some have described as being indicative of avicides.

If it is poisoning, does anyone have experience using activated carbon? Do I just mush it up into a carbon paste and get as much down the crop as possible? I've read that atropine can help but I don't have access to any. I know it's the main ingredient for some eye drops but from what I understand it has to be injected?

Sorry for the long winded post. Any help would be very appreciated because I can't stand watching them die while sitting idly by doing nothing


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## RockPigeon<3er (Aug 2, 2012)

Do you have a backyard? Like not in an apartment, but like a backyard, thats YOURS? Because if so, your neighbor is a complete jerk and trespassed. (Assuming he poisoned the pigeons), if it were me, I'd confront him, and simply say, "Stay out of my yard !" and leave. 

Sorry about the guys  Its sad when they die. I can't help, I know squat about them.


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## WannaBeBirder (Aug 21, 2012)

Yes it's my backyard but they're wild pigeons that roam the neighborhood (or did before they started disappearing). I just put seed and water out for them to make their life a bit easier. I think it backfired because now they're even more hated


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## tjc1 (Aug 22, 2012)

Wow that is unbelievable anybody could be that cruel. Great question. For a dog we would put a drop of hydrogen peroxide in their mouth and make them throw up. Works really fast. Then get them to a vet to have them give a charcoal treatment. But a bird having a crop I dont know how that peroxide would work might do more damage than good.


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

*Homeopathic success in treating wildlife poisoning:

http://www.ewildagain.org/Homeopathy/poisons.htm *


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## Larry_Cologne (Jul 6, 2004)

The city of Cologne poisoned some rats several years ago at local recycling containers close to us (signs were posted to not touch any of the rats, which came out of their burrows and died aboveground). I suspected one or two pigeons may have also been poisoned with food contaminated with warfarin, which makes the animal thirsty, and the animal haemorrhages internally. With one, I injected some liquid vitamin K (a coagulant) into the breast muscle.

This link discusses the symptoms of a common rat poison, warfarin, two of which are fatigue and shortness of breath.

http://firstaid.about.com/od/poisons/qt/07_rat_poison.htm


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## WannaBeBirder (Aug 21, 2012)

Thanks for the input. As far as Vitamin K goes, what's the dosage? Can I just buy liquid Vitamin K and use that straight? Also, would it hurt the bird if it didn't have internal hemorrhaging? I can't be certain since I don't know what poison is being used.


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

Why don't you ask the neighbor?
Perhaps you can take one of the bodies to a vet for a necropsy.
The remedy would depend on the poison used.


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## Bella_F (Nov 29, 2008)

Sorry to hear that this happened

I wonder if there is a possibility that your pigeons have a disease like coccidia or salmonella, and its not poisoning? The symptoms can appear similar, and the deaths can be sudden. It will often take down many birds at the same time.

When I first saw these illnesses in my wild pigeons, I suspected poisoning as well, as one of the neighbours was a real psycho and had threatened to kill birds ...back when I was only feeding 4 song birds than came around once a day! But as it turned out, the pigeons were sick, not poisoned. I've since learned where to get medicines and how to take care of them, so when I spot the signs I can nurse them back to health.

Anyway I hope thats the case and you're not dealing with poisoning. The only way to know for sure is autopsy or vet test of the droppings, I suppose.


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## WannaBeBirder (Aug 21, 2012)

Are there any symptoms that I'd see if they were diseased? I did look in their mouths and all looked normal.


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## Bella_F (Nov 29, 2008)

I'd first look at the droppings, and feel their chest for a sharp keel bone. A pigeon with a common disease like coccidia or bacterial illness will usually be very thin and the keel bone (bone right down the front center of the chest) will feel sharp. It takes a while for a pigeon to get in such poor condition, whereas poison would theoretically kill too quickly for the bird to lose much condition.

So after you feel the chest area, look at the droppings if you can. A sick bird with a common illness like coccidia, Bacterial disease, or canker will usually have slimy green droppings that look like diarrhea. Most very sick pigeons will have one or several of these diseases and will respond well to treatment if they receive medicine soon enough.


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## Larry_Cologne (Jul 6, 2004)

*Vitamin K*

I don't want to be too specific regarding Vitamin K dosage. 

I made handwritten notes at the time, and they are files somewhere in storage. Had intermittent, once a week internet access at the time. Simply remembered Vitamin K was an antidote for internal bleeding. Also, the sign the city of Cologne -- signed by authority of the mayor _(Bürgermeister)_ posted near the site of the rat poisonings mentioned Vitamin K.

I had a 10 ml bottle of liquid Vitamin K at the time (German brand _Kanavit_) which I had for personal use, since one of the medicines _(Pulmozyme)_ I inhaled daily for my lungs could cause bleeding.

The pigeon had signs consistent with poisoning, and I injected 1 ml (with a 1-ml syringe) in the breast muscle. I thought it was a now-or-never situation. Whether it helped or not, I don't know. The pigeon didn't haemorrhage, and I released it a bit later. Don't remember too many of the details right now.

My mentioning Vitamin K was just a "heads up."


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## Dima (Jan 15, 2011)

Darren saved a while ago many poisoned pigeons:

To 1 measured cup of tepid water I am adding 

: 1 tspn of sugar
: 2 tspn of Bi Carb of Soda
: 3 Generous pinch of salt

I am administering it by glass eyedropper being very careful not to aspharate them .

I am giving this every 3 hours or so

Here's the link:
http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/f6/poisoned-pigeons-64000.html?highlight=poisoned


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