# pigeon with Canker?



## whitetail (Apr 17, 2008)

Hi,
I have a little group of pigeons that I feed on my balcony. The other day a pigeon that left the group a few months ago came back and I think she has Canker; she is making funny noises through her nose like it's difficult for her to breath. I have been feeding her but I'm afraid that she will pass it on to the others. Whats best to do in this situation?


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## John_D (Jan 24, 2002)

Hi

First thing is to catch the pigeon. Unless you can isolate her and get her into a cage, box or other secure place to observe her, you cannot be sure what the problem is or how ro treat it.

Once she is secured, check inside her mouth. If there is any sign of yellowish substance in beak or throat cavity, then it probably is canker. Canker can also be down the throat out of sight, however. It will be advisable to give her Spartrix for, initially, a day or two anyway. That is a starting point.

It may be a respiratory problem caused by bacteria, particularly (but not exclusively) if there is any nasal discharge, watery eye or mucous in the mouth. That would require a course of antibiotics such as Baytril.

If there are no visible signs such as mentioned above, then you really need to get a sample of droppings analyzed.

Once she is secure, also, you can check the color and consistency of droppings and whether she is able to eat OK.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

If you can catch the pigeon then you can go from there.. that has to happen first, and it is not easy... unless she gets so down you can pick her up.


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## whitetail (Apr 17, 2008)

Thanks so much for getting back to me, I'll see what I can do about catching her. In any case, how easy is it for these little guys to catch stuff from each other? (they all drink from the same water bowl). I also feed my piggies really well, they look amazing, so I have thought if they catch something, their immune system will deal with; also, being feral they may already have been exposed to all kinds of stuff and have become resistant. What do you think?


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## John_D (Jan 24, 2002)

If it is canker then it can be transferred through sharing food and water. 

The canker-causing organisms (trichomonads) occur at low levels in most if not all pigeons, and are kept under control by a healthy immune system. Stress can lower immune resistance, however, allowing the organisms to overwhelm the system and cause active Trichomoniasis. Ir can happen, for instance, if the bird is already suffering from another illness.

If it is something else, such as Chlamydia infection, birds may or may not overcome it.


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## whitetail (Apr 17, 2008)

Thank you John for your response. 
I feel so bad for this pigeon but I don't want to infect the others; I have decided to not feed it any more, it breaks my heart to leave her to her own devices, but I guess you cant help everyone.
Thanks.


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## John_D (Jan 24, 2002)

I really don't think that just allowing a sick pigeon to go without help, and not feeding her, is the way to go.

A possibility is to provide a canker treatment in the drinking water for about 3 days, a 'flock treatment'. It is not as effective as dosing an individual bird, but it may help her and the others.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

I agree. You can also flock treat in the seed with Metronidazole. The birds may go to drink somewhere else, but they are eating there. Some have done it this way. 
You can coat the seed sparsely with olive oil just enough to make stick with 20% powdered Metrondidazole at 2 teaspoons per every 2lbs of seed for 5 days.
Although, you can't really be sure just what is wrong with the bird, but if it is canker, this would at least be doing something to try and help them.


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## Msfreebird (Sep 23, 2007)

The easiest way to treat the whole flock would be to get some 'Ronidazole' from a pigeon supply like Foy's. It's a powder form and you put it in the drinking water.
(Don't use in a metal water dish)


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

Im not too sure how good flock treating would be in the long run.. not everyone would get a clear dose.. feeding them a really good diet and providing fresh water goes a long way to help them keep their own immune systems up to keep this canker at bay...but Im sure it can't hurt if you want to try it once.. if done alot it may just keep them dependant on it and their own immune system would not have to work too hard...then when the med was not there for some reason ..it could cause perhaps low immune response.... most pigeon keepers do not give meds for prevention..you give meds to treat for a specific diesease, if they have it... the problem is you can't just treat a single bird if you can not catch it... treating it by treating all may not even give enough meds to even help.. but I guess it makes one feel better they did something.


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## Jaysen (Jun 21, 2010)

Please do not read what follows as anything more than an honest line of thought/questions. 

As a "pigeon person" I get the desire to save all the ferals, but are we really doing the right thing. They are a non-native species in many countries and should be considered an invasive species like a zebra muscle. 

I also get the "free birds stay free" line of thought but if one goes to the lengths to heal an invasive species is it really responsible to release it back into the non-native environment? 

Again, I keep pigeons for fun and pleasure. I enjoy watching the ferals in the park. I also enjoy watching my flock run circles around those wild birds until I think about the disease that must be running through that flock making the "wild" survival not so pleasant. Any bird that is healed will simply return to this state. 

What is the part I am missing? 

A quick thought, this might be like politics in a way. We both want the same thing, but our approach is different. Hmm...


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## Msfreebird (Sep 23, 2007)

I'm of the thinking that "I have to do 'something' ".......I wouldn't be a vet tech if I didn't think like that. But I also realize that 'I'm not God'. Sooo, I have to do 'my part', and the rest is in 'God's hands'.
I couldn't live with myself if I ignored a bird or animal in distress 
I also hate to waste....so when I deworm my loft birds, I put the leftover premixed solution in my bird baths for the wild birds.
If I couldn't catch that single sick pigeon, I would at least flock treat..........wouldn't hurt and might help.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

Msfreebird said:


> I'm of the thinking that "I have to do 'something' ".......I wouldn't be a vet tech if I didn't think like that. But I also realize that 'I'm not God'. Sooo, I have to do 'my part', and the rest is in 'God's hands'.
> I couldn't live with myself if I ignored a bird or animal in distress
> I also hate to waste....so when I deworm my loft birds, I put the leftover premixed solution in my bird baths for the wild birds.
> If I couldn't catch that single sick pigeon, I would at least flock treat..........wouldn't hurt and might help.


That is what happens when people think emotionally.. not what the out come may be if there is information it may not be a good idea in the long run.. but at least one feels better?... Im the kind to want to help also.. but from facts or looking up info first.. just to check...to see if it actually would hurt in the long run.. and might help too.. if it won't hurt.. then medicate.. but I do not medicate my own birds when not needed.. I sure would not do it to the ferals..... but it might make me feel better for the one sick one.... I guess.. but Im just thinking about me then..right?


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Msfreebird said:


> The easiest way to treat the whole flock would be to get some 'Ronidazole' from a pigeon supply like Foy's. It's a powder form and you put it in the drinking water.
> (Don't use in a metal water dish)


Waynette, the problem with medicatng in the water, is that they don't always drink where they eat. They come for the food, but often fly off without drinking, but the seed they will eat.

Not even sure if it is canker that the bird has anyway. Just seems unfair to the bird to just not feed it when it is down. If it is coming separately from the others, then meds could be added just to what is fed to that bird.


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## whitetail (Apr 17, 2008)

Hi everyone,
Thanks for all the feedback! I am feeding the sick piggie after all but separately from the others; I couldn't not feed her, it was breaking me up just the thought of it. I'm going to monitor her for the next few days and see how she goes after having some reliable food. I will also look into that medication that goes into the water, but just for her, the others are not sick and I don't want to tamper with them. Can you get these medication in any pet shop? I live in Australia and things are stricter over here.
Thanks again.


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