# Can Someone take a pmv pigeon?



## avia (Mar 3, 2009)

i live in the nyc area. i have a pmv adult pigeon who i must place soon or have to euthanize. if someone can take him please let me know--he is eating on his own & basically stays in a crate. he just needs to be isolated from other birds, which i cannot do.
please email me or phone--
917 519-1451
thanks


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

Can you cross post on NYC Feral Pigeon Rescue? I will cross post on FB.

Don't take him to the Wild Bird Fund, they will PTS!

Cynthia


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## Pigeonmumbler (Jun 6, 2010)

Hello Avia,

I feel Bad about your PMV Sick Pigeon and left with maybe the only Option of Culling “Euthanize” the bird is sad, But I’m a person that totally understands the last resort you may be left with, If no one takes the bird… I’m a person that would not sell, trade or give away any SICK bird to anyone, let alone a bird with PMV… But I don’t put down Folks that “Take Care” or “Give Away” a SICK bird(s) although in spite of the fact that I would never Knowingly, Take, Buy or Trade a SICK bird for myself..!.. I know there are a lot of “Dieharts” that Rant & Rage not only on this Forum but on many Others that Totally Condone the Culling, Euthanize, Discard, Reject, Remove, Scrap, Get rid of, Cast off, ETC any sick bird for any reason… I’m Sorry to say That I will not take your bird for the reasons I stated above… But I KNOW that your Phone must be off the Hook or E-mail folder Full with all the DieHarts willing to Adopt & pay for S&H of your sick PMV Bird or maybe they just haven’t seen your message yet because they been waiting on line outside the animal shelters waiting to adopt another sick Bird??? before the animal shelter Culls, Euthanize, Discard, Reject, Remove, Scrap, Get rid of, Cast off, ETC the bird... 
Now with all that said, If the Shoe doesn’t fit…!… Because it always seems that Their Bark is always louder then their Bite and you’ll also receive Tons of Suggestions from them as well… So Avia, I truly hope something works out for you, Please let me know if and when THAT diehart takes that SICK PMV BIRD off your hands before you have to “Euthanize” it..! 

Louie


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## Lexygurl (Jun 28, 2007)

What's dmv?


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

Lexygurl said:


> What's dmv?


well they mean pmv which means Paramyxovirus... not department of motor vehicles.. sorry could not help it..lol..


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## Al & Bobby (Oct 18, 2004)

Avia, one of our bird vets says that, if a bird with PMV shows the symptoms, it's not contagious.

Al Streit


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## Al & Bobby (Oct 18, 2004)

I see from Sandy on NYCPRC that a fosterer has been found and that the still can't find a sanctuary. All they have to do is call the rehabbers who take pmv pigeons, and they'll find a sanctuary.


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## ante bozanich (Sep 19, 2006)

Thanks Cynthia for letting me know. I called Avia and was told that someone is taking the PMV pigeon already. As some of you may know, most of PMV victims do fully recover, and they only transmit the virus to other pigeons during the first six weeks of the illness. Moreover, I was told by an avian specialist (veterinarian), that it is very unlikely that a pigeon who has already developed PMV neurological symptoms, will still transmit the disease to another bird. My own experience with many PMV survivors proves that he is right. So, as an animal rights advocate, I consider euthanasia of PMV pigeons a murder. We do not kill humans with a sickness from which they have 90 + % chance of full recovery.


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## John_D (Jan 24, 2002)

Al & Bobby said:


> Avia, one of our bird vets says that, if a bird with PMV shows the symptoms, it's not contagious.
> 
> Al Streit


If a pigeon shows the symptoms of PMV, then it is only _safe_ to assume it is not contagious if it has been kept in isolation for six weeks from when the symptoms are observed. Obviously, if one does not know when the bird first evidenced symptoms, then it should be kept in isolation for six weeks anyway. Six weeks is a recognized safety margin (we keep them in for rather longer, in fact) _from the date of infection_, but it would be unusual for someone to know when a rescued pigeon became infected as opposed to displaying obvious symptoms, as the incubation period is very variable.


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

Interesting....I re-checked the Vindevogel and Duchatel booklet, it says:

_Pigeons are able to eliminate the virus in the secretions of the eye, nose and mouth from the 2nd and 3rd day after infection and in the droppings from the 4th day. Thus the pigeons are able to excrete the virus before the symptoms appear.

In the infected pigeon *the virus persists for not more than 4 weeks in the respiratory organs, 3 weeks in the intestine and 5 weeks in the brain*. After they have been ill for 6 weeks the pigeons are no longer carriers of the virus and thus can no longer transmit the infection._

The nervous symptoms are the last to appear as the virus progresses through the eyes, mouth, nose, to the gut and finally to the brain and causes nervous symptoms It won't shed the virus from the brain but I think there will be an overlap of three weeks  between the time it reaches the brain and the time it stops shedding the virus.

I think that if during this period pigeons were in close contact or shared water (which they always manage to contaminate with poop) they could become infected. But I suppose unlikley if they were in separate cages.


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## ante bozanich (Sep 19, 2006)

I want to add that I keep them isolated for about 8 weeks to be on a safe side. My personal observation, with the ones I've dealt with, has been that the disease starts as a general weakness; a lot of urine, flying difficulty; and then the first neurological signs start showing - lack of coordination etc. I think that if they survive through this first attack, which usually lasts for couple of weeks, then they will most likely make it, but the typical symptoms such as star gazing usually come after this initial stage and sometimes persist for a long time; in rare cases, if the damage is permanent, these symptoms may never fully go away.


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## Lexygurl (Jun 28, 2007)

Haha Spirit Wings. I guess that's what I get for typing on my phone.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

Lexygurl said:


> Haha Spirit Wings. I guess that's what I get for typing on my phone.


lol.. I have done that a million times.. just could not help it.. glad you have a good sense of humor..


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

> in rare cases, if the damage is permanent, these symptoms may never fully go away


We have a couple like that. 

Cynthia


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## Jaye (Mar 13, 2008)

Pigeonmumbler said:


> Hello Avia,
> 
> I feel Bad about your PMV Sick Pigeon and left with maybe the only Option of Culling “Euthanize” the bird is sad, But I’m a person that totally understands the last resort you may be left with, If no one takes the bird… I’m a person that would not sell, trade or give away any SICK bird to anyone, let alone a bird with PMV… But I don’t put down Folks that “Take Care” or “Give Away” a SICK bird(s) although in spite of the fact that I would never Knowingly, Take, Buy or Trade a SICK bird for myself..!.. I know there are a lot of “Dieharts” that Rant & Rage not only on this Forum but on many Others that Totally Condone the Culling, Euthanize, Discard, Reject, Remove, Scrap, Get rid of, Cast off, ETC any sick bird for any reason… I’m Sorry to say That I will not take your bird for the reasons I stated above… But I KNOW that your Phone must be off the Hook or E-mail folder Full with all the DieHarts willing to Adopt & pay for S&H of your sick PMV Bird or maybe they just haven’t seen your message yet because they been waiting on line outside the animal shelters waiting to adopt another sick Bird??? before the animal shelter Culls, Euthanize, Discard, Reject, Remove, Scrap, Get rid of, Cast off, ETC the bird...
> Now with all that said, If the Shoe doesn’t fit…!… Because it always seems that Their Bark is always louder then their Bite and you’ll also receive Tons of Suggestions from them as well… So Avia, I truly hope something works out for you, Please let me know if and when THAT diehart takes that SICK PMV BIRD off your hands before you have to “Euthanize” it..!
> ...


What in the world does any of this even mean ????? 

I am certainly glad the wheels are turning for getting this Pigeon on the road to recovery. Sometimes you really need to be patient, because it can take a long time for all symptoms to clear or subside....


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## PigeonQueen (Aug 13, 2006)

Hello Ante bozanich, I have a question please.

You say you isolate your pmv pigeons for about eight weeks.After that time do you then release the pigeon back in to the wild (in to a flock or where you found it)? Or should the pmv pigeon be kept in captivity for a while longer and then released? Or should the pigeon be kept in captivity as an unreleasble for the rest of its days? If you release your pmv pigeons, have you any evidence that they have survived or not?

I would appreciate any advice or conclusions drawn on your experience of managing pmv pigeons. Thank you Jayne

I would also appreciate views from anyone else on this question


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