# OT: White-winged dove w/broken beak



## devorah (Apr 10, 2002)

Help! I found a white-winged dove with the beak broken all the up to the nostrils. I have her in a cage (just got her inside) and am letting her recover from the shock of being caught. Any ideas of what I can do for her??


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

Oh Devorah .. how awful! Is it completely broken off horizontally across the beak or split vertically up and down the length of beak? I suspect in either case it will be very difficult to try to repair.

Can you post some pics on your website and give us the link to them here?

Terry Whatley


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

Hi Devorah,

It really depends on where the beak was broken, I know that it can be a horrific injury.

This is copied from another forum, a vet replying to a question about a budgie with a broken beak.:

_Birds can survive with part of the beak missing, but sometimes require a special diet because they may not be able to crack open seeds. I know a few birds who live on a liquid diet consisting of pelleted food ground into a powder and mixed in water to create a mush. Many birds will not instinctively eat this, but must be handfed until they learn that it is food. If your bird is eating her seeds that is a good sign. 

It is hard to say whether the beak will grow back since it depends on whether it was broken deep into the growth center. If it does not grow back or comes in crooked, she may require trimming to keep parts of her beak from overgrowing. I would suggest you have this done by an experienced avian veterinarian at least the first time or two, so you can see how to do it 
safely if you choose to try it yourself. _


Cynthia


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## devorah (Apr 10, 2002)

Terry, I thought of posting a photo, but the site of her is really heartbreaking, and it just doesn't seem right.
The beak is completely broken off (top and bottom) at the nostrils. I can't believe the bird is still alive. She flew into my chicken coop to ask for help, so I have her in a cage now. I was able to feed her a little bit of liquid formula using an eyedropper. 
I've never seen anything like this, and I can't imagine how her beak got broken off and how she's still alive, God bless her.
Cynthia, thank you for the info. I can only hope for a miracle.


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

Devorah,

Not too long ago I got in a band tailed pigeon in not quite as bad shape but with most of both the upper and lower beak missing. She had maybe 1/4 inch left below the nostrils .. she could eat and drink on her on .. unbelieveable, I know, but she could. I kept her for about a week just to be sure that I wasn't hallucinating, but I wasn't, and she was frantic to be released .. so I let her go. I have seen her a couple of times since, so I know she made it for at least a little while.

I have also had ducks missing large parts of the upper, lower, or both bills (but not as much as your bird) where my vet was able to amputate the exposed part of the tongue .. they all did well for many years.

I'm not trying to give you false hope, but if you are willing and the bird is willing, the biggest problem that I have seen is what to do with the part of the tongue that is no longer covered by the beak. Given where your break is, that's a tough one as there wouldn't be much tongue, if any, left if you considered amputating the exposed portion.

Anyway, I am sitting here getting bled all over by a HBC duck and trying to stop his bleeding, so will quit for now with saying .. I would give the bird a chance and see how it goes for a day or so.

Please keep us posted.

Terry Whatley


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## devorah (Apr 10, 2002)

She's still hanging in there. I'm feeding her baby formula with a syringe, directly into her mouth. She's swallowing it and doing okay with it so far. No other bird has flown inside my chicken house before, so I'm assuming she was asking for help, and I'll do what I can ....


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

Good luck with her and please let us know how it goes.

Terry


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

Hi Devorah

She desrves to live! But I wonder how vulnerable this leaves her mouth to infection?

I think I read somewhere about a prosthetic beak being made for an eagle. I wonder if it is possible for a pigeon.

I can't get this one out of my mind.

Cynthia


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