# Do I need to worm/vacinate Jack????



## lwerden (May 31, 2008)

Hi Everyone,

I have hand raised "One Eye Jack" since he was approximately 3 days old.

He is unreleasable and is a house/pet pigeon.

Jack is now approx. 6 months old, has thrived. He is very healthy/happy and completely spoiled in every way. Jack lives "The Good Life".

He has never been exposed to any other birds, nor has he ever shown any signs of illness except for his initial injuries which he has recovered from that has rendered him non-releasable.

I don't want to deprive Jack from the best possible life expendency. Do I need to worm him or vacinate him for any of the common ailments???

Your advice is much appreciated.

Thanks & regards,
Louise


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

Louise, I wouldn't. Worm maybe but since he isn't involved with a flock, you don't need to vaccinate him. I understand how some of the things you read here can be very worrisome.


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## rainbows (Aug 19, 2008)

lwerden, if you have a Vet, you can have a fecal, gram stain and throat swab done and you will then be positive if you need to do anything for Jack's health.


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

rainbows said:


> lwerden, if you have a Vet, you can have a fecal, gram stain and throat swab done and you will then be positive if you need to do anything for Jack's health.


She sure could although there most likely will be canker and coccidia already in his system. If there are worms, they don't always show up in a fecal.
As long as he isn't stressed, he should be able to manage. Louise can save money but if it would give peace of mind...
Louise, it really delights me that you love your bird and take such good care of him.


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

Louise, either way is fine, I believe, for Jack since he stays in the house but it can really give you peace of mind to get the fecals/swabs done and have the vet check him out for coccidiosis, worms and canker. Our house pigeon, Vinnie, (BRAT!) does get wormed routinely when we worm everyone else, but no vaccines.

I can't remember if you have more pigeons than Jack but what we do from time to time is collect about 10 samples of poop from our two aviaries and just have them tested as a representative group and if any parasites show, we know all need to be treated anyhow.


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

Louise only has Jack, Maggie.

Often, when they have round worms, they will act itchy. For a long time I associated that behavior with external parasites. I treated and the itchy behavior continued. Finally a squirmy round worm passed in a dropping and then I knew that worms can make them very itchy. So, keep an eye out for that.


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## lwerden (May 31, 2008)

Thanks.........Charis, Maggie,Rainbows,

Jack is very precious to me. I can't bear the thought of anything happening to him. I think my reading all the sad stories, and hearing of all the different conditons and problems that so many have run into, I was just getting a little over cautionary/protective.

I had Jack to the Vet when he was a baby and he checked out just fine. I think I will just let him be for now. If I run into any problems with him in the future, I know I have a world of expertise here at my fingertips on PT.

Thanks again for all your advice.

Regards,
Louise


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## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

Hi Louise,




I do not expect 'Jack' could acquire Worms unless he were grazing on outside dirt, where Wild Birds poop...or at any rate, 'Worms' would be very unlikely for him, given his history.



Other things, living normally as 'bacground' fauna and flora in his system, he will have, just as any Bird or Pigeon does...



Phil
l v


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## santhosh_pigeons (May 29, 2002)

dont worry about his health just keep him clean and get him a mate


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

pdpbison said:


> Hi Louise,
> 
> 
> 
> ...


He could have hatched with them. My Romy did.


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## risingstarfans (Sep 13, 2008)

rainbows said:


> lwerden, if you have a Vet, you can have a fecal, gram stain and throat swab done and you will then be positive if you need to do anything for Jack's health.


Rather than getting a fedal scan from a vet, which would probably cost bery dearly and might not be useful because most veteranaranarians are not all that good at bird health problems, try Foys Pigeon Supplies. Jerry Gagne, the owner, does this for a nominal fee of about 20 dollars and has many years experince.


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

risingstarfans said:


> Rather than getting a fedal scan from a vet, which would probably cost bery dearly and might not be useful because most veteranaranarians are not all that good at bird health problems, try Foys Pigeon Supplies. Jerry Gagne, the owner, does this for a nominal fee of about 20 dollars and has many years experince.


I was told they don't do it any more. When they were, some members weren't satisfied with the results anyway.


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## lwerden (May 31, 2008)

I'm not really concerned with getting a fecal scan done as Jack shows no signs of any type of illness. He is very healthy, poops are normal and I have never noticed any signs of any type of foreign matter (worms) in the poop.

Since there is a possiblility he could have hatched with worms, would you reccomend that I worm him just in case???? If so, how do I go about doing it and is there any risk to the bird from worming. I would not want to take any unnecessary chances with my Jack.

Thanks for all the advice.

Regards,
Louise


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

Louise, I would hold off for now.


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## rainbows (Aug 19, 2008)

rainbows said:


> lwerden, if you have a Vet, you can have a fecal, gram stain and throat swab done and you will then be positive if you need to do anything for Jack's health.


Louise, for a few dollars, you can be POSITIVE. I would not subject Jack to un necessary meds to save a few dollars... your peace of mind is worth more than money and so is Jack's health.


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

rainbows said:


> Louise, for a few dollars, you can be POSITIVE. I would not subject Jack to un necessary meds to save a few dollars... your peace of mind is worth more than money and so is Jack's health.


But Jack isn't even showing any signs of illness. Active, poops look great...being himself...


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

Jack is 6 months old. Isn't showing signs of being sick. Poops look good. Isn't around any other birds. I'd keep doing whatever you've BEEN doing and don't worry about medicine and vaccines and such. IF he was sick, you would know it by now.


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## nbdyuknow (Apr 10, 2007)

Hi,

I have a single, lives-in-the-house pigeon, Sophie, that I found shivering in a box in a park in Chicago. When I brought her in, she did have some critters (mites) that a spray took care of quickly. Since then, like your beautiful Jack, she has been an "only pigeon." I, too, wondered if she needed to see the vet or have any additional medical care--especially with her (frequent) egg-laying. 

I would have to agree with the people who say that as long as Jack is happy and healthy, it is fine to hold off on taking him to the vet. If, however, it would greatly improve your piece of mind, then you should certainly bring him in for a pidgey phyiscal. Personally, with the amount of time and attention I spend on Sophie every day, I am fairly certain that I would detect anything out of the ordinary in approximately 20 seconds. 

It sounds like you and Jack are doing great together. He is a very lucky pigeon, and you are lucky to have him in your life, too. Well done!

Bill B.


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## lwerden (May 31, 2008)

Thanks Charis.........my initial instinct was to just leave Jack alone. He is completely healthy/happy and very active...........not even the slighest indication of anything going on with him other than him being his normal beligerant spoiled self.

So for the time being.............I am going to do absolutely nothing.

Thanks to all who responded.


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## rainbows (Aug 19, 2008)

Sorry if I sound like I'm off the wall. I only meant to tell you that a "well bird check-up" is often as important for a beloved pet as it is for us to be checked every year. The old ounce of prevention, etc,........


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Hi Louise, you know, if you have other pets, and get even just a few fleas, if somehow the bird ingests a flea, he could get worms. The flea is the host, and this is one way worms are spread. And I'm not suggesting that your pets have fleas. But if they go out, they can pick them up. Not uncommon.


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