# !Found a hurt squab, help ASAP!



## iRainy222 (Apr 23, 2011)

(please note I am a rather poor college student, so while I would love to take this fellow to the vet I really, really cannot afford it!  )
Hello! Three days ago I received a call from one of my friends, informing me that she saved a baby bird from her barn cats. She had no idea how to care for it, and since I have successfully hand raised kittens and puppies from birth, wondered if I could try rearing this little fellow. 
He has dark grey feathers, and little tufts of yellow sticking out every where. He also is bald under his wings and belly. 
I think he is about 2-3 weeks old?

When I got him he was a little bit bloody, but I didn't seen any serious wounds other than a scratch on his wing and one on his back. He had no puncture wounds that I could see, and cleaning what he did have was little trouble. 
My mother had raised various baby birds as a girl, and after talking with her I followed her recipe for a dog food, bread crumb and milk. While she had never had pigeons, this seemed like a good start to at least get some vitals in him. 
He was reluctant to eat, I was trying to syringe it down his throat. After going online and doing some fast research, I realized I was going about it all wrong. Now I feed him via a sandwich baggie, with a cut out corner where he can stick his beak into. 

He is the sweetest thing! Love cuddles, gives 'kissies' and cries for me if I'm not near. He loved to eat, and the first day was smooth sailing. 

Last night however, I went to give him his last meal of the night when I noticed he was acting very off. He was listless, and his right side of the body was acting 'lazy'. His leg wasn't able to grip my fingers, and his wing kept going slack. 
His crop also felt very hard, and I was worried about dehydration. I made his mash with a bit of extra water, and he wanted nothing to do with it. Normally he is MORE than excited to eat, I can't get his beak in the bag fast enough! 
I figured this little bout of fussiness was due to the extra water, so I warmed up a fresh and normally watered batch. He wanted nothing to do with that either. 
This little bout of anorexia had me so worried! He finally ate, 3 hours later, but he only had 1/2 of what he usually ate. 

This morning he ate, but still just a limited amount, his little crop wasn't even slightly puffed out.  
His refusal of the food made it splatter all over him, so I gave him a quick bath. It was then I realized I had missed a clump of bloody feathers. Upon further washing and probing with a q-tip I realized I had missed a serious puncture wound on his right side, on his lower back right before his tail feathers start. 
I promptly washed it as I would any other animal (I am a vet student, but we haven't broadly covered birds/reptiles/exotics yet) and it is definitely infected, it had such a horrible smell! Thankfully it is fully open and there is no abscess, and I made sure to flush it out well. 

Now he definitely had a fever, and his right leg is completely limp. He can move the thigh portion, but the whole foot is not being used. If he needs to walk somewhere, he uses his little wing as a 'cane'. 

I had some Tribrissen left over from this winter when one of my horses was hurt, so I gave him a LITTLE LITTLE amount via syringe. 
just over 4 hours later I came down to find him happily and hungrily chirrping for his food.

I made a new kind of formula, with wet dog food, cream of wheat, water and a little bit of honey. 
He GOBBLED this down.  
I mixed a bit more of the Tribrissen in with his mash, and I bathed him again and washed his puncture wound. 
Now it's just a waiting game, but I want to make sure I am doing this right!
He has a nice wicker 'nest' with two warm water bottles, and a little plushie friend. 

Do you think it will be okay to continue with Tribrissen? I was wondering about adding some penicillin or bactrim, but I don't want to over load him. He still has no use of his right leg 

Thank you for helping!


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## John_D (Jan 24, 2002)

Hi

To me, it reads like he had contracted an infection from his brush with the cat. Even cats' saliva can transmit pasteurella, which is usually fatal to a bird if untreated. 

If he continues OK then I'd think that you giving him that medication saved his life. I see that pasteurella is one of the things it is stated to be effective against.

Only thing is ensuring correct dose for such a young pigeon. Other broad-spectrum antibiotics are commonly dosed according to bodyweight, and type of animal being treated. I'm not personally familiar with it, but hopefully someone who is will also respond and know of interaction with other drugs.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

where is your location? a rehabber may be close to you. the concern is the pucture wound... tribrissen Iam not familiar with..so someone will have to direct you there..but it may have saved his life as a cat bite can bring them down pretty quick just from the bacteria.. what your feeding may be getting compacted in his crop... I would see if that can be cleared up before feeding him more..the crop should be empty before feedings.. he probably can when ready be feed defrosted peas and corn from the frozen bags.. I would stop giving him dog food and bread.. you may have to get some unsweetend apple sauce or baby apple sauce and give him that to get things moving.. and massage the crop..


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

Hi iRainy222, thanks for rescuing this little guy seems you are going in the right direction of care for this little guy, we just have to get the balance right, (as you may now know, they should not be be given milk). The Tribrissen, this is Trimethoprim/Sulfa, by the way (a very good broad spectrum antibiotic, aka Bactrim) you gave him, as mentioned, most likely saved his life, but because what you have is formulated for a horse, please do not give him any more until we get the dosing right for him, this will not be hard to do, all we need to know is the form the Tribrissen is in and the strength, a weight on him would be good as well.

Here is a link with a good amount of information on feeding and weaning:

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showpost.php?p=549961&postcount=77

Karyn


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## iRainy222 (Apr 23, 2011)

Oh my gosh, thank you all SO much for the quick replies!
I'll see if I can bring in our hamster scale from the clinic tomorrow and see how much he weighs, so I can get the dosage to the Tribrissen spot on! It's actually in a paste form, but it dissolves well into any base you put it in. 

And I'll be sure to pick up some apple sauce too, I think I could start him on the carrots and peas tonight as well.


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

iRainy222 said:


> It's actually in a paste form, but it dissolves well into any base you put it in.
> 
> And I'll be sure to pick up some apple sauce too, I think I could start him on the carrots and peas tonight as well.


Does the tube have the strength on the label? Not carrots, but corn and peas, but if you have a look at the information in the link I gave you, he will be better off if you can get him going on some Kaytee formula, it will be a complete diet/nutrition for him.

Is this what you are using?

http://horsewarehouse.com/cgi-bin/hwc08/rtl/phd.cgi?Autoincrement=000979

Karyn


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## iRainy222 (Apr 23, 2011)

Dobato said:


> Does the tube have the strength on the label? Not carrots, but corn and peas, but if you have a look at the information in the link I gave you, he will be better off if you can get him going on some Kaytee formula, it will be a complete diet/nutrition for him.
> 
> Is this what you are using?
> 
> ...


Oops! I was thinking corn, but wrote carrots! 
But yes, that is exactly what I am using.

I also got a better look at the right leg he won't use, and the little 'hock' section of it is severely red and inflamed, and the foot actually looks a bit smaller than the other. None of the immediate bones feel broken though, unless I am missing something, and he definitely has no more punctures/lesions any where else on his body. Could he be deformed? I wish I wasn't alone so I could get some images of it!


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

We can worry about photos in a little while, let's get his meds straight, as this is important with infections. About how much did you give and how long ago? Does the syringe screw/twist down, or do you push straight on the plunger?

Karyn


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## Jaye (Mar 13, 2008)

The TrimethSulpha should help the leg inflammation, also. 

That was very smart of you to start him on it...the window of opportunity was barely there any longer. Am sending my best vibes and wishes for the lil' guy.

...there are other antibiotics which may work better on bone and tissue infections such as what you are seeing in the foot/leg but as Dobato says...the critical thing in this moment is to get the right dosages of the Trib into him - so it can fight off the bacterial infection in the bloodstream....


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## iRainy222 (Apr 23, 2011)

It's a 10ml straight push syringe, pretty basic. I only gave a really little bit, not even half a ml, diluted into 4 ml of warm water. 
The second time I gave it was the same amount (maybe the size of half a popcorn kernel) into his mash. I'm still not totally comfortable syringe feeding, so I try to avoid it! This was at 5:00 Eastern time.

I'm sorry I can't be more specific! The tube is measured per 100lbs, so I have no idea what a little drop of it would equal.

**EDIT:
I just got to weigh him! My friend brought over her small scale. 
He is 10.4 oz


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

I have to run, but I can give you dosing for the Tribrissen, Each 110lb graduation on the plunger of the Tribrissen syringe you have, IE; 110, 220, 330 and so on, is equal to 3.75g of Tribrissen, or 1500mg of Trimethoprim/Sulfa.

You need to measure out one of these graduation measurements, 3.75mg of Tribrissen, and take this strip of paste and divide it into three equal parts. You can put away the other 2/3 away in some foil and keep it in the refrigerator for future use.

Take this 1/3 strip of paste, this will be 500mg of Trimethoprim/Sulfa and add it to 10mL of pancake syrup or honey, 10mL will be 2 cooking teaspoons worth, but you must use a cooking teaspoon. not a common flatware teaspoon to be accurate. Stir this together well and you will have a 5% Trimethoprim/Sulfa suspension (50mg/mL) to dose this little guy with. At 2-3 weeks old he would normally weigh about 250g and the called for dosing would be 50mg/kg BID (twice a day, every 12h). So he would need to get 12.5mg each dose, which would be 0.25cc using a 1cc syringe, if you do not have a syringe you can use an eye dropper to give 5 drops of the suspension, this will be approximately 0.25cc, but pick up a 1cc syringe to be accurate.

With the amount you have given, I would wait until 24h between the last dose you gave and starting correct dosing for him. If you can get an exact weight on him we can fine tune the dosing so it is quite correct. Please do post up some clear, close-up photos of the injured leg when you do get a chance.

Karyn


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## iRainy222 (Apr 23, 2011)

Oh my gosh, thank you so much!
Right now he is 10.4 oz, which is 291g. Would it still be okay to do the 50mg/kg BID dosage? Or should it be upped a little?

We have tons of eye dropper's, but I'll see if I can't pick up a proper 1cc syringe by tomorrow. Everything I have here in the house is large for our horses! 
I'll see if I can't get some clear images of that leg up here too.


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## iRainy222 (Apr 23, 2011)

On a side note; would it be okay to just give him plain warm water for tonight instead of feeding him? The crop is really puffy and feels like it's full of air, so I think that milk and bread from earlier is really disagreeing with him. I gave him a bit of unsweetened applesauce like suggested, until I can go out and get him formula. In the meantime, would water help to at least keep him hydrated and to clear out the crop? Is there anything else I could give?


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## lwerden (May 31, 2008)

Hi Rainy.....Thank you for all that you are doing for this little one.

You can give him a few cc's of the applesauce. This will help neutralize the PH level in his crop. Also if you give him some warm water gently massage the crop after feeding. This will help in getting his digestive system working. Make sure to keep him warm. A heating pad, set on low, placed under a towell works great.


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## iRainy222 (Apr 23, 2011)

Thank you so much! I gave him 3ccs of apple, and 5 1/2 cc of warm water.  He is full and very sleepy now!
I'll get the pictures of his leg up in the morning, but again, thank you to everyone! You have been so kind and so prompt about answering my questions and helping, it's nice to know people care about these little buggers so much!


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## Jaye (Mar 13, 2008)

10.4 ounces ? He's a BIG boy. Just keep an eye on the crop, make sure it empties during the night. We don't wanna see crop stasis at this point. Do check on him during the night of you can. If there are any signs of distress, come back here for help.

Also...if you feel he is over 2 weeks old, you can feed defrosted peas and corn as well. He doesn't really have to be on formula anymore.

If you cannot find a 1cc syringe...then perhaps you can do a measurement of the eyedropper volume using one of your bigger measuring devices (i.e. - how many full eyedroppers does it take to get to 5ml/10ml/whatever).


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

iRainy222 said:


> Oh my gosh, thank you so much!
> Right now he is 10.4 oz, which is 291g. Would it still be okay to do the 50mg/kg BID dosage? Or should it be upped a little?
> 
> We have tons of eye dropper's, but I'll see if I can't pick up a proper 1cc syringe by tomorrow. Everything I have here in the house is large for our horses!
> I'll see if I can't get some clear images of that leg up here too.


Yes, you will up it a touch, by 1 drop to 0.30cc, or 6 drops, every 12h. After you take the photos of the leg, you can apply a light coating of Neosporin to any open wounds for now.

Karyn


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## iRainy222 (Apr 23, 2011)

So we just woke up, and his crop is empty and he is very bright, hungry, and alert! I also found a 1cc syringe in our first aide kit last night, so he'll start his med's at about 6pm. I gave him the last dose yesterday around 5, so he'll have over 24 hours before we put him on the properly measured amount. 
I don't have any frozen peas or corn yet, so he'll have to do with a little bit of applesauce and the formula I made just one last time.  
I'll see if he isn't sleepy enough to let me get some pictures of his leg after feeding!


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

For feeding here are two links that show essentially the same thing, a person feeding food to a pigeon by hand. In the first link below it will be piece by piece:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uU1SO0ZJoow

In this link it shows the feeding of a seed mixture to a squab a bit younger that the one you have. The seeds are presoaked, meaning you will place the mixed seeds into very warm water for 1/2 hour before feeding, this will help make it easier for him to digest the seeds and also hydrate them, as they would be if the parent was feeding him. You can use wild bird seed mix, just make sure it has no large seeds/corn/peas/peanuts/sunflower seeds in the shell. The video shows well about the right size of the seeds in the mixture could be. Also, if not wild bird seed is around, you can use a budgie seed mix, the seeds will be smaller, but will do fine, they would be soaked the same of course.

Pay attention to how full the crop is in the video, you want your little guy's crop to fill up like this (the crop id a food storage "bag" at the base of the neck area). At the end of the video the person gives the baby some water from his mouth, people around the world do this, but we don't recommend it as a human's mouth has different bacteria that best not be given to a pigeon. You little guy may be old enough to drink on his own, if you dip his beak into a small dish of tepid (slightly warm) water. If not you can dribble water to the side of his beak, but tilt his head slightly down, you have to get 5-7mL of water into him at each feeding to help digest the seeds and to keep him hydrated. If you can't get him drinking on his own keep trying wherever it is time for water for his, do this first, before dribbling. In a week or so he should be ready to start to peck and eat his own food, and by then he should be drinking on his own. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5H5duyufNk&NR=1

I will post instruction on how to wean him later, here is a link with a few more words on getting them to drink:

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showpost.php?p=522565&postcount=11

Good luck with him and if you have any questions, just ask.

Karyn


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## Msfreebird (Sep 23, 2007)

iRainy222 said:


> So we just woke up, and his crop is empty and he is very bright, hungry, and alert! I also found a 1cc syringe in our first aide kit last night, so he'll start his med's at about 6pm. I gave him the last dose yesterday around 5, so he'll have over 24 hours before we put him on the properly measured amount.
> I don't have any frozen peas or corn yet, so he'll have to do with a little bit of applesauce and the formula I made just one last time.
> I'll see if he isn't sleepy enough to let me get some pictures of his leg after feeding!


Hi iRainy and welcome to PT. Just following this thread.....your in great hands!
Can't wait to see pictures of the little one 
And thank you for caring!


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## iRainy222 (Apr 23, 2011)

Here he is from last night! This was our third day having him.


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## Jaye (Mar 13, 2008)

I am gonna tell you, Rainy...each time I came back to this thread I kept bracing myself for bad news.

Your pal is a little fighter, there. How he/she managed to survive is really impressive. Kudos to you for taking the big decision to start her/him on the antibiotic....because had you waited another half-day, it would have been too late.

Even with that...after 3 days....it was hecka late to start antibiotic on a cat-attacked baby. They usually need the meds w/i the first 2-2.5 days or the infection will have engulfed them beyond a point of return.....

Keep it up....your buddy has a very strong will to live and you have been doing a phenomenal job !


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## iRainy222 (Apr 23, 2011)

Hmm, I can't get the other images to work!
And thank you Jaye, he definitely seems to want to live! His will is very very strong


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## Jaye (Mar 13, 2008)

He's young...maybe 2 weeks old or so. Cute !

Actually, I might not quite go with veggie-popping yet. I'd stick to a wet formula for a few more days, I think. Can you get baby bird formula ? If not, it can be made from scratch.

Do you think your friend's scale was accurate ? Because I have seen adult Ferals weighing in at about 300-325g. From the looks of the photo, I cannot imagine this baby weighs close to that.


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## Ede-bird (Jul 7, 2010)

Just want to say WELL DONE!!! To everyone who gathered in to help Rainy and the squeaker - you are the best. Rainy you are going to be an awesome Vet, because you care about ALL creatures, and your instincts for treatment are sound


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

iRainy222 said:


> Hmm, I can't get the other images to work!
> And thank you Jaye, he definitely seems to want to live! His will is very very strong


Any uploaded images to this site must be below 100kb in size, that may be your problem. You can use Microsoft Paint, a free program that comes with Windows, to resize. Open Paint > Open image> On Menu Bar Go to Image> In Image Drop Down Select, Resize/Skew> Horizontal and Vertical will be at 100%, change to 50% and do save as. Try uploading image to PT, if you find the image a little small, you can delete the image, then go back, open the original Image and instead of 50%, try 75%, and do save as again, upload Image to PT.

Karyn


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## iRainy222 (Apr 23, 2011)

Alrighty! I have my camera charging so I can get some better ones, but for now I'll just see if I can give you the photobucket URL links to them. Again, these were taken rather quickly on my phone camera, so the quality is rather poor. 

http://s115.photobucket.com/albums/n316/mitsukaieimin/?action=view&current=1303610517843.jpg
His poor joint is SO inflamed! The flash made how red it is hard to see, but it's extremely red, swollen and hot. There are no lacerations or punctures. 

http://s115.photobucket.com/albums/n316/mitsukaieimin/?action=view&current=1303610526230.jpg
Just showing again how red and swollen it is. I wish the images could be larger! I'll have to dig out my nikon camera and get some clearer ones. 

http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n316/mitsukaieimin/1303610494669.jpg
You can see how much smaller his right leg is! Poor thing can't even stand up, he either has to lay down or flop around. 

I'm really concerned about how he cannot walk. I don't want the poor baby to be permanently crippled!

And he already associates me with good things, there is no fear in him! He sees my hand and immediately begins to happily peep (he's trying to coo now too, it's so cute!) and will stroke my fingers with his beak, looking for food.


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

It may take a few days for the antibiotics to start exert their effect on the leg, so we we will give it a bit more time before making any changes or additions in terms of medication. When they are hurt like this it will take a bit of time until they are mobile, plus he is at an age where he really has not learned to get around too well on his own yet.

See if you can get this little one set up in a donut, like in the link, when they get to realize it a pretty comfortable set up, the sometimes will stay put, you can place a water and seed dish within easy beak reach in case he want to drink or try pecking at some seeds.

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showpost.php?p=467722&postcount=6

Yes, the phone camera shots are not the best, will wait for closer, more detailed shots.

Karyn


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## iRainy222 (Apr 23, 2011)

I'll make him a 'donut' right after I post this! I tried giving him warm and soaked seeds earlier, but he wanted nothing to do with it.  He also didn't want to eat his peas, but I made him eat about 20 because his crop was empty and he needed something in there with his meds. 

He was all full and sleepy after, so it was easy to get a few good shots even though I was by myself. I also took him with me to see the family for easter since we'd be gone all day, and he was so well behaved! He is the calmest little fellow, though he wasn't too keen on the little kids getting too close. 

Anyhow, these pictures are much better! Do you think it's just from the infection? I've been putting a cold wrap on it for 20 minutes every time I feed, and he seems to like it, though it hasn't done much to decrease the swelling. 
http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n316/mitsukaieimin/DSCN1390.jpg
Not the best pic, though you can see his adorable little face! 

http://s115.photobucket.com/albums/n316/mitsukaieimin/?action=view&current=DSCN1391.jpg
Probably the best image, you can see how red and swollen it is!

http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n316/mitsukaieimin/DSCN1392.jpg
Just another from a different angle. 

http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n316/mitsukaieimin/DSCN1393.jpg
You can really see how swollen and red it is here.  Poor baby!

http://s115.photobucket.com/albums/n316/mitsukaieimin/?action=view&current=DSCN1394.jpg
The color was a bit washed out from the flash, but you can just see the normal joint on the other side and how large the infected one is comparatively. 

I've also been putting a warm, water soaked paper towel on his back puncture for 20 minutes as well, to help draw out the puss. It's still very smelly, but it seems to be draining. 
Would be okay to use a bit of Epsom Salt too? We always used that on our horse's hooves when they'd abscess, but I don't know how he'd react to it. If the warm water would be enough, I don't want to hurt him by over doing it!


Thank you all again for your kind words and help! He wouldn't be alive right now if it were for you all.


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

You can try the Epsom Salt (Magnesium Sulfate) as it very well may sooth things a bit, but pigeons, and other birds, lack a certain enzyme that liquefies pus (spent leukocytes) so their pus is kind of thick and caseous looking, so does not really flow.

Photos are much better, what I am going to do is have Pidgey, who is very good at wounds/trauma (among other things) have a look at the photos for his opinion, as I want to make sure the is not an possible injury here, outside of infection concerns. So, get this little gut set up in a donut, have him on his meds, try again with the soaked seeds, you can pinch open his mouth with one hand and "pop" pinches of seeds with the other, and make sure he stays well hydrated.

Karyn


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## Jaye (Mar 13, 2008)

Rainy...just on a lark...since you have/can get meds for mammals...do you happen to have (or can you acquire) any Medacam (Meloxicam) ? That would probably help the swelling, and can be administered safely to Pigeons in small doses.....


It is either a soft-tissue injury which is swelling and possibly infected, or it is a bone break or fracture which is developing a bone infection.

I agree w/ Dobato...you need to give it a day or two to see if there's any antibiotic effect on the leg. However, if it keeps getting WORSE, then let us know ASAP, since that is cause for finding a different antibiotic, or in the least a good anti-inflammatory. Some antibiotics work well on bone infections while others work well on tissue infections while others do not do too much for either....


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## cathw (Jun 28, 2009)

what an amazing thread, sending good energy your way. you are a really special person to take care of this little bird! i hope hope hope he/she is able to get better.


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Well... that joint certainly is edematous... but I don't see a lot of yellow coloring in it (specifically the joint of the distal tibiotarsus with the proximal tarsometatarsus). That said, the tissue (immediately surrounding the joint) isn't filled with a boatload of spent leukocytes at this point (at least, not that joint--there's some yellow just up above in the skin of the leg). They don't usually swell up a lot from fractures, surprisingly. Seeing as how you're dealing with horses, maybe you could get your hands on a little DMSO (DimethylSulfoxide)? You wouldn't want to use very much, but you could certainly decrease the amount of swelling here with some of that BEARING IN MIND... that it's one heckuva' powerful solvent and can carry drugs or chemicals through skin like nothing else. That said, if you get some, tell us what kind it is and we'll probably have you very carefully take a toothpick or Q-Tip and put less than a matchhead's worth on that joint. The other thing you'd want to do is keep him in a rag or papertowel that you can throw away afterwards.

There might be concurrent things going on--where exactly is the bite and wound? (I'll try looking back up through the thread to see). And where, basically, are you?

Pidgey

Edit: After looking at it some more, I'd say there's a high probability that it's similar to a paratyphoid boil (usually caused by Salmonellae but goodness knows they get them from other things) and so I'd probably want to hit it with something like a Tetracycline, injectable Penicillin or Clindamycin. Might probably have to run from one to the other to see what gets it. A fine-needle aspirate of the joint would probably show an extremely clear fluid with just a few RBC nuclei in it. Could be concurrent with, but not caused by the run-in with the cat--might even be the reason for the run-in in the first place.


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## iRainy222 (Apr 23, 2011)

Thank you for the very detailed reply Pidgey!
I will see what I can pick up, I used the last of my DMSO last summer during competition season, and I never picked up any more.
Since the clinic I'm rotating at is an equine one, they won't prescribe anything to the pigeon since the head vet doesn't deal with birds.
However, the vet I take my dogs to has an old friend from vet school who went into birds, and gave me his number so I will phone him tomorrow morning and set up a time to take the little guy in. I'll be sure to mention the injectables!

Also, tonight was his first feeding since day two where he was very eager to eat! He was taking half squashed peas from my fingers, and would occasionally pick them up off the counter. 
His hurt leg is still very red and swollen, but he is regaining small amounts of foot control, and can gently grip things with his toes. 
His puncture wound is located on his lower back/hip area (not sure on the term for this on a pigeon!) just to the right of his spine. It is lessening in smell, although it is now more pink and puffy than yellow and crusty. 

And I should have thought to post my location!
I am in the USA, in northern Michigan. There isn't a whole lot around me, its mostly farm and horse country.


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

Rainy, since you are in farm country, as a back up, a good deal of farm supplies carry Aureomycin (Chlortetracycline) and we can add this along with the Sulfa meds this guys is currently on, as sulfas and tetracyclines work well together. It would be mixed up similar to the Tribrissen and dosed the same way. Being interested in feeding is always a good sign and the his leg has a bit more use as well, is good to hear.

http://www.livestockconcepts.com/orals/232-aureomycin-powder.html

Karyn


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Usually birds' body temperatures decrease with illness instead of going with fevers like we do. Mind you, a local problem like you've been talking about gets warm but their legs usually feel a lot colder than their actual normal temperature (~107 deg F.). We actually see a lot of sick birds that get cold and require being under a heat lamp or other source of warmth when they're very sick with systemic infections. You can sort of take their temperatures if you have a suitable thermometer--you can hold it under their wingpits for quite awhile while holding their wings down. That's about the only way to do that short of up the vent and that's a bit invasive (duh!).

Pidgey


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## iRainy222 (Apr 23, 2011)

Pidgey said:


> That's about the only way to do that short of up the vent and that's a bit invasive (duh!).
> 
> Pidgey


I definitely don't want to try that route, as long as it is avoidable!  Poor little fella needs some degree of personal space if I can give it to him. 

His body feels nice and toasty, especially his belly, but I will be looking out to make sure he stays that way! While his inflamed joint is cooling, it is considerably more hot than the normal one. 

And my house is rather dark this time of night, so getting clear pictures of the puncture wound was difficult. I'll try to post some around midday tomorrow!


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## iRainy222 (Apr 23, 2011)

Sorry for the long wait with no replies guys. 
To keep it short, my dog recently got hit by a car and didn't make it, so it's been very rough recently. 

However, I do have some good news on the pigeon! 'Meekus' is doing phenomenally well, his puncture wound still oozes a bit, but it is healing beautifully, and he is now able to fully stand on one leg and is using his other with increasing ease every day. It's still a bit swollen, but he is able to put pressure and use the joint as long as he is careful. 

He is starting to eat seeds, though he has been very reluctant to be weaned off the corn and peas. (Spoiled baby!) We also got him a cage, and while all they had around us were parakeet cages, we got him a vary wide based one so he has plenty of room to hop and flap his wings. He also LOVES getting a bath every few days! He'll sit in the pie tin and preen for as long as I let him. 

His feathers are coming in beautifully as well, I will try to post so you can all see! Around his wounds he is just getting grey fluff, but everywhere else is thick and black feathers, with just the occasional whisp of yellow baby fluff. 
He is getting 1ml of his honey/tribrissen mix, and I have been putting Epsom salt on his puncture wound and swollen leg. 
I really think he's going to pull though  He's been a great and loving source of companionship through this painful time, I'm really glad he's making a turn around.


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## Msfreebird (Sep 23, 2007)

iRainy222 said:


> Sorry for the long wait with no replies guys.
> To keep it short, my dog recently got hit by a car and didn't make it, so it's been very rough recently.
> 
> However, I do have some good news on the pigeon! 'Meekus' is doing phenomenally well, his puncture wound still oozes a bit, but it is healing beautifully, and he is now able to fully stand on one leg and is using his other with increasing ease every day. It's still a bit swollen, but he is able to put pressure and use the joint as long as he is careful.
> ...


Oh, I'm soooo sorry about your dog 
I'm glad your baby is doing better, keep us posted.


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

Rainy, I am very sorry to hear about the loss of your dog, please accept my sincerest condolences, it really must have been rough indeed, these last days.

I am glad to hear Meekus is responding to his treatment. I was hoping that he may have just needed a few days for the meds to have a chance to work and it appears this may be the case from your descriptions. Hopping, flapping wings and loving bath times, are all the right kind of signs that Meekus is on mend. Love to see the new photos when you get a chance.

Good job,

Karyn


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## Jaye (Mar 13, 2008)

I am really, really sorry to hear about your dog, also.....


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