# pigeon died from canker



## pigifan (Nov 2, 2005)

Yesterday at about 3 in the afternoon I found a pigeon fluffed up on the pavement. I pickep him up and when we got home I realised he had difficulty breathing making a coughing sound with each breath. There was a swelling to the side of the beak and smell coming from the mouth, so I thought canker and possibly pox.

I looked into the mouth and I saw two nodules, one on the upper beak the other down the throat (lower beak) only just visible. 

I dissolved 2 tablets one for canker (spartrix) and one for coccidiosis (appertex) and gave them to him. He was hungry and ate quite a few small seeds without regurgitating.

Sadly at about 9 pm his breathing became more laboured. He expired at about 1 am after struggling for 5 minutes.

I did a necropsy. I didn't find any more nodules other than the 3 : upper beak, lower beak, and the one outside to the side of the beak. 

The seeds had reached the crop, that is they were not blocked on their way there.

I think the lower beak nodule suffocated him as it had blocked the windpipe which I identified as being the elastic tube of very small diameter.

I have read that you shouldn't cut off the nodules (bleeding) and in this case it would have been pretty hard to remove the nodule that mattered because it was just out of reach even with tweezers.

I cut the nodules off during the necropsy and there was extremely little (if any) blood.


Would a vet (assuming you have one that treats pigeons) have removed the nodule by specialised equipment or have preferred to medicate ?

What would you have done ? Spartrix probably doesn't work that late, on their last day.


Such a sad day with this and the pelican incident


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Well, you don't know that it hadn't invaded the actual lungs, which it can do. Anyhow, when it comes to a true "Catch-22" situation, you're damned if you do and damned if you don't. If you have the right instruments, taking off a little isn't so difficult. My bird, Patches, had one around the base of the tongue that was interferring with breathing and it wasn't even attached by much--it was mostly a free-hanging donut. I took it out.

Pidgey


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

There would be little bleeding after the pigeon was dead because the heart had stopped pumping blood. 

What happens if you remove a nodule that is attached to a blood supply too early is horrible and really not worth the risk. After 1-4 days the canker becomes localised and it is possible to prod a nodule away, but still extremely dangerous as some of us have found out to the pigeon's cost.

Did you investigate lower than the crop for canker? I had one die with no canker visible at all, it was only after death that I could see it in the throat and that wouldn't have suffocated it.

Canker nodules do not form only in the throat and crop. Nodules frequently form in the proventriculus , which is found behind the wind pipe. That obstructs the stomach and causes internal bleeding. Another common place that we wouldn't see but where canker nodules can form is in the bile duct.

Another thing to remember is that the canker may not have been the primary cause of death, pigeons that are already sick are vulnerable to canker.

Cynthia


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## nabisho (Nov 18, 2004)

*We have saved a few if it's caught early*

This little fellow had a pretty bad case, so big he could no longer close his mouth and could barely breathe. Notice how scraggly the feathers under his beak look.










Here he is a week later - all clear and eating and breathing perfectly.










NAB


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## mr squeaks (Apr 14, 2005)

What a wonderful recovery, Nab!

THERE IS and CAN BE - HOPE!


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Hi pigifan,

I'm so sorry to hear about this pigeon. Hope you don't get anymore with such bad case of canker, it is so devistating and debilitating.


Hi Nab, 

Glad to hear your patient survived, what treatments and rehab care did you give this bird?


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

Thanks for the very encouraging photos, Nab. 

Like Treesa I would like to know about the treatment you gave. I usually combine Spartrix and metronidozole but my supply of metronidozole is running out.

On the subject of prodding the nodules off I was completely deterred by one of the stories that I heard when I was new to pigeon rescue. The nodules had become localised and the rescuer decided to help things along only for the nodule to drop into the trachea and kill the pigeon...I know that the same thing could well have happened if she had left it to detach on his own, but it is terrible to feel one's actions have caused a death.

On the positive side, Les found a pigeon that had canker so badly in its mouth that its beak was permanently open...at the other end his vent was also clogged with canker! That little one recovered and although he is yet unable to close his beak he is feeding himself and bullying the other pigeons in my doviary. And his poops are beautiful!

As for the original question about whether a vet could have intervened surgically, it could be done, but I don't see one of our UK vets carrying out that operation successfully...it would involve too many hazards: anaesthetic, blood loss and shock. Added to that the avian vets don't like carrying out surgery on feral pigeons because of the risk of infection to their expensive patients.

The one really knowledgeable avian vet that I have heard of, who also cares about feral pigeons, asks for the pigeon to be quarantined for at least 10 days before being admitted to the surgery.

Cynthia


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## pigifan (Nov 2, 2005)

I was tempted to intervene but I didn't know where pieces of the nodule would end up if prodded. As Cynthia mentioned they could go in the tranchea especially since the nodule was directly covering it.

The other organs were clean. Though I am not experienced and it is quite possible I missed something I paid special attention to the liver which was clean.


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