# Pigeon string injured feet



## sadgreen (Aug 31, 2012)

Hi all,

I joined this forum as I have just found a pigeon with significantly injured feet on my balcony. I used a trap to catch him (I think its a male), to see if I could remove the strings (as thats what I made the trap for), but some of strings seem to have gone half way through his toes. He is already missing two toes (one on each foot) and the rest (most of them) seem to be still very tightly wrapped.

I tried to cut of as many of the strings as I could, but the rest were too deep. For now I have let the pigeon go as it was very frustrated throughout the process. It does seem to be running around and seemed to have a lot of energy when I had caught him so the injury might be a bit old?

This is a completely wild pigeon but it will not be a problem for me to catch him again, if required. Although its evening and they will be on their way home in about less than 2 hours.

I am currently living around toronto, canada. To be more precise, its east york.

I have been trying to chase these pigeons away from my balcony (including the injured one) except for two others that I hand feed. But I just noticed that this bird is injured.

What do you think I should do?


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Thank you for helping this needy bird.

It will be much harder to try to catch the bird again..since he knows the drill, but DO catch him.

Here is a link on string injuries and treatment:


http://www.pigeonrescue.co.uk/feet.htm

There are also some members here who have delt with string issue's and may be able to answer any questions.


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## sadgreen (Aug 31, 2012)

I have the trap setup again. He has come back twice already, so I'll just wait. I have never done anything like this before. The previous two cases of pigeons for removing strings were pretty straight forward as they did not have any injuries.

So I have a small pair of scissors (that I use for facial hair), but I've used it for the pigeons if it means saving their feet. I have cotton buds, sterile guaze and corn flour. I'll have to check for anti-bacterial cream but I doubt I have any types of pain killers.

If this means I have to take care of the bird for a few days, then I am sorry to say that it would not be possible as I have a big exam coming up on the 15th and I work full time as well.

I have a few questions. Is there any type of center nearby that can care for the bird? Also, how much would it cost to take the bird to a vet.

I dont want to sound cruel, but this is a completely wild pigeon, and there are so many of them over here, that I dont know how many will come along with the same severe problem, and I cant afford to spend money on all of them. Also the building management does not allow any pigeons to be fed over here, so I am only feeding two of them (the tame ones that I hand feed) and trying to chase the others away (and hoping the two pigeons will not be noticed by anyone and they will make less of a mess). Quite a few times I have had up to 22 pigeons sitting on my balcony railing, and I am worried of getting fined or kicked out of my apartment.


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## sadgreen (Aug 31, 2012)

Thank you SkyeKing for the article. I should probably describe the damage on the foot in detail as I am not sure of certain things.

First of all, each toe is very tightly wrapped with the strings, to the point that the toes are quite swelled (like double in thickness). In certain areas, it seems that the strings have penetrated the skin quite deep. There was a spot where the skin has actually healed (or rather partially healed, but the string was completely covered) itself on top of the string.
I think I remember seeing one of the strings penetrating the leg as well, but that would be quite bad, as the whole leg would have to be amputated (a centimeter above the foot) if it does not recover. Two of his toes (one from each foot) have already fallen off and one of them seems to be quite recent while the other seems to be a bit older (as its gotten sort of rounded at the end).
Both feet are separate (so not tied together), so it seems that the bird has tried to pull of most of the strings and has succeeded, but the left over strings have done a lot of damage.
For the string removal process, I basically turn him up side down and cover his top half with a bed sheet (trying to make sure he can still breathe). He kept on withdrawing his feet, which was causing further problems.

I am comparing all of this with my semi-tame pigeon that I had to rescue from human hair wrapped tightly all over her legs and toes. She was the reason why I made the trap as all other attempts to catch her had failed. The hair on her legs was very tight as well, but I was able to rescue her on the 4th day since she got into the mess, so I did not see any cuts. At the time, she was not able to walk at all and was simply jumping or trying to fly to the food I would give her.

The only good sign I see about this bird is that even with all the damage on his feet (and further damage awaiting), he still seems to be walking (even on the balcony railing), and defending the food site against other pigeons. He was also very aggressive when I caught him all the way until I released him.

Now my real question is: When I do catch him, should I try to take out the strings that have embedded in his feet, as it seemed like it was very painful for him when I gave a very slight pull. Also if I take out the strings, should I take them out the direction they went in (I mean the opposite of that), or should I cut them extremely short and try to pull them across his toes (so the string would move along its direction of length)? I am not sure of which method would be less damaging. I have never done any kind of operation on an animal before.

Sorry for the long post and my rant


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## sadgreen (Aug 31, 2012)

I have just caught him again. I need some fast answers please. How should I operate on his feet with the strings that are too deep?
Thanks.


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## Dima (Jan 15, 2011)

PLEASE POST A PICTURE. Sometimes it's better to leave the string. Depends on the situation.


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## Dima (Jan 15, 2011)

First of all, i would like to thank you for rescuing string feet pigeons. You are very lucky that you can do that from your balcony. Myself i go evey weekend in the parking lot feeding pigeons and trying to catch with bare hands stringfeet pigeons. I think you are doing a good job. Rescuing pigeons in need it is not illigal in Canada. I do not believe the management will say anything; only if you have a bad neighbour that would complain about pigeons you are feeding are going on his balcony. And even then he needs to prove you are feeding. lol may be the pigeons just like your balcony, you can say Besides you are not feeding them to become a pest, but you are doing this to rescue. First time i saw a beautiful white pigeon with legs and toes tied with hair, i attempt to catch him. Of course i had seeds! I wanted him so much to be caught that i called Department from animal protection from the city...and they came and i was throwing seeds; they never said i should not do that (and there were about 70-100 pigeons already gathered).
So i think i got my point across. DO NOT WORRY. YOU'RE DOING A JOB FOR COMMUNITY


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## sadgreen (Aug 31, 2012)

Well I used to feed all the pigeons in my balcony before, and I didnt care how many there were. But recently, everyone in the building has received multiple notices of not to feed any pigeons in the balcony, so it would violate my apartment contract (I'm renting). And there have been other issues in the building (like people leaving their trash in front of the elevator and people throwing rubbish from their balconies, including larger objects) so its just a matter of time before the management starts taking actions. There are signs all over the building about different types of fines, although I havent seen a fine specific to feeding pigeons. I have also heard rants from pigeons haters in the building (pretending I did not have anything to do with pigeons), so I wouldnt be surprised if someone complained against me.

I do want to find another location where I can feed them though, cause I enjoy it.

I posting some images of his feet below.


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## Dima (Jan 15, 2011)

You can feed them outside on the floor. If you do it regulary same time, same day, they will be there greeting you. Make sure is not a too far place from where you live and there are not cars running fast (pigeons do not have good reflexes with the cars ).

NO PIC. YET


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## sadgreen (Aug 31, 2012)

Sorry it took so long. I was trying to figure out how to upload the images.








Thats both feet. I'm uploading a few more.


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## sadgreen (Aug 31, 2012)

Pics of foot 1:

















I hope the images arent too big.


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## sadgreen (Aug 31, 2012)

Pics of Foot 2:


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## Quazar (Jul 27, 2010)

some of that looks quite nasty, but may actually come off relatively easilly with a craft knife or scalpel with a blade like this








You should be able to guide the point just under the string & it will cut as you bring the blade out without doing the bird much more harm.
Keep some flour handy just in case it does bleed.


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## sadgreen (Aug 31, 2012)

So the first pic is of both feet.
The second pic is of the left foot. The 3rd pic is of the missing toe of the left foot.
The 4th and 5th pics are of the right foot.

Actually looking through the camera, the situation looks much more clearer to me.
I havent seen any bleeding (or its dried and gone by now).
I believe in the 2nd picture, the left most toe is the one with the string underneath the skin (it is not very clear in the picture as its on the side).

There is one more thing I am worried about. If the wounds have dried up, then the strings would be kind of stuck to the flesh, so not sure what I should do?

Also both feet are swelled up (much more than the female pigeon I had to work with before).

Please provide me with some directions?


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## sadgreen (Aug 31, 2012)

Thank you for motivating me Dima. There are a lot of people around me that think I am crazy when it comes to animals, hehe.

Thank you for your feed back Quazar. I am afraid I dont have any knife like that around. I'll have to improvise.

This pigeon is very energetic. It will be a challenge to keep it lying on its back again.
Do you recommend that I wet the feet, so the strings get a bit loose and detach from any flesh/skin?


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## sadgreen (Aug 31, 2012)

In the last picture, you can see the string going through its right leg/ankle. I am worried that would make all the toes (the whole foot) useless.


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## Quazar (Jul 27, 2010)

If you have or can get a SHARP blade like I posted above, I think you will need someone to firmly hold the bird steady and to avoid it struggling (if you also wrap it in a towel, covering its head this will also help), then cut what ever bits you can get at, tis will relaxthe tension on the string. 
From the pics it looks like the string is nylon, once cut some bits may just pull through or out gently with tweezers, but if not it may soften both the string and the skin by applying some butter or margerine. If the string is not nylon do not use too much as any knots will stretch and tighten around points that are stuck. I would avoid water as this will probably make the string shrink tighter when you try to pull it.
It really is trial and error at the points you can get at, but any bits you can will make it easier and hopefully slacken other bits.

The toes & leg is still pink at the moment so blood is still getting to them. When the string is removed, they should start to heal.
If the string has already caused too much damage, scar tissue will form where the string has been & continue to restrict the bird.


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## sadgreen (Aug 31, 2012)

There was one string that was not coming off even after I cut the loop (last time when I tried before I released him). So butter/margarine might be exactly what I need. Thanks!

Currently I am the only one living in this apartment, so I'll have to do everything solo.


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## Dima (Jan 15, 2011)

I would wash/disinfect his feet first. Dirt, germs can go were you just removed the string.
Margereine is a good idea, but i do not know its reaction on the open cuts. So any antibiotic ointement is good.
I never used knives. it's very hard for me to use them without cuttin the bird.I use from dollar store , small longtip and thin blades scissor. I always start by cutting where i can cut and then pull slowly to the direction the sting warps. Sometimes is so stuck into the meat, that i work from the other direction where i find a loose loop to cut the string.
Qazar is right, they look pink which is good. But i see already that yellowish callous around the flesh where the strings are. I wouldn't release the bird right away. That callous will make its way/ grow with time to were the cut is and act just like a string and cut the blood supply. We'll have to find a way to moisten it too and remove it.


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## sadgreen (Aug 31, 2012)

Sorry I had to go and eat (and some other stuff) so I would actually have some energy to work on the bird and not accidently hurt him (its pretty stressful whenever I do it). Now the pigeon is sleeping. Should I wake him up and try or should I just wait till tomorrow? Actually what I am asking is if I wait until one night, would his injuries become worse? Hmm, I'm falling asleep as well, so I'll just do it first thing tomorrow morning. I'll also have more light to work with.

Also, I am not sure of what to use for a disinfectant or antibiotic ointment. The two concerns I have is if the bird will feel a lot of pain when I apply a disinfectant. And the second is that if it eats the antibacterial ointment that I would apply on its feet, wouldnt it be poisonous?

I am guessing you wouldn't want me to be applying any kind of disinfectant/antibiotic that would otherwise be used by humans? I can make a trip to some pet drug shop tomorrow if needed.
That F10 antibacterial cream mentioned in the article seems to be only available in the U.K.
Please I need names for ones I can get close to Canada.

I really want to make sure I properly do this once and I do it right!

Good night...


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## Dima (Jan 15, 2011)

I think Polysporin at the ShoppersDrug Mart is good.
Jay mentioned about the BagBalm being a good antiseptic and you must find it also at the Shoppersdrug Mart.
I would worry about the pigeon getting intoxicated. But the best is after you clean it and remove the threads and apply ointement, to wrapp his legs with like bandage (not puffy- it's going to itch the bird) or gauze tape.
Good night and good luck tomorrow.Don't be anxious. You will do good.


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

*Neem oil is best for loostening infected and imbedded string. It is soothing and well known for its healing properties, do read the link I provided.*


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## sadgreen (Aug 31, 2012)

I apologize. I did go through the article but not thoroughly enough. I'll have a proper read at it this time 

Ok so I need:
-Neem Oil for loosening the string, I'll try some local stores for this one.
-Polysporin or BagBalm for antibacterial cream at shoppers drug mart.
-What should I be using for disinfecting his feet?
-I'll use guaze for after applying the ointment, as bandage would probably be hard to remove later on.

Sorry Quazar, I still cant picture myself using a sharp knife on the bird, specially when I'll be doing this solo. But I really appreciate all the information you have provided.
I'll see if I can get even smaller scissors at the local dollar store.

Thank you Dima and Skyeking for a list of the items. It saves me a lot of time.

I'm ready to make my shopping trip. I just need to know what to use for disinfection?


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## sadgreen (Aug 31, 2012)

I meant what to use for disinfection/cleaning before starting the whole process?

I'll keep cornflour handy in case there is any minor bleeding, but I hope it doesnt happen as that will freak me out.

Dima: What is this callous (callus?) thing? Is it simply hardened skin?


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## sadgreen (Aug 31, 2012)

In the case of humans, I would use diluted dettol or alcohol for disinfection as I have both available. But I am not sure if those would be too much to use on a bird?


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