# Maybe PMV- Pigeon not eating



## niharika (Nov 4, 2009)

Hello everyone Little problem here.
Found an adult pigeon who has PMV ( twisted neck, walking in circles, puffed feathers). My pigeon is drinking water but not eating anything. neither bread nor seeds. Its been almost 36 hours and it has not eaten.
Need your help.


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

Hi Niharika,

Can you tell us where you are?

What you can do for him is defrost some peas and corn in boiling water and feed him one kernel or one pea at time, see that he gets 100 peas/kernels a day. John_D nursed three pigeons through PMV at one time using this method.

This video shows how to do it:

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


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## niharika (Nov 4, 2009)

I'm from India...
And thanks I'll just try the above and then respond.


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## niharika (Nov 4, 2009)

I've tried feeding him with corn....It is not letting me put it in his mouth.
It is shaking his head and throwing away the corn.
What should I do??


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

You have to push it gently to the back of the throat, once it has gone past the "beak" bit he will swallow.

What part of India are you in?


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## niharika (Nov 4, 2009)

Delhi.
Thank you!


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## niharika (Nov 4, 2009)

Its working. the pigeon is eating peas this way.
Will it be cured without vaccinations?


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

Vaccination won't help, but they often make a full recovery with supportive treatment...however, some will have residual neurological damage.

This is a link about PMV and how to care for a pigeon with PMV:

http://pij-n-angels.forumotion.net/pigeon-and-dove-illnesses-injuries-their-symptoms-and-treatment-f11/pigeon-paramyxovirus-pmv-t151.htm

Although their symptoms can get bad they are little fighters and want to survive.


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## plamenh (Aug 11, 2006)

Hi Niharika,
PMV usually takes 4~6 weeks. After that pigeon will recover fully or partly. In any case you cannot release him as in the time of stress, symptoms reappear. He will not survive outside. Keep him as a pet.
Feeding and water are essential for his recovery in the mean time. Vitamins, probiotics and calcium supplements will speed up recovery.


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## niharika (Nov 4, 2009)

My pij also has a wound in chest...
It bleeds sometimes wen he crashes on the floor trying to balance himself. Probably the wound was there since the start. how should i help him?


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## plamenh (Aug 11, 2006)

Clear wound with saline solution and apply antibiotic cream on it. Do not let him fly an crash on the rfloor. Keep him in the quiet place with water and seeds nearby.


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## niharika (Nov 4, 2009)

Hello everyone...
Can anybody tell me if it's ok to give my piji medicines like 'Optineuron' and 'Evion 600'.
And how will these help him?


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

niharika said:


> Hello everyone...
> Can anybody tell me if it's ok to give my piji medicines like 'Optineuron' and 'Evion 600'.
> And how will these help him?



While the vitamins in these mentioned pills may be useful in maintaining health in pigeons the tablets you mentioned are human amounts and if you give them to your bird you will certainly overdose them. The Evion 600 has 600mg of Vitamin E in it and I can find a recommendation of 40mg/KG for vitamin E, so for a 300gm bird this would be 12mg or 1/50th of an Evion 600.

For the Optineuron, it has a number of B vitamins at human dosage and I have compared it to multi B vitamins recommended for pigeons and 1/50th of an amount of a Optineuron would be safe.

Karyn


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

I've got to say it...there are many reasons/conditions and illnesses for neurological symptoms in a pigeon besides PMV and while this may indeed be PMV, it's terrible unfair not to explore the others. 
Is there a place where you can take the bird to be evaluated and have a fecal float done?

http://www.jstor.org/pss/30135015


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Is the bird drinking? Because if not, then you need to get him to drink. Don't leave a large dish of water with him because he could drown. Needs to be a smaller dish. And yes, the bird should be checked by a vet, just to be sure what is going on. At least have the poops checked.


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## niharika (Nov 4, 2009)

The bird is drinking on its own... It also tries to eat on its own but cannot.
And Charis, there is only one bird hospital in my city where I took the bird. These 2 medicines were suggested to me.
Its really sad that I wont be able to find out his disease properly. I am doing my best.


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

> Its really sad that I wont be able to find out his disease properly. I am doing my best.


Of course you are, you have been wonderful with this bird, without you it would have been dead a couple of month ago! 

You said that it tries to eat but can't. Can you let us know what happens?


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## sreeshs (Aug 16, 2009)

Are you still feeding the bird corn or have you tried wheat/brown rice/ etc. ?

Your post was dated November '09 so now its 3 months, has the bird improved its health with the medications ? Hope the wound on the chest has been cured.

Cheer up  You are doing a good job and there are lots of kind hearted people here on PigeonTalk to help you


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## niharika (Nov 4, 2009)

It tries to pick up the seeds that i feed him. But most of the times is unable to take it down his throat. Shakes his head and throws it off.


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## niharika (Nov 4, 2009)

Hello sreeshs.
I'm feeding the bird with both corn and 'bajra'. The wound on the chest has improved a lot but the bird cannot fly.
Its really nice to talk to animal lovers like myself...


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## niharika (Nov 4, 2009)

There is another thing which I'd like to ask, Is it that we can feel small vibrations ( impulses) near the head of all birds? Because i feel such impulses in my bird, and simultaneously his pupils also contracts for that short time span?? It happens for fractions of seconds after every 3-4 seconds.Is it normal?


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## John_D (Jan 24, 2002)

niharika said:


> It tries to pick up the seeds that i feed him. But most of the times is unable to take it down his throat. Shakes his head and throws it off.


This, along with the symptoms of twisted neck and walking in circles you first noted, indicates PMV.

This bird had a problem holding onto food for a while:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWC58llOBzQ



> There is another thing which I'd like to ask, Is it that we can feel small vibrations ( impulses) near the head of all birds? Because i feel such impulses in my bird, and simultaneously his pupils also contracts for that short time span?? It happens for fractions of seconds after every 3-4 seconds.Is it normal?


No, it is not normal behavior. Another symptom of PMV.

Whilst it is true that several things can cause certain neurological symptoms, the combination of symptoms you decribed is standard for PMV. In fact, I have a pigeon here in the room who, a few weeks back, was doing all that you describe. She is a lot better now, but still throws some seed - halfway across the room sometimes.

You will need to hand feed her the peas/corn - plenty of it - for a while yet. Those that I had back in 2008 gradually got better at feeding themselves, but until they had reached a reasonable weight I continued to supplement what food they were able to take themselves by the hand feeding. They managed to drink from a small deep (fairly narrow, for safety) pot of water without help, and the peas and corn had additional moisture.

One warning: I don't know what rules apply where you are, but if I had taken my current rescue to a vet, the vet could have insisted on reporting the illness to the 'authorities' and putting the bird to sleep.

John


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## sreeshs (Aug 16, 2009)

John_D said:


> One warning: I don't know what rules apply where you are, but if I had taken my current rescue to a vet, the vet could have insisted on reporting the illness to the 'authorities' and putting the bird to sleep.
> 
> John


Thats news to me, the rule doesnt apply here


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## John_D (Jan 24, 2002)

sreeshs said:


> Thats news to me, the rule doesnt apply here


That's good (for rescues). In UK, the government department known as DEFRA list PMV as a reportable illness. In practise it is used mainly where there is an outbreak in a racing pigeon loft, and they would enforce quarantine. That's one reason why fanciers have to get their birds vaccinated each year.

We know that at least some vets will decide to put down any rescued pigeon for which they diagnose the illness. It's their call.

John


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## sreeshs (Aug 16, 2009)

It may be one of the reasons why vaccination against PMV is not yet available here


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## niharika (Nov 4, 2009)

There has been a difference in the shade of my pigeon since one week or so...it has become lighter than before. Infact he is now resembling normal pigeons more. When i rescued it in the start it was dark.
I think its good news!!!!


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