# Young dove has injured legs



## katvdm (Jan 27, 2012)

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

I was given a young laughing dove yesterday. Its legs dont work properly - she cant walk - she uses her wings to try move and her legs drag behind her. She also breathes quite fast, small breaths. Other than her legs, she has no other injuries that I can see.

She seems to be fine though, eating quite alot and drinking frequently when I offer her water. She sleeps alot but when she's awake she's very alert.

I'm not sure what to do about her legs or what could possibly be wrong with them. Unfortunately I cant afford to take her to the vet - here in South Africa the consultation fees are ridiculously high. 

Luckily she doesnt appear uncomfortable or in pain.


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## Libis (Oct 8, 2010)

Is there any way to get a picture?

Have you provided grit with a source of calcium?

Are the legs paralyzed, or did they grow sideways when she was little?

Any guess as to the age of the bird?


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## katvdm (Jan 27, 2012)

There appears to be nothing wrong with the legs other than she cant stand on them, she falls to the side but she can move them no problem.. its a bit of a mystery..

I'm not sure how old the bird is because I only got her yesterday, but I know she's a fledgling because she has all her feathers.. 

I'm going to buy some calcium. Is the calcium she needs specific for birds or will any calcium do?

Will upload a photo soon


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## Libis (Oct 8, 2010)

A product like this would be good: http://www.google.com/products/cata...a=X&ei=Mi81T7zpJ6602AW7vcieAg&ved=0CCkQ8gIwAQ

or you can buy red poultry grit and oyster shell.

This could be splayed legs. Depending on her age, someone here might be able to instruct you on how to fix them if that is the problem.


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## katvdm (Jan 27, 2012)

For some reason I cant upload the photos of the dove.. It says I need to enter a script code?!


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## Libis (Oct 8, 2010)

When you go to add the pic comment, hit "go advanced" to the lower right of the text box. Then, above the text box there is an icon of a paperclip. Click this and it will allow you to upload the picture from your computer directly to your reply.


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## katvdm (Jan 27, 2012)

Here are some photos of the little one. She tries to walk around but her legs fall behind her and she cant properly move.. And when she stops she flops on her side..


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

She may have a bacterial infection and need antibiotics. Do have or can you get baytril?


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

This is what I think the bird may have. I see it frequently in pigeons here.

http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseaseinfo/19/botulism


Botulism


Extracted From: 
A Pocket Guide to
Poultry Health
and
Disease

By Paul McMullin
© 2004

Click Here to
Order Your Copy
Introduction

A condition of chickens, turkeys, ducks and other waterfowl occurring worldwide and caused by a bacterial toxin produced by Clostridium botulinum mainly types A / C. The toxin is produced in decaying animal (usually carcases) and plant waste, and toxin-containing material (pond-mud, carcases, maggots) is consumed by the birds. Toxin may also be produced by the bacteria in the caecum. Morbidity is usually low but mortality is high. The toxin and bacterial spores are relatively stable and may survive for some time in the environment. It has also been suggested that poultry carcases lost in litter can be a cause of botulism in cattle grazing land or consuming silage where poultry litter has been spread.

Signs

Nervous signs, weakness, *progressive flaccid paralysis of legs, *wings then neck, then sudden death.
Affected broilers tend to settle with eyes closed when not disturbed.
A soiled beak, because it rests on the litter, is also quite typical.


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## katvdm (Jan 27, 2012)

Thanks for your help!

I dont have baytril but I do have Longstim.. It says on the bottle "for pigeon use only" but in the read up it says it can be used on caged birds too? Do you know if I could use it for the dove?

How would I treat the bird if she has botulism?


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## altgirl35 (Sep 5, 2008)

okay, gotta throw this in
much of the time when i get wild birds like that, it is spinal trauma or pelvic fractures
i would pay the money for an xray at the very least to rule it out
the rapid breathing is usually a sign of pain or stress in these cases
both of those injuries are extremly painful


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## katvdm (Jan 27, 2012)

Thank you for your help 

I've felt all over her body and she winced ever so slightly when I touched her spine just before where her neck begins.. Other than that she appears fine. Still breathing quite rapidly. 

I feel terrible that I cant afford to take her to the vet - I've just finished university and looking for a job, so money is very tight. The animal shelters here where I live in South Africa dont treat wild birds. 
What will happen to the bird if she doesnt see the vet?


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

I think I may see the legs hyper-extended due to a lack of control. The reference to Botulism uses the phrase "flaccid paralysis", which would mean totally relaxed (which eventually spreads to the entire system, by the way). So... the question, katvdm, is whether the legs appear back in the picture in something resembling a spasm or seizure, or are they literally just hanging limp?

Pidgey


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Okay, the Longstim is a mixture of 5% Amoxycillin and 10% Tylosin tartrate...

Hmm... you don't have a scale that you can measure individual grams with, do you?

And I'm guessing that the weight of this bird is somewhere near 100 grams?

Pidgey


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## katvdm (Jan 27, 2012)

Her legs arent completely limp, she can move them but when she does move around in her box and I try lay her back down in a comfortable position, her legs feel very tense and I have to apply pressure very, very slowly to get her legs to fold so she doesnt fall to the side. She displays no discomfort when I do this.
I think the tension might be coming from the top of her leg (thigh) possibly the joint? 

I'm really stumped, I cant find anything on the net that matches her symptoms exactly, and what confuses me even more is that she eats, and alot! In my experience, sickly or birds in pain dont touch their food.... I'm really worried about the little thing.


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## katvdm (Jan 27, 2012)

Yes, I do have a scale that measures individual grams.. The instructions for Longstim say I must measure 5ml of powder with a litre of water.. Not sure if that applies to treating sick birds or if the dosage should be higher?

And yes, she's around 100grams or so


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Well, that's not unusual for certain types of bacterial infections that can affect them neurologically. Amoxycillin isn't my first choice for an antibiotic where the brain is involved, but it's not the last choice, either. That said, we need to come up with a way to give the bird the right dose. Since you've got this stuff, are you used to dosing pigeons or doves or what? And how?

Pidgey


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Sorry, had someone in my office...

An "ml" is a milliliter, or a thousandth of a liter. It's also the same as a "cc", or "cubic centimeter". When you're talking about water, the weight of an "ml" of water is actually one gram. Anyhow, I'm thinking that you'll want to give this bird about 100 milligrams of that powder, twice daily. 100 milligrams is essentially 1/10th of a gram. So, if you can weigh out 1 gram and then make ten equal piles out of that one, you can give two piles per day.

Yes, you can mix it in water and then dole out whatever amount the solution is figured for. I'd probably try to dissolve one of those 1/10th gram piles into one or two milliliters (ml) and put that down her with a syringe, being careful not to get it down her airway.

Pidgey


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Sometimes they get kidney infections, by the way, which can cause swelling in the kidneys. Since the motor control nerves going to the legs pass somewhat through the kidneys, this can cause weakness from what are essentially pinched nerves. A medical term for weakness like that is "paresis". Fairly often, the correct description of the symptoms will help a lot with figuring out the correct treatment. Your description of this bird's symptoms makes me think more towards "ataxia", which is a loss of finer motor control to the point of movements being somewhat out of control.

Pidgey


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## katvdm (Jan 27, 2012)

Thank you very much for your help Pidgey, I really, really appreciate it!

I'll start dosing the little one immediately and let you know of her progress


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