# Pigeon with part of toe swollen



## Ferallife (Apr 26, 2020)

This is the pigeon I captured with two swollen feet that couldnt stand. Several days of amoxicillin, antiseptic ointment, rest later the swelling is mostly gone and she can stand, walk and run but there was one toe which was swollen and now is turning black. I don’t know what to do. Continue giving her antibiotics then stop for a few days?


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## jonrf (Nov 30, 2017)

Hi. I would keep him or her on amoxicillin for another week. Try to apply idodine or betadine (povidone idodine) on the growth/abcess twice a day. Follow up with a dab of triple-antibiotic ointment (Neosporin) after a few hours following each idodine application.

If the toe swelling does not improve in the next week on continued antibiotics and topicals, or starts to bleed constantly, or the part of the toe tip beyond the site turns abnormal in color or appearance - take him or her to a vet to be diagnosed and/or to have the site surgically drained or removed.

I hope the youngster gets better.


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## jonrf (Nov 30, 2017)

Sometimes after successfully treating pigeons for systemic staph (paratyphoid) infections with antibiotics, a lesion or boil will form near a joint for unknown reasons. It can cause secondary infections if they erupt or form a lesion and are exposed.

Also, rarely, cankers from Trich protozoa (Trichomoniasis) can appear similar to what your bird has, being predominantly a pale yellow color, but usually are seen around the beak, ceres, eyes, or head.

But seeing the bird has shown improvement on amoxicillin, it is most likely a bacterial cause in your case. If the growth continues to grow, and especially if new growths form elsewhere on the bird, it could be Trich. There are over-the-counter medications you can order online without a prescription from any major pigeon supply site.

You may also need to give an oral antifungal when treating a bird with antibiotics. Candidia yeast infections can also look like that. Perhaps you can use a dab of OTC antifungal cream on it as well every day a few hours after the antibiotic ointment, it wouldn't hurt. You may need to carefully wash the toe gently in warm water with a drop of dawn liquid dish detergent and rinsing well in luke warm water before re-applying iodine, as the ointments will make it difficult for the iodine to stay.


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