# How contagious is PMV?



## EMav (Feb 20, 2014)

Hi Everyone!
I have a question about PMV if anyone is able to offer any advice. 
I had a pigeon literally fall out of a tree Monday night as I was walking home from work and land at my feet. I'm almost positive it has PMV. It shows all the classic symptoms....twisted head, fits where it flips onto its back, etc. it is able to eat out of a deep dish and it is able to drink so that is good as well. 
I have a small apartment where my two pigeons and one dove rule the home so I was too scared to bring it inside as I know PMV is highly contagious to other pigeons. 
The last couple days I have had it in a cage (budgie size) outside on the balcony with food and water and towels for padding for when it has its "fits". 
I make sure to wash my hands after replacing the towels and changing the food and water, as well as immediately washing any clothes the bird has touched. 
Problem is, I feel terrible keeping it in that small cage, plus it's getting really cold here in vegas now....50s during the day and 30s at night. 
My question is, just how contagious is PMV? The bathroom is the only room in the house my pigeons/dove don't really care about going into. If I bring the PMV pigeon into the house and keep her in the bathroom is that too risky to my pet pigeons? I've read about how contagious PMV is within lofts and aviaries where there's tons of birds in a small space, but I'm unsure of how contagious it is in an apartment for example. Is it viral (like in the air?) or would my pigeons have to share food bowls, come into physical contact with the sick bird, etc to be at risk? 
Thank you for any advice you can offer. I just want to help this little one while keeping my own babies safe. 
Erin


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## John_D (Jan 24, 2002)

Hi

The virus can infect other pigeons if they come into physical contact with a PMV pigeon or share the same food or water. They could be infected by contact with its droppings, or any nasal or oral discharge. It can also be picked up by other birds from the immediate environment of the affected pigeon. As you know, it could be transferred by handling healthy birds immediately after a sick one. 

Those I have had, I kept isolated in a separate room for the six week period. I have kept, at a pinch, PMV pigeons in the same room as others but only when any other birds were also cage-bound due to injury or another contagious illness and could not come into close proximity to the affected pigeon or any food it threw out of the cage.

The cage can remain contaminated once empty, so post-quarantine disinfection is also necessary.


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

_Here is a link on PMV: http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/f107/pigeon-paramyxovirus-aka-pmv-ppmv-pmv1-pigeon-12250.html _


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## EMav (Feb 20, 2014)

Thank you for your replies it sounds like I will be ok bringing him in when it gets cold outside and to stretch his wings as long as I keep him isolated in the bathroom where my pet birds don't go. Thank you again for your help


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## Purdy (Nov 2, 2015)

It should be ok if you keep that pigeon in the bathroom and keep a very tight hygiene. I would have done that cause it's cold over here as well but you must keep the bathroom door closed at all times and be very cautious not to get your other ones sick. Do you have Baytril?


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## EMav (Feb 20, 2014)

I do have baytril, does it help with PMV?


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## Purdy (Nov 2, 2015)

I found a post from Romilly:

Treatment for Paramyxo virus (PMV) symptoms

Surprisingly the symptoms of Paramyxo virus infection can be cleared up by treatment with Baytril. The concentration is 2.5% and 0.2 ml is given once daily by mouth for ten days. Nothing much happens for 7 days, after which recovery is dramatic.

I have treated four birds, in three cases with complete success. One had been totally incapacitated, lying sprawled on a hot water bottle for 6 weeks before I came across this treament. In the fourth case, after treatment the bird tossed her head back occasionally when feeding but otherwise was fully able to cope with life outside. Wet stools may persist for some time but appear to return to normal eventually (weeks to months). With two of my birds there was a long period of diarrhoea before that side of things returned to normal.

Recovery was not spontaneous - it was entirely due to the administration of Baytril. My first three birds languished for 6 weeks before treatment and, apart from learning workarounds to the problems of feeding, showed little or no sign of recovery.

Why it works is of course a bit of a mystery! Medics will know that antibiotics have no effect on viruses. A vet gave me Baytril because he thought that the disorientation might be due to an inner ear infection. Another vet later came up with the plausible suggestion that virus infections reduce the effectiveness of the immune system and so may open the way for opportunistic bacterial infection. With paramyxo this bacterial activity would affect the central nervous system. After treatment birds appear to acquire immunity and pass this on to their young - two of my cases paired up and none of the dozen or so offspring developed symptoms.


Paramyxo symptom checklist:

Disorientation - bird is unable to judge position of objects properly.
Loss of control over head and neck movements.
Stools consisting of a pool of clear liquid surrounding small amount of distinct solid matter.

Erratic flight with sudden changes in direction for no reason. Near objects (eg roofs) there is characteristic fluttering and hesitation as if bird is unconfident.
Misjudged landings.
In bad cases or under stress bird may crash almost immediately after takeoff; indoors a bird will crash into walls or back onto the floor.
Head shake - head movements appear exaggerated and stiff and are followed by a brief period of Parkinson-like tremor. The bird seems to have difficulty focusing on things.
Neck torsion - usually seen in worse cases. When the bird attempts to preen or feed it loses control of the movement and the neck twists over the back or under the chest. The head may even be held upside down.
Feeding problems - the bird cannot judge the position of food and/or loses control of its head and neck movements, the beak slipping sideways across the ground and missing the food altogether. Sometimes after a bird has successfully taken a food item the head is tossed back as if there is difficulty swallowing.


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## EMav (Feb 20, 2014)

Awesome, thank you!


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## John_D (Jan 24, 2002)

Sorry, but the stuff about treatment with baytril is hogwash.

Baytril is not an antiviral, and if anything it can exacerbate the course of the virus.

It may work for an opportunist secondary infection - or if a pigeon did not in fact have PMV and the symptoms were misunderstood.

The virus runs its course within 6 weeks *from infection*, so how long it appears to take to be free of it really depends at what stage the bird came to attention. Some pigeons cease to display any symptoms even before that - others may retain them or have a recurrence due to permanent nervous system damage.


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## EMav (Feb 20, 2014)

Thank you, that is everything I had always thought


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