# We're back, with our first rehab!



## minimonkey (Apr 7, 2005)

Hi fellow pigeon lovers!

Sorry for the long absence in posting -- not much to report on the homefront for a long time -- Prospero and Persephone (the babies that we saved last year) are all grown up and doing just great -- healthy, happy, feisty, and quite the mated pair. 

As of yesterday, we find ourselves with our first real pigeon rehab! We were in SF and found a beautiful, unusual looking (white, brown, and grey) hen who was dragging her wing badly-- we discovered that she could not fly, and decided it was best to take her home with us, as she would not survive long that way. She appears to be a rather young bird. We are lucky enough to have FeralPigeon as a neighbor -- so enlisted FP's help as we are not experienced with rehab (yet) at all.

It isn't clear if this is an actual break in the wing, or if it is perhaps a paratyphoid wing-boil that has burst open -- in any case, she seems to have just the one injury to the shoulder joint area of her left wing. There is a small area of broken skin on the joint, and a great deal of swelling. We've got her safe and sound here, and are going to treat her immediately for paratyphoid to be safe (obviously she is separate from our birds until we get her healthy.) 

She has canker, though not too terribly badly -- so we're treating that, and will be doing treatment for coccidiosis, worms, etc. (Her poops look horrible at the moment, but have no odor.) We cleaned up the wound, put antibiotic ointment on, etc. We tried wrapping the wing according to the "duckpolice" tutorial, but she squirmed out of the wrap in about 15 seconds! She wasn't drinking much on her own, so FP taught us how to administer liquid (electrolyte solution) directly into the crop. If she doesn't eat well by tomorrow, we may need to do a mash feeding with her, too. 

So, I think it is meds, love, good nutrition and rest for her for a while, and we'll see how the wing progresses. If she can't fly well again, we are planning to take her into our pigeon-loving household permanently. We are calling her Paloma, as the only place we had to put her was smack dab in the middle of my art studio! 

Obviously sorry that this poor pijie has come into harm (and was terribly sad to take her away from her mate) but are glad to have her here with us, nonetheless.

Mr & Mrs Minimonkey


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

It is nice to hear from you and I am glad you are getting the expertise help of fp.

You should also try giving the bird a drop of Neem oil down the throat each day, as well as applying it topically on the swelling on the wing. It is a wonderful anti-inflammatory, antifungul, antbacterial and more! It has an incredible array of healing attributes, with a remarkable lack of side effects. ..and don't forget the garlic.


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## Pigeonpal2002 (Jul 27, 2002)

Hey Minimonkies, 

Good to have you drop us a note and let us know what is going on with you folks Very nice to hear that Prospero and Persephone are doing well, any chance of some new photos?

Good luck with your first "real" rescue, I'm sure between the 3 of you, you will fix her up in no time


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## Lin Hansen (Jan 9, 2004)

Hi Mr and Mrs Minimonkey,

As Brad said, with FP helping you, I'm sure everything will be fine.

Just wanted to say it's nice hearing from you and glad to hear that everything has been going well.

Linda


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Incidentally, when a wing bandage just will not work, you can switch to masking tape. It's a lot of fun getting it back off when it's time, but all you really have to do is use something like forceps to pull each feather loose from the tape separately with. Anyhow, they're not going to wiggle out of that in 15 minutes.

If you're really not sure about whether it's a break or not, you can hold the pigeon by the body and rotate and work the good wing to see how it feels and then carefully check the other to see how it matches. You should be able to feel certain resistances because it doesn't want you doing that. If it's really broken, you probably won't. If it's paratyphoid, it'll feel pretty much the same except in cases where it's been enough time for scar tissue to reduce the mobility.

Pidgey


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## minimonkey (Apr 7, 2005)

*First-time rehabbers...*

Hey, Pidgey, Lin, Brad and Treesa -

Thanks as always for your responses. I checked the injured Paloma just now -- late night at work -- and she's getting feisty. I reached in to pick her up and check her out and got summarily wing-boxed! So, her spirits seem to be perking up. Also, checked her crop and did indeed feel some seeds in there and it's clear she had been drinking water during the day. Poops are much better formed this evening as well. Those are good signs, no?

FP came over last night and was such a terrific help, as always. Still not sure if the wing is broken or if it's paratyphoid but we're doing the rounds of meds (mustn't forget the garlic!  ) that FP has suggested and that we thought of.

As for recent pics of Prospero & Persephone, Brad, we'll get those up in the next day or two. (They turned 1 year old on April 19). Persephone has the biggest and roundest eyes. And pics, too, of Paloma. She's a beautiful bird.

Also, in the pigeons can't be defeated department, we have two nests going on right now outside our window. Great fun to watch the progress. Doesn't appear that the eggs have hatched yet, however.

Mr. M.


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## minimonkey (Apr 7, 2005)

Howdy! Please click on the link below or load into a browser window for pics of our rescued pigeon. In the one taken from front on, you can see somewhat how the left wing hangs lower than the right one. Don't know how much info they provide, but isn't this a pretty bird? New pics of Prospero & Persephone to come tomorrow!

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/minimonkeypigeon/album?.dir=/38c1scd&.src=ph

Mr. & Mrs. MM.


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## minimonkey (Apr 7, 2005)

Sorry for multiple posts. One final image. Focus isn't great due to low light, but one can at least make out how the left wing droops. Apologize in advance if this is too much information...  

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/minimonkeypigeon/detail?.dir=38c1scd&.dnm=771fscd.jpg&.src=ph

Mr. & Mrs. MM.


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

That almost looks like the blood and oozing stuff is coming from the regular place for wing boils which is at the juncture of the humerus and the radius/ulna pairing. That's the same as our elbow. Of course, the way blood goes through feathers, it's a little hard to tell by the pictures for a certainty.

I picked up a very young bird at a nearby overpass that was oozing blood and a clear fluid (synovial fluid, most probably) out of that joint. It was months before he could fly and he lets that wing hang down permanently although it's not hanging in the normal way--it's the front curve (up near the crop) that hangs down. The wing tip is more or less in the normal position although it settles a little further back. Also, the joint itself was originally enlarged about twice the size of the other side. I didn't think he was ever going to fly and he doesn't much--just enough to get up on top of things, mostly, although I think he's doing a little more all the time. He must have gotten it as a nestling because he still had some of the downy feathers when I found him last October.

Pidgey


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## minimonkey (Apr 7, 2005)

Yeah, that is the joint we are talking about -- I thought it was more like the shoulder than the elbow. But yes, where the humerus joins the ulna/radius is the correct joint according to the diagram you sent us. 

More and more this is looking like paratyphoid according to all I've read. She has a small swelling on the other side on the same joint  I noticed that this morning. But we have her on Baytril, so hopefully we got to that one in time. 

She seems to be feeling better and better -- getting feistier and stronger, etc. The wound is healing. She's preening, eating well, etc. She's still got a pinkish cere, so we're thinking she is pretty young -- Fp said sometimes females get a little pink in mating season, too -- but she looks like a youngster to me. 

We're being very careful not to cross-contaminate with our other two, but will vaccinate them asap, and her as well when she is through the treatment. 

Thanks all for your help!!! Her poops look a darn sight better than when we picked her up, which is probably from the coccidiosis meds, I'm guessing. We wormed her, too -- and that is clearly working based on last nights poops. 

Anyhow, very glad we got this sweetie when we did!


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## feralpigeon (Feb 14, 2005)

Hi folks,

Just thought I'd add some info. The pigeon has received Diclazuril-one time treatment for coccidiosis, and one time dose of febantel for round worm and 
capillaria, and is now on Ronidazole and Baytril. The wing articulated well the evening that I was there, but the pigeon can't get any lift with it. It had the classic wing boil on the same wing that is drooping, and it looked as though it had 'broken' and had oozed fluids. There was some sign on the other wing of minor leakage, although no boil had seemed to develop there, at least not to the prominence of the wing in question. She's a pretty bird, with a very sweet temperament, and both the minimonkies took turns crop administering pedialyte solution. 

I couldn't help but think of member Jamie from Georgia while I was there, and I hope the minimonkies will tell there story of their feral flock--possibly take some pictures, as it is pretty remarkable  .

fp


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## Pigeonpal2002 (Jul 27, 2002)

Hi Minimonkies...the new rescue pigeon sure is pretty, reminds me a bit of one of my pigeons and also Rallow's Dinkster.

Looking forward to seeing the new pictures of Prospero and Persephone


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## minimonkey (Apr 7, 2005)

*Progress report*

Paloma is doing so much better now, thanks to FP's expert advice on her care. She's eating, drinking, preening -- her poops look really good today, and the swelling on the underside of the joint is going down quite a lot. No sign this morning of the swelling I thought I saw/felt on the other wing. The bad joint is still oozing clear fluid, so we're keeping that really clean, but she is holding the wing more normally now -- I'm hoping that means it isn't hurting her as badly. 

She doesn't seem to mind us much, actually -- she will perch unrestrained on our hands, and seems to rather like being petted. She does grunt and winglslap when we take her out for meds, and makes all the appropriately annoyed expressions around being medicated -- but seems to rather like the bonding time. She doesn't like the towel-wrap much -- would much rather just be in our hands, at which point she settles down easily.  

Anyhow -- much relieved to see happy, solid, round poops this morning and a less-swollen joint.


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## feralpigeon (Feb 14, 2005)

Sounds good, mms', good news on her symptoms and overall presentation...glad to hear things are going well.

fp


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