# Sticky  Rescue pigeons ,vets and euthanasia



## Feefo

Many of us on this forum and pigeon rescuers everywhere have found out that our first rescue was put to sleep unnecessarily. This is probably why we have become rescuers and this is why I am issuing this warning.

If you are in the UK and have to take a sick or injured pigeon or dove to the vet, please remember that most of our small animal vets have no experience of birds, no experience of nursing wildlife back to health and even the kindest, most compassionate vets may erroneously or prematurely advise that the pigeon be put to sleep because there is nothing that can be done. 

Here is one example : this year a PT recuer had a collared dove with crop stasis. There was a garden pea in its crop that hadn't gone through so the vet told the rescuer that the baby would have to be euthanased, and the vet's advice was accepted. 

Crop stasis is a condition where food remains in the crop and goes "sour" . It is a common condition in hand raised pigeons and doves. There are several things the vet could have done: He could have tested for trichomonas and yeast and probably established the cause of the crop stasis. He could have "milked" the crop to remove the pea, given Metaclopromide to increase crop motility, flushed the crop...euthanasia should have not been an option at that point and it broke my heart to hear of the outcome of that veterinary consultation.

There have been other similar cases, many pigeons and doves have been put to sleep rather than treated because they have common and treatable conditions such and canker and ruptured crops. Sanctuaries deal successfully with these all the time, but small animal vets don't and so they assume that they are untreatable.

This is why I *beg* new rescuers check with the members of this forum if there is time before taking a bird to a vet, to get information on what the problem could be and what options of treatment there might be. This will put them in a position where if euthanasia is suggested they can discuss the alternatives knowledgeably before agreeing to any course of action.


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