# Found White Pigeon-Long Island NY



## Guest (Oct 19, 2007)

I work at an animal hospital. When I came into work today there was a pigeon in one of the cages. It was found yesterday sitting in the road in Kings Park, New York.

It is pure white with dark eyes. It has a yellow band with the number 10535 IFA 2004.

The bird is weak but resposive and standing. When it tries to walk it stumbles. There are no wounds or fractures that I can see. It doesn't appear neurologic. I think it stumbles from weakness. It is very thin. The poop is nasty looking bright green and loose. The eyes, cere, mouth look clear. It shows no interest in food or water. It's crop feels empty. I tube fed it some baby bird formula. 

Can someone let me know any meds the bird might need and how to track the owner. I would have to bring the bird home with me as there will be no one here to care for it after we close. I do have 2 pigeons at home. I can keep this bird in a separate room, would that be ok to protect my birds?

Thanks! Jen


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Can you get it on Baytril @ 15 mg/kg, PO, BID and Metronidazole @ 20 mg/kg, PO, BID?

Pidgey


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## Guest (Oct 19, 2007)

Yes I can give those meds. The bird weighs 288 grams by the way.


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

That's probably pretty bad for a white homer. He's probably down quite a bit on the weight. If you're into the science of it, there's a protocol for badly emaciated birds. You have to be very careful when tube-feeding them because it's actually possible to kill them by feeding them too much at a time. Read this:

http://www.urbanwildlifesociety.org/WLR/Emaciation.html

It'd be real good if you can get this bird under a heat lamp where he or she can get out from under it if necessary. It'd also be good to run a fecal float and see if there are any noticeable parasites (coccidial oocysts, worm eggs).

Another question is just how bright green is the poop and are the urates green as well or are they white?

Pidgey


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## Guest (Oct 20, 2007)

The poop he passed tonight has been an emerald green. No urates seen yet. The paper he was on when I came in was full of dried poop, like a grass green or lighter. The urates looked white. On looking at the bird some more, it seems he may have a slight injury to the left leg. He uses it but doesn't put his full weight on it when standing. Probably why he fell over when walking plus he's weak as well. The inside of his beak seems a bit pale to me. I'm running a float now. I have pet tinic and iron dextran injectable as mentioned in the article but I don't know if he has an infection or not.


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

You need to assume that he does (have an infection) because when they're at that stage of the game, you can't play around. If it turns out that he's got worms, you'd be better off with Levamisol as a wormer, even though it'll cause nausea. Many of the other wormers might be too hard on the system right now. 

It really would be best to get him under a heat lamp because the infrared will penetrate all the way through and he probably needs the energy. I've brought a few back that were that bad by way of the heat lamp. I've been working on getting the variables in that Emaciation Protocol into something more tangible for you but that's easier said than done.

If you're using Kaytee to feed him, I'd probably start with a low dose and mixed thin besides, maybe no more than 10 ccs at a whack until you see solids beginning to come out the back end.

Pidgey


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

They can also get a condition commonly called "Paratyphoid" which is really a Salmonellosis of the typhimurium strains. Usually they get it from mouse droppings (the -murium is Latin for: "from mice") that can cause articular pain. You can see it present with lameness or an inability or reluctance to fly, too. Sometimes, a boil will occur over an affected joint. In such cases, we call it a "Paratyphoid Boil" but they can occur from a nasty E. coli and some other pathogens as well. Most of them can be addressed with Baytril; every now and then you come across something more stubborn and have to try other medications. The DDx can get pretty complicated sometimes.

Pidgey


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Incidentally, birds often get a hemolytic anemia from a bacterial infection. If you want to run a PCV, you may want to be very careful where and how you take the sample because sometimes they can fail to coagulate properly and you can lose too much blood from a bird that doesn't have enough to give anyhow. If you're going to try that, it'd be better to clip a toenail and have the Clotisol VERY close at hand.

Pidgey


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

That said, you might rather get a respiration rate before you even try that. A normal pigeon's going to be somewhere in the low 30s. If he's breathing faster than that, it might indicate that he's anemic. If that's the case, then you really don't want to stress the bird.

Pidgey


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## Guest (Oct 20, 2007)

The fecal float showed tons of coccidia and a few whips. We don't have Levamisol or a heat lamp, I'll try to get a lamp tomorrow. I did use Kaytee very watery and a small amount to start. I haven't seen any boils or lesions anywhere.


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Whips? Trichomonads?

You can use a Sulfa for the Coccidia. Amprolium's good. Appertex is also good (Clazuril). Whaddya' got?

Pidgey


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Let's do another test while we're at it--feel the bird's general body shape paying particular attention to the abdomen. See if you think the abdomen feels "full". There shouldn't be a lot of mass behind the legs--it should just taper out. If the (I'm assuming) prominent keel widens noticeably behind the legs, then we've got oviduct trouble. Hopefully, it's just pure stress-induced Coccidiosis but sometimes there are other reasons.

Pidgey


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Normal Bloodwork Parameters if you feel it necessary to go that route:










Pidgey


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

sasha008 said:


> I work at an animal hospital. When I came into work today there was a pigeon in one of the cages. It was found yesterday sitting in the road in Kings Park, New York.
> 
> It is pure white with dark eyes. It has a yellow band with the number 10535 IFA 2004.
> 
> ...



Jen, here is who you need to call to TRY to find out who the owner is. These older birds are sometimes passed from fancier to fancier and records are not kept. Val may or may not be able to help you. He can at least tell you who purchased the band and banded the bird. After that, I don't know.

Val Matteucci ................................(516)794-3612


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Clazuril: 5-10 mg/kg, PO, QD or 6.5 mg/kg, PO, Once

Amprolium: 0.2 g/L, Drink, QD (I use Corid @ 0.625 ml/cup of water)

Sulfas are going to be based on which one you use and what formulation it is.

Pidgey


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## Guest (Oct 20, 2007)

The abdomen feels small and tapered. The whipworm eggs look like Trichuris in the book I have, which could be a cause of anemia. Only thing we have for coccidia is Albon. We have sulfa-trim also but I never saw that used for coccidia.

I will give Val a call. Thanks for the number


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Sulfadimethoxine: 25 mg/kg, PO, BID

Can you describe those worm eggs? Were there any operculums?

Pidgey


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Lemon-Lime colored, with an operculum at either end like in the picture in this article:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whipworm

? Then they're probably actually Capillaria, which often go by the name "threadworm" and "hairworm" in pigeons. Were there a lot? How many per field? Or on the entire slide?

Pidgey


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## Guest (Oct 20, 2007)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whipworm

The eggs look just like these.

He just passed a semi formed poop. Emerald green color with yellowish urates.

I left a message on Val's answering machine.


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

What wormers do you have? You might try Ivermectin @ 0.2 mg/kg, PO, Once and keep an eye on the fecals for a few days. Panacur would be a bad idea on that bird in this shape.

Pidgey


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

You might also (if you've just got lots of time on your hands) run a fecal smear and see if you've got some Erythrocytes. That'd signal that you're getting some hemorrhaging into the lumen due to the damage from the Capillaria. Those just get worse and worse. If there are a lot in the fecal then you need to address them fairly quickly.

Pidgey


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Incidentally, it's not uncommon to find a lost homer that's literally dying of a pan-microbial infection and pan-parasitic infestation. One of my vets told me that "if you wanna' look good in avian medicine, work on pigeons because they are hard to kill." That said, even though it looks bad, don't give up on this bird--he can still pull through.

Pidgey


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## Guest (Oct 20, 2007)

We don't have a lot of wormers on hand. We do have Ivermectin 1% solution injectable for cattle and swine. I only saw a couple of the whipworm eggs, lots of coccidia though.

So the Sulfadimethoxine is BID? Do I give a loading dose? Usually in cats and dogs it's SID and the first dose is double.

Right now he's standing in the cage on one foot a bit puffed up. He seems pretty observant of his surroundings.


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

I'll email you a *.pdf of the latest and greatest avian formulary but you can also sign up on this site:

www.ivis.org

...and see it for yourself once you're logged in and go to this specific page:

http://www.ivis.org/advances/harrison/chap9a/chapter.asp?LA=1

Have you started Baytril and Metronidazole already? I was thinking about how many different things might be going into this bird all at once.

Pidgey


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## Guest (Oct 20, 2007)

I started the Baytril and Metronidazole earlier and just gave the Albon. I put him in a covered cat carrier with a towel and a heat disk. He's not acting very afraid of me but gets just a little stressed with handled so I'll leave him be for a while. 

How often should I give the oral electrolyte solution? Should I hold off on the Kaytee for a while?


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Chances are that the Coccidiosis is the worst offender at the moment. With only a couple of Capillaria eggs on the slide I think I'd hold off on treating for that for a few days while you see if you can stabilize him first. If you start getting good solids out the back end, then you can start ramping up on the Kaytee slowly. You might be better to give small doses of it more often than to give bigger ones less frequently. It's always a difficult thing to determine. How much exactly have you given him and how long ago was it?

Pidgey


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## Guest (Oct 20, 2007)

Since 5pm tonight he's gotten about 15ccs of Kaytee and about 10ccs electrolytes. That was between 3 feedings. Too much? Too little? His latest poops looked more formed but still green with a lot of yellowish urates.


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

If food's going through and getting processed then you don't need to worry as much about the worst of the emaciation protocols. Also, Kaytee tends to come out the back end turning the urates towards a buff color although the actual poop is going to be somewhat of a green in most cases. Since you've already given him that much and it's been that long and there're formed poops coming out the back, I think you can probably dispense with the electrolytes and go with the thinned Kaytee and be just about as well off. Do you have much idea of how much dry Kaytee you've used in teaspoons' worth at this point?

Pidgey


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

I'll tell you where I'm going with this: it's next to impossible to find out exactly how many Calories are in a given amount of Kaytee. I've found a chart that gives the amounts for cornmeal and wheat flour and they're both real close to 450 calories per cup. That's probably a pretty good number to apply to Kaytee. So, a flat, dry teaspoon of the stuff would be about 10 Calories (actually a Kcal since a food Calorie is a thousand physics calories--a capital "C" versus a small "c"). I tried figuring it out earlier and was looking at about 60 Calories for a 24 hour period.

Pidgey


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

Pidgey said:


> I'll tell you where I'm going with this: it's next to impossible to find out exactly how many Calories are in a given amount of Kaytee. I've found a chart that gives the amounts for cornmeal and wheat flour and they're both real close to 450 calories per cup. That's probably a pretty good number to apply to Kaytee. So, a flat, dry teaspoon of the stuff would be about 10 Calories (actually a Kcal since a food Calorie is a thousand physics calories--a capital "C" versus a small "c"). I tried figuring it out earlier and was looking at about 60 Calories for a 24 hour period.
> 
> Pidgey



See page 10 of this: http://www.iwrc-online.org/journal/journal4-17.pdf

Terry


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Okay, great, well, then it works out to just about what I had figured. It's a lot harder figuring out how many Calories the bird actually needs in a 24 hour period.

Pidgey


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## Guest (Oct 20, 2007)

Hmmm I just eyeballed it but I'd guess I used about 3 teaspoons Kaytee and added enough water to make it tomato soup consistancy. He got about a half of that so far.


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Don't save that stuff up once you've mixed it up. It's best to just mix up what you need. I'd probably give the bird one level teaspoon of dry mixed with two teaspoons of warm water stirred for a couple of minutes for each meal and about six of those per day for the next day or two.

Pidgey


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## Guest (Oct 20, 2007)

OK sounds good will try that amount. I'm off work now and heading to bed soon. I'll let you know how he's doing tomorrow and if I hear anything about tracking an owner. Thanks for all the help


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## Guest (Oct 20, 2007)

Well good news, the pigeon made it through the night and is pecking at seeds! I can't tell if he's eaten any though, his crop isn't very big. He was a bit more feisty when I medicated as well. He's gotten used to me and isn't showing any fear. His poops today were dark green formed with yellow urates.

Val called me back and said the bird's band traces to a feed store in Medford Long Island called Friends of a Feather. The phone number he had for the place is not the store so I'm trying to find out if the store had changed it's number or is not there anymore.


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

A feed store? I wonder if this is a homer? Does its bone structure seem large and that it's way too light or does he seem like a smaller bird to begin with?

When they've had really bad Coccidiosis, their GIs can be fairly badly ulcerated and it may take real time before they're digesting and absorbing well again. So, run a chart on his weight and let's see how fast it starts going back on.

Pidgey


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

Pidgey said:


> A feed store? I wonder if this is a homer? Does its bone structure seem large and that it's way too light or does he seem like a smaller bird to begin with?
> 
> When they've had really bad Coccidiosis, their GIs can be fairly badly ulcerated and it may take real time before they're digesting and absorbing well again. So, run a chart on his weight and let's see how fast it starts going back on.
> 
> Pidgey


Yes, this is a race bird.


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## Guest (Oct 20, 2007)

I found another number for the feed store but it was out of service. So I guess we won't be able to find an owner unless someone comes looking for him  

This is a larger bird, with a large cere and a big head. I will take him into work tomorrow and check his weight. He's flinging seeds around like pigeons do. He's still a little shy around me though and stops what he's doing when I check on him. So I'm not sure exactly what he's taking. Poop is still off color but much better formed. He's more active in the carrier too. So far so good!


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Sounds like he's going to be alright even if he's got a ways to go, yet. He's probably going to need a forever home, preferably one with other pigeons that he can associate with. However, they sometimes lead very happy lives with people, too.

Pidgey


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## Guest (Oct 22, 2007)

I brought the bird to work with me today and he weighs 290 grams, up from 288 2 days ago. Still passing the dark green formed poop, not too bad. I'll repeat a fecal in a week or so. 

Yes, he'll need a home. I'm not sure if I could manage more pets though. I have 10 cats and 2 pigeons currently. I would like to have more pigeons but I think the cages I have for my 2 would be kinda crowded with more birds, and I can't afford bigger housing for them right now. I can keep him at least until he gets healthy.

He's on Baytril, Flagyl, Albon. How many days should he be on these meds? Should I put vitamins in his water? Oh, and I've named him Nimbus


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Go 10 on the Baytril and Flagyl, but watch the fecal and see when the Coccidial oocysts start dropping dramatically. Once there are less than five or so per visual field and it stays that way for a couple of days, then you can discontinue the Albon. At that point, I'd give him the wormer and watch the floats for another few days to see if the Capillaria have gone. Then, give it three weeks and worm him again.

Pidgey


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## Guest (Oct 25, 2007)

Would it be safe to keep this bird in a seperate cage in the same room as my 2 pigeons? They would not have direct contact. I feel bad for Nimbus, isolated in my bathroom. I'm sure he'd like to see other birds but I don't want my birds to get sick. I haven't seen any sign of mites or lice so far.

He continues to eat and his poop is pretty good. He's not standing all puffed up like he did the first couple of days. His poor keel is so bony though. It feels like he weighs nothing when I pick him up. I guess it will take some time for him to get back to a normal weight.


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## Guest (Oct 30, 2007)

I've had this bird for 10 days now, and he's doing great. Eating well, poops look good. Very alert and semi-tame. 

I repeated his fecal and there were no coccidia seen. I did see about 4 Capillaria on the slide. As per an ealier post in this thread it was recommended to use Ivermectin @ 0.2 mg/kg, PO. Should I go ahead and give this now? I wanted to make sure as the vet I work for made this med up for me (had to be very diluted from what we stock) and she said some birds can be very sensitive to the Ivermectin and can die from it?

Anyone have some ideas on how to find him a home? I thought I'd make a flyer and post it at a local exotic vet office. I also know there's a pigeon show in November not far from me. Would that be a good possibility?

Thanks for all the help with this bird. This is a wonderful forum


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Actually, I've never personally used Ivermectin and I would like for someone who's used to it to weigh in. That dosage is out of a pretty good formulary but it's still nice to have someone confirm it. I will say that Panacur is a wormer that can really be bad for pigeons--we've seen plenty of them die of it on the forum, unfortunately.

I'm going to have to re-read the thread to remember some things about this bird in order to answer some of your other questions.

Pidgey


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## Reti (Jul 20, 2003)

Panacur is much worse on birds than Ivermectin. Personally I have used it on most of my birds with no ill effects.

Reti


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Hi, ya', Reti... Could you review the Ivomec stuff earlier in this thread and see what you think? I was looking at an earlier thread:

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?p=229711

...where you figured in there prominently.

Pidgey


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## Reti (Jul 20, 2003)

Since I had problems in my birds with the Panacur I switched to Ivomec and I had no side effects so far not even when overdosing. I think it is far safer than Panacur.

Reti


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

There are various strengths of products that contain ivermectin .. you have to know what you have and adjust dosage accordingly. Here's a couple of links:

http://www.pigeoncote.com/vet/formulary/formulary.html

Name: Ivermectin (Ivomec, Eqvalen) 
Description: Ivermectin is derived from the avermectins, a family of highly active, broad spectrum, antiparasitic agents. 
Usage: Ascarids, Capillaria, Tetrameres, Strongyles, and other internal nematodes. Also used for lice. 
Adverse reactions: None. 
Dosage: 500 - 1000 UG (Micrograms), which works out to be .05 - .1 millimeters or cc's./bird for internal parasites. 1 1/2 - 6 cc per gallon of water for internal parasites. 1 1/2 - 3 cc per gallon of bath water for lice. For internal parasites the higher dosage is needed in many cases of ascarids and tetrameres. 
Comments: This is a very effective and safe drug. Ivomec, the cattle preparation cannot be mixed well with water, thus birds must be individually dosed. Eqvalen, the horse product is water soluble and may be mixed with water. Wormer of choice for all worm's except tapeworms. 

http://www.myrtlelofts.com/vet9.htm

Ivermectin (Ivomec, Eqvalen): Broad spectrum wormer. Effective against Ascarids (roundworms), Capillaria (hairworms), and stomach wall worms. Some resistance developing. 

Dose : 500 -1000 ug per bird. Can be dosed in the drinking water, but the efficacy of this method is debatable. The surest way is to treat the pigeons individually. 1-2 drops by mouth of Ivomec is the correct dose. The higher dosage is needed to treat roundworms and, for some reason, even this is occasionally ineffective. New generation avermectins such as Moxidectin may be more effective. 

http://www.auspigeonco.com.au/Articles/Parasite_control.html
For roundworms and hairworms, these days there is no reason to use anything else than an avermectin such as Ivermectin (‘Ivomec’) or Moxidectin. These medications are just so safe and effective and of course have the handy side-effect of also killing all external parasites that suck blood. This includes all mites. Do, however, watch your dose rate. Not all Ivomec is the same. It comes in a variety of strengths. Some large-volume bottles that seem really cheap are probably a fairly dilute preparation. One needs 10 mg of active drug per litre of drinking water for the medication to be effective. To figure out how much to add to the drinking water, multiply the strength on the label by what will become the dose to equal 10. For example, a common strength available is 0.8 mg/ml (0.8 g/litre). 0.8 x 13 equals approximately 10. So therefore, one needs to add 13 ml to 1 litre to give an effective dose. Similarly, a brand that is 5 mg/ml will only need 2 ml per litre to be added to the drinker.

Terry


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## Guest (Oct 30, 2007)

OK the doc looked at this info and said the dose we figured on (0.2 mg/kg, PO) was on the low end. We have the 1% solution for cattle and diluted it. Does it need to be repeated in 3 weeks?


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

sasha008 said:


> OK the doc looked at this info and said the dose we figured on (0.2 mg/kg, PO) was on the low end. We have the 1% solution for cattle and diluted it. Does it need to be repeated in 3 weeks?


Yes, it does need to be repeated.

Terry


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## Guest (Nov 14, 2007)

This bird is doing well, eating and the poop looks pretty good. But I repeated the fecal and the coccidia is back and the Capillaria is still there. Not sure what went wrong. I was wondering if I should get something else to use, maybe something that can go in the water? I looked on Foy's website but I'm not sure. The 3 in 1 treats worms and coccidia but it doesn't say what kind of worms.

I contacted an officer of the Nassau Suffolk pigeon club who asked around but nobody wants this bird. She said to let the bird go as he's a homer and will just fly home


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Dirty Dogs! Sometimes they can't find their way back and it doesn't look like this guy was doing very good out on his own anyhow, huh?

Okay, so it might be that the strain of worm might be resistant to Ivermectin. Do you have Levamisole?

Pidgey


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## Guest (Nov 15, 2007)

No. no Levamisole. I have to buy some pigeon grit so I have to place an order anyway. I can buy something as long as it's not too expensive. Just don't know what to get.


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

The Levamisole at the bottom of this page (Indiana?) would be one:

http://www.vitakingproducts.com/wormers1.htm

There's Levamisole on this one (Pennsylvania?), too:

http://www.foyspigeonsupplies.com/catalog/wormers/index.html

I've used both liquid and tablets. There is one notation on one of the pages that says that they tend to puke on the stuff and that can definitely be the case. However, the way it works is that it doesn't kill the worms--only knocks 'em kinda' unconscious for several hours. The upshot of that is that you need for food to push through the bird to run the worms out that are no longer hanging onto the sides. Therefore, you need for the bird to eat a few hours after taking the wormer and to keep the food down. This wormer is not toxic to the bird and can be used on severely compromised birds which another wormer (like Panacur which is Fenbendazole) might finish off under the same circumstances.

Anyhow, if you get any of those then we can work out a dose when you've got it in hand. There are other places to get the stuff, too.

Pidgey


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Oh, and how many coccidial oocysts per visual field are we talking about? It's not uncommon for them to have a few most of the time.

Pidgey


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## Guest (Nov 15, 2007)

As to the coccidia, there were alot of oocysts seen. I'm suprised the poop looks ok. Is there anything that can be put in the water for that? I could go back to the Albon if needed. He was getting a bit stressed with daily oral dosing though.


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

I've seen asymptomatic birds with a lot of oocysts per visual field that didn't seem to be ill. That is, they appeared completely unhampered--no weight loss, flying fine, healthy appetite, normal behavior in all respects. Sometimes, when you see a recurrence, you're actually looking for something else that's wrong and this secondary symptom is just a warning sign. For now, let's just go after the Capillaria.

Pidgey


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## Guest (Nov 28, 2007)

OK I got the Levamisole from Foy's. I ordered tablets but they sent me oblets? The instructions says to not feed for 24 hours prior to treatment and hold back from feeding for 3 hours afterwards. 6 oblets per gallon for 1 day then repeat in 10-12 days. Will I be able to dose a single bird with these pills?


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

One way or another, yes. One oblet would work in 21 ounces of water, which would still be wasting quite a bit if used for only one bird. In how many equal pieces do you think you could reliably divide one oblet into?

Pidgey


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## Guest (Nov 28, 2007)

I could probably divide them into eighths easily enough.


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Then I'd do that because 1/8th of 21 ounces is still about 78 milliliters, more than that bird is going to drink in possibly three days.

Pidgey


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## Guest (Nov 29, 2007)

OK, so I take all food away for 24 hours, mix 1/8th pill with 78mls water. Give it to the bird to drink. And feed 3 hours later. How long should I leave the treated water in the cage? Should I withold water prior to treating as well? How much of the medicated water does the bird need to drink? Do I need to do anything or watch for anything if the bird vomits? Sorry, I've never had to deal with a vomiting bird before and it makes me a bit nervous


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Probably better take away all water with the food. I've had liquid Levamisole and I don't think they like the taste of the water, either. It's not toxic to the bird like Panacur is and the way it works is by putting the worms to sleep for awhile. If the bird takes a taste of the water and won't drink much, then you might be just as well off to tube some in. According to the book, they usually drink from 5 to 8% of their weight in water per day. That's like multiplying their weight in grams by 0.05 to 0.08 and the answer is how many milliliters they're probably going to drink. So, for a 400 gram bird:

400 * 0.05 = 20 milliliters, 400 * 0.08 = 32 milliliters

If it were me, I'd probably just tube in the 20 milliliters after the day's fast, give it the three hours and then make sure that the bird either eats or I'd tube the food in. That's because you want the food to push the sleepy worms out before the effect wears off. They do tend to get a little nauseated and may regurgitate so it's best to set them down close to a TV to watch a movie like Jonathan Livingston Seagull or something like that to keep their minds off their stomachs. Or Valiant.

Pidgey


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