# Pigeon toe that looks like it might drop off?



## BHenderson (Sep 8, 2011)

Hello all,

I've been away a while as I have been dealing with the crow problems.

I recently managed to catch a pigeon that I have been trying to catch for some time. Whenever I saw the pigeon she was sitting on the floor as if she was sunbathing, and sometimes I could see males trying to take advantage of the situation.
Anyway when I caught her she had strong thread tight around one toe on each foot. The string was very strong and very fine, finer than cotton thread and stronger. It took a long time to get it all off.
The toe on the right side still looks as if it has blood in it. It has been pulled very thin at one point but I hope that will heal somewhat now the thread is gone. The toe on the other side has gone slightly black, and it is hard and dry and there was no bleeding even though I had to dig quite deep to get this very strong fine thread out.

I have put antibiotic cream on the two toe's and I have given her some Baytril as well. She looks like she has had a rough time so I have also treated her for infestations with Ivermectin and Harkers 3-in-1.

Is there anything else I can do to help the situation, especially with the toe that looks like it is dried out and dead?

Thank you,
Brian.


----------



## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

It will fall off in time. I would probably not given all those medications at one time. when you are done with the course of the baytril I would give her a probiotic for a few weeks. you will have to keep tabs on yeast infection as well when on the antibiotic.


----------



## BHenderson (Sep 8, 2011)

thank you. How would I know the difference between a yeast infection from a bacterial infection?

Both the toes look like they have bulbous bits before where the thread was, but I assume this is just where it swelled up because of the thread?

P.s. I still have half a tub of probiotic left from before so I will start putting it in the water again in the next day or so. It also has a mixture of vitamins which will do her good as well and it will not hurt the other pigeons if they drink a bit of it as well.


----------



## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

"Most common cause is yeast called Candida albicans. That is the reason why yeast overgrowth in pigeons is called Candidiasis (Sour Crop is another name).
Symptoms:
Typical signs are puffy crop, slow crop, vomiting, sour smell from bird’s mouth, foamy diarrhea. 
Cause:
Birds on antibiotics treatment and high sugar diet usually develop Candidiasis. Baytril is especially one of the drugs that stimulate yeast growing and it is recommended to administer together with Nystatin.
Treatment:
Good treatment for Candida are Mycostatin, Amphotericin, Flucytosine etc.
Emptying crop, flushing with diluted solution baking soda, or Lugol’s Iodine solution are good remedies in case of Candida infection. All antibiotics must be discontinued."


----------



## BHenderson (Sep 8, 2011)

That is great information, Thank you. I thought it best to give her a strong antibiotic like baytril because the feet look so sore and she had been crawling around for so long that I thought it likely she could have a bad infection somewhere. You are right I probably should have spread the medication out over a few days, I was just worried that she look infested as well, probably because she has been crawling around. I was just pleased to finally catch her. It is so annoying when you know something is wrong with them but they are still too healthy and too fast to be caught.!!!

Thank you again.
Brian.


----------



## BHenderson (Sep 8, 2011)

I am concerned for the pigeon that had the twine round its toes. The toe that seems to be recovering is looking a bit dark but I think that is bruising from trying to get the twine off. The other toe that is obviously dead has started to show a white ring around the dead part of the toe. It is obviously very sore for the pigeon (whom i'm thinking of calling hop-a-long) and she is finding it very hard to put on the ground. I feel sorry for her being in so much pain. She has started to eat but seems to drink very little. This worries me because of the Baytril?
I have a little Metacam left but there is probably only one dose left for today. It is impossible to get the local vets to see me for a pigeon. Rather than leave her in pain I have brought some liquid Ibuprofen but I still need to work out the dose.
As an outside option, my sister has some of those american opiate painkillers that I could probably crush up and give a tiny bit to this poor pigeon.

On the other hand I may be over reacting, as she does not look withdrawn or anything like that. I wonder how the dead toe is going to go though. Maybe I should have left the twine on the toe that is dead until it dropped off?

Anyway if anyone has any suggestions how I can make things less painful for little hop-a-long I would be grateful.

Brian.


----------



## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

medacam at the right dose is the only thing Im familiar with..so I would do research before giving anything else.

you may want to soak the feet in an antiseptic mixed with water like nolvassan, a bit of heat from a heating pad on low may feel good to the bird as well and calm her.


----------



## BHenderson (Sep 8, 2011)

I don't need to worry about blood poisoning? like if a human had a rotten limb it is likely it would infect the blood unless the limb was removed or antibiotics were used? or should I just leave the toe alone until it drops off?

I will dip her feet in an antiseptic mix and I will put the heating on a little at night, which is the best I can do as far as heating pads go. I don't think she would stay on a pad anyway, she seems to move about a lot to get comfortable.

I think she was getting a lot of trouble outside because she could not stand properly, as she seems to appreciate the quiet she has here(apart from Gaysers amorous attentions occasionally) and has not tried to leave.

Thank you for your help spirit wings,
Brian.


----------



## Dima (Jan 15, 2011)

If the toe is loosing color, in a few days to a week will go black.Just make sure to bandage the bad toe along with the other. the pigeon can accidentally knock it and it can bleed to death. I was in this situation last month. The bird didn't die..just the toe fell while bandaged, since it was very dry.


----------



## BHenderson (Sep 8, 2011)

Ok thats great. Ill cut up small bandages to put around the toe that had dried out. and work out a dose of Ibuprofen to try and give pain relief. She is obviously in pain with this dead toe and is avoiding contact with the others so she does not hurt herself in a fight. I will use up the rest of the Metacam(1 or 2 doses) and then use the ibuprofen. I will complete the 7 day course of Baytril and hope that no infection spreads. The other toe looks like it has much better blood flow so I don't think it need bandaging.

I hope the Ibuprofen works as well as the Metacam, I cannot get a vet to see me with a pigeon as they do not consider them worth treating, so I cannot get any more Metacam. I am tempted to use my sisters Tramadol as a liquid, but I would be nervous of overdosing the bird. It does need some good painkiller though.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tramadol#Veterinary_medicine

Thank you,
Brian.

P.s. Just in case, do you know of a procedure to help stem blood flow if Hop-a-long does knock her toe off and is bleeding bad. I'm not sure I would know what to do in that situation.


----------



## Dima (Jan 15, 2011)

If it knows it and it bleeds press and hold above the cut to stop bleeding, if it still continues put his toe in flour or semolina (grounded corn). Make sure you don't bandage only the toe with gangrene, chances are that it will get it knocked; bandage together with the healthy one. That way it won't hang and when he land on places makes a safe landing along with healthy one without getting hurt.

I didn't use any medicine for my pigeon. Yes he was in pain...it lasted almost 2 weeks untill it dried up and fell...but it's better nothing than overdosing or using something that may not be healthy. I read a few month ago in a thread that Ibuprofen kills pigeons.


----------

