# Pigeon emergency - Found pigeon with twisted "s" shape neck?!!



## Suzy_89 (Oct 19, 2005)

My dad found got a pigeon from my mom's boss who owns a restaurant, and a pigeon fell from the roof or somwhere around there ...When I saw this bird, his neck was twisted in an odd "s" shape but he was moving it....His neck looks like the pigeon here : http://www.apexcorp.com/~rmangile/Pigeons/S_Neck.JPG I don't know if hes gonna survive like this,I know my dad has fed him and he was really hungry....He's sleeping at the moment and his head is lying on the ground but twisted up so his face is looking at us.....He has a normal body temp. and apart from his neck, I don't see anything else that could be wrong...I don't know either if this pigeon is young or old....Please reply asap!!


----------



## feralpigeon (Feb 14, 2005)

Hi Suzy_89,

Welcome to Pigeon Talk and thanks for helping this needy pigeon. While there may be structural damage, this might be a good link for you to start with:

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=12250

Many of our members here have had experience with this issue and I'm sure will be along shortly to offer their perspectives. If there is a possibility of another diagnosis, through your descriptions, that will become evident. It is also helpful if you can post your location so that links can be provided to you.

Many thanks to you for helping this pijie out.

fp


----------



## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

Suzy .. where are you?

Terry


----------



## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

Hi Suzy,


Are the Bird's eyes dark (young Bird or late juvenile) or have they some orange or red surround? ( as Adults or young adults do..)

Are it's Wattles 'white'? ( Wattles being where their forehead meets their Beak...and if frosty white, bright white, signals an adult )


Of course, we tend immediatly to associate the possibility of the Paramoxyvirus, when hearing of 'twisting' motions, tremors or shakey dis-co-ordinated movements, 'Star Gazeing' and so on.

Yours may have sprained or strained the muscles in his neck, causing it to become for now, in effect, favoring one side in some way, or being partially contracted muscularly on one side...

Has the Bird any tremors of the head? Little palsys or fine shaking movements?

Does it stand and walk alright?



Anyway, if they have a good appetite, that of course is a very good thing...

Tell us what the poops look like if you will? are they moist little 'Raisens' of white-and-green/brown? ( Keep them on a white towell so you can see the poops better)...

Are the poops clear and syrupy? Or watery? Is there any yellow in them?

Check in your Bird's throat in a good strong light or have someone hold a flashlight for you...see if all is nice and 'pink' in there, or is anything odd or any little yellow 'cheesy' things...

Keep them warm if you can...no matter...have a heating pad in half-a-box with a topwell over it and the box bottom, so they can be on it or off of it as the please.

Your Bird may have been ill with something, and compromised with that somehow, fell or flew into something.

Might be a young Bird of course who had not flown at all yet, or was a novice, weak flier just learning.

Post some close images of them if you can?

When you say your dad has fed him, can you give more detail? Fed him in what manner? Is the Burd in fact eating-pecking on it's own, or?


Phil
Las Vegas


----------



## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Hi Suzy,

Please update on the birds condition and your location.

Here are some links to finding a rehabber in your area:

http://www.pigeons.com/prd.htm

www.wildlifecare.org/list.html


----------



## Suzy_89 (Oct 19, 2005)

*.......*

Thank you for all of your help...My dada feeds him by hadn, small whole grain pieces of bread dipped in water, because of his neck he can't peck anything...I'm pretty sure hes a young bird because he cannot fly whatsoever, maybe thats because he has difficult keeping his neck upright.....When I do see him after school he's usually resting but my sis. told me today his head was normal for about an hour and then he went back 2 his twisted state...His poop dones't seem starnge because I have another pigeon also keept in his aviary outside and their poop looks very similar..My dad has rescued a lot of pigeons in the past, but this was the first time we have ever seen something like this....I put a heat lamp near above his cage, I'm not sure if its a good idea or not.....


----------



## Suzy_89 (Oct 19, 2005)

*.....*

Oh also his pupil is really big , and I know in budgies once they are adults, their pupils become smaller and you can see a whitish ring around the pupil...He can't walk very well and he seems to wobble, especially when I try to touch him and his head is lying in an s shape on the ground he has difficulty moving himself into that star gazing position...He doesn't seem like hes in pain though


----------



## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

Well...so far so good on the 'neck' issue then maybe...time will tell.

If this is a sprain, he has certainly a good chance of recovery, and of course go e-a-s-y in any handleing of him so as not to injure his neck any further, if possible.

Bread of any kind is one small step from valueless as food for a Pigeon.

See if you might suggest that the Bird be fed small whole Seeds instead, white Safflower Seeds, dried Peas, very small raw shelled Peanuts...these are easy to get down into their Beak for them to swallow.

But somehow, in all this, do please be very careful about his neck...

A small electric Heating Pad would be better if you have or can get one, to set up with one layer of towell on it, and so the Bird may be on it or off of it as it sees fit. Lay a small towell over the Heating Pad, have the heating Pad set to the 'low' setting, and have the towell also covering the cage bottom. Drape the cage itself to keep out any drafts.

Not-flying is likely for a Bird of any age who has injured themself with certain kinds of injuries, so it is not in itself an indicator of possible age.

Try and make sure this one does not fly untill some weeks after you are sure it's neck is once again fine and normal.


Good luck..!

Phil
Las Vegas


----------



## Whitefeather (Sep 2, 2002)

Suzy_89 said:


> He can't walk very well and he seems to wobble, especially when I try to touch him and his head is lying in an s shape on the ground


Hello Suzy & Welcome,
Have you checked his keel (breast) bone to see if there is any muscle around it or if it's 'sharp'? Could you also check the inside of his mouth to see if there is any obstruction. Please post your findings.

Realizing there could be a number of things going on, one of them may be starvation and/or dehydration, for whatever reason. 

Here is a link to one of our threads that explains step by step on how to initially care for an ill or injured pigeon. It also describes the degrees of dehydration.

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=9457

Please do keep us posted.

Cindy


----------



## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

Suzy_89 said:


> Oh also his pupil is really big , and I know in budgies once they are adults, their pupils become smaller and you can see a whitish ring around the pupil...He can't walk very well and he seems to wobble, especially when I try to touch him and his head is lying in an s shape on the ground he has difficulty moving himself into that star gazing position...He doesn't seem like hes in pain though



Their Pupils tend to be big, and young Birds have usually a dark surround to their Pupils also, which turn Yellow or Orange as they get older...

Now, in even light, in even ambient light, are his pupils the same size as far as you can tell? do they dialate if you shine a light into them?

"Star Gazing" in the sense we use the term, means when a Bird has pulled it's head up and far back and center, and is looking up or has it's head almost upside down in that pose, over it's back...and holds that pose or trembles in that pose, and this is taken to signal that the Bird probably has the PMV, as distinct from strains, sprains or collision injuries which can effect their neck and head movements or poses.

Difficulty walking is consistant with collision injuries or sprained legs or thighs. But it can also result from illness, infection, kidney stress, or PMV.

Make sure he can be warm and free from any drafts regardless...

Best wishes!

Phil
Las Vegas


----------



## Suzy_89 (Oct 19, 2005)

Hmmmmmm.....I don't know if I can post a picture because I don't have a digital camera, or a scanner to scan the developed pictures in....The only way I can takr a pic of him is to bring him up to my room where I have a webcam, but my parents won't let me do that.....He seems to be imrproving a little each day though because I know on the first day he stayed with us, he was like a dead pigeon lying on the ground in the s shape with his eyes closed, very weak and lifeless almost..My dad found him lying on a clump of grasses just lying there on the ground, and I think he pulled out his own tail feathers or somebody did because his tail is not noticeable..If you walked by him, you would have thought he was dead....Today he started pecking us when we try to pet him and he would sometimes nibble on our fingers, even though his head is still tilted like this http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/attachment.phpattachmentid=1729&d=1128811206 He doesn't turn his head upside down that much, and he doesn't sleep lying down anymore but puffed up with his head tilted...His gait is improving too because he doesn't wobble as much
He doesn't have any tremors of the head, only when he loses his balance and his head turns upside down. He does sometimes have slight twitches on 1 side of his wing....
When I looked inside his mouth, it was bright red, and his poop is solid like green substances in a pool of liquid thats whitish yellow, I can't really smell an odor..
I'll update soon


----------



## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

Hi Suzy89, 


If you can get a decent tablespoon full of the poops analysed by a good avian Vet, you better consider to do that...

Your Bird almost certainly has an infection, possibly Canker located somewhere internally, or maybe something else...and possibily more than one 'something' going as for illness or infection.

The missing Tail Feathers sugest to me that he may have been caught by a dog, and managed to get away.

You should examine him very closely for punctures in his rib cage and on his sides under his wings, on his back, on under the wings themselves. These can be hard to see sometimes and get covered back with Feathers. They will have scabbed over by now, but if you find them, at least see how they look or if any inflammation seems to surround them.

Now, he may have been caught because he was ill and not on the ball...

Or, he may have been healthy, somehow got caught, and when caught got his neck strained/sprained as well as who knows what else, then starved or was stressed and not eating and got sick also.

The 'yellow' in the poos to my mind signals the presence of an infection at any rate, and while I am very pleased to hear he is slowly improveing, he may benifit profoundly from either an examination by a qualified Vet, or for his poops at any rate to be analysed to determine the kind of infection(s) it is...

That way, the appropriate medications could be decided on an actual basis rather than me or others merely having to guess.

If I had to guess, I would say to treat him for Canker, and to put him on Baytril also...and condiser to treat him also for Coccidiosis.

The bright 'green' so far as I know, can indicate an enteritis or intestinal infection of some kind, or starvation. But then too his diet recently has not been one of wholesome Seeds per-se, and that can have effects on the way the poops look.

Poops should look like moist 'Raisens' and be greenish-brown with white.

The pooling liquid aspect - is it watery? - or more like a clear 'syrup'?

If the latter, (if memory serve, ) it may suggest Coccidiosis, which should be treated. it may also suggest other illnesses I am not able to associate right now with that feature.

These are my best guesses, maybe our beloved 'Pidgey' will show up and he is a much better guesser then I am often.

Otherwise, if you at all can get the poops to a lab or Avian Vet for analysis, please do.

You can do it by next-day Mail to "Foys" (Pigeon Supply) whom you may find readily in a 'google' search, and call them, and get the details on how to do so. They charge I think, $20.00 for the service, and they call you with the results pretty pronto.

This might make a big difference for your Bird...

Good luck...!


Phil
Las Vegas


----------



## Suzy_89 (Oct 19, 2005)

*brown poop*

His poop has turned into brown now, is that a sign of diarrhea? I live in Canada, and not that much people keep pigeons as pets, actually I don't know of anyone else who raises pigeons..I don't know if we have a local avian vet either..Besides this what else should I feed him besides bread?


----------



## feralpigeon (Feb 14, 2005)

Hi Suzy_89,

Here's a link to Pigeon Supply Houses where you can order pigeon grit, food, and meds:

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=9455

You can thaw frozen peas and corn and feed this to the pigeon, fresh lettuce such as romaine, rice cooked or uncooked white and brown, safflower seeds, also if the pet store carries a wild bird mix that lists doves on the back, that would be good as well. 

There is a range of color for the poo, brown to brown green and even green dependant on their diet. Brown poo per se, is not a signal that you should become worried. Also, sounds like he is pretty comfortable with his new 
home. The wing twitching occurs in healthy pigeons and is a way of communicating, so that in itself isn't a worry.

Have you given the bird any basic meds yet for canker or coccidiosis? Or Baytril for infection?

We have many members in Canada, and in fact, Brad (Moderator) hails from there. I'm sure some of these folks can fill you in on the options available to you up there.

fp


----------



## Suzy_89 (Oct 19, 2005)

*Poop*

Yesterday when we were feeding him, my dad told me to add a little bit of salt to his drinking water after he saw the brown poop, I checked his poop today and it has become smaller like rasin size bits, and it is greenish brown, and the liquid is bubbly.....I'll check that site out, and try to give him some peas, and yellow mung beans too, my other pigeon really loves that.Is oat groast ok too?


----------



## Pigeonpal2002 (Jul 27, 2002)

Hi Suzy, 

You've been given some very good advice so far to help you with this pigeon. Here is a contact you might want to try and see if either they can help with this bird or maybe point you to someone else who could help.

*Nicola Murphy (site manager), Calgary Wildlife Rehabilitation Society (CWRS) 403-239-2488 *

You could also go through your local yellow pages and look under farm/feed supply stores. Make some calls and inquire if they sell any products or medications for pigeons. Unfortunately, those of us here in Canada are limited access to medications without prescription from a vet. Also call around to your local vets, ask about references to qualified avian vets and some will might be willing to treat the bird for free if you explain the situation.

Always ask any vet or rehab facility about their euthanasia policies prior to handing over the bird because some won't help but put the pigeon down without even trying.

Good luck and keep us posted,


----------



## Pigeonpal2002 (Jul 27, 2002)

Hi Suzy, 

Here are some other possible contacts as well. I'm not sure where in Alberta you are so perhaps one of these will be of help to you.

Canada, Alberta, Edmonton
Wildlife Rehabilitation Society of Edmonton 
[email protected] 
780-914-4118 

Canada, Alberta, Madden
Dianne Rowell, Rockyview Wildlife Recovery 403-946-2361 

Canada, Alberta, Southern region, Rockyview municipal district (Madden/Calgary) 
Dianne Wittner (Director/Wildlife Biologist), Alberta Institute for Wildlife Conservation 
[email protected] 
Wildlife Species: all species native to Alberta/NWT (birds, mammals, reptiles) 
403-946-2361 

Canada, Alberta, Spruce View..... 403-728-3467 (or 346-WILD) 
Carol Kelly, Medicine River Wildlife Centre 
[email protected] 
Wildlife Species: all species


----------



## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

Hi Suzy 89, 

Oat Groarts are very good...Barley is fine...dried ( small ) Peas are very good...Pop Corn ( plain, not 'popped'!) is fine...small plain "unroasted" raw Peanuts (shelled) are fine...combinations of all of those would be best, rather than just one kind of Seed...white Safflower Seed, 'Canary Seed'...get as many of these as you can and mix them together for the Bird.
If any 'Bird' stores in your area, might get some of these there...Pet Stores maybe...

You should be able to get at least some of these at any decent Grocery Store, and or some maybe at a Health Food Store...


Forget the 'bread' please, it is just about worthless...get good, whole, raw, wholesome Seeds as described above...

The 'bread' may be making odd poops for that matter.

Brown does not signify diarhea...but it may signify 'bread'...

Uhhhh...what else...?

I would not add Salt any more to his water...it will tax his likely already taxed Kidneys and make problems for him.

You could mix one Tablespoon of Raw Apple Cider Vinegar to one Gallon of clean, good Water, and use 'that' for his drinking Water.

I would if this were my Bird, and skip the 'Salt'.

You can get that kind of Vinegar at Health Food sections of Grocery Stores or at Health Fod Stores...

If you have trouble finding it, then use regular Apple Cider Vinegar that any Store will have.

How's his neck today?

 
Best wishes!

Phil
Las Vegas


----------



## Suzy_89 (Oct 19, 2005)

*update*

Sorry for not updating sooner, but I have been so buy with tests and homework. Well we stopped the salt, and about the seeds I'm not sure how we can give it to him because we handfeed him everyday and the seeds are too small for us to actually put it inside his mouth..... He started pecking the ground today, something he hasn't done before, so I think I'm gonna try putting a small plate with seeds for him to try...I'm not sure we can get him those medication like Baytril, I don't think the pet stores here sell them...If we order them online, then the shipping and handling costs plus the medication itself is pretty expensive, my parents aren't willing to pay for it..I don't have a job at the moment, but if I did I would get him the medication..I'll update soon


----------



## feralpigeon (Feb 14, 2005)

Hi Suzy_89,

Raisin sized green/brown are good. Just looking back over your posts. Thanks for your update on the pij. Hope the pij continues to show improvement w/your care.

I did just notice that you do have another pij and thought I might mention to you that the rule of thumb is to keep new pijies separate so that things don't spread around germ wise. Washing hands between care of each. Hopefully w/rest and nutrition, this pijie will show continued improvement.

Please keep us updated as you have the time,

Best,

fp


----------



## Suzy_89 (Oct 19, 2005)

*The pigeon died...*

Unfortunately the pigeon passed away a couple of months ago..The pigeon seemed to be improving quite a bit days before he died..One week his head didn't seem to be twisted that much and he was much more livelier, but then the next day he seemed really weak when I got home and he passed away during the night ..Thank you for all of your help..


----------



## Reti (Jul 20, 2003)

I am sorry Suzy.
You and your dad did everything you could to help this little one and we thank you for that.
Sometimes their illness takes over and there is not much we can do.

Reti


----------

