# Pigeon unable to walk, dragging on wings, two dead - HELP



## November-X-Scourge (May 12, 2011)

My sweet little chinese owl is scaring me! She's just laid two eggs, I can't tell if she's eggbound. She can't walk... at first I thought that she was just sitting on the eggs, but then I saw her sitting elsewhere, and when I tried to grab her she just scuttled away, falling forward a few times. A lovely baby feral mysteriously died a few days ago, yesterday I found his poor mother, St.Clair, dead... she'd lost a lot of weight recently despite having lots of food available in the feeder and nesting box. The owl and the ferals had never been in contact, but I'm scared that this is somehow related and yet one more pigeon will die. I've quarantined two others that very quickly lost weight. Can someone please tell me what this could be? I'm so scared, I can't have my sweet pigeons dying like this. I'm medicating the owl with metro right now, she is also suddenly very thin.


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## November-X-Scourge (May 12, 2011)

plus, I have two pigeons with feet somewhat like this








they've been medicated for paratyphoid - one pij for one week and the other two. This isn't related but I've started a lot of threads recently


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## feralpigeon (Feb 14, 2005)

Hi November,

What medicine did you use when you treated the birds? Did the swelling in the joint fully recede and did the bird stop limping?

Your hen needs liquid calcium if you don't have on hand go to a health food store and get human grade liquid calcium and put in water and
dose down the hatch to make sure it gets into her system.

What other symptoms are your birds showing? Vomiting, droppings, anything?


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## November-X-Scourge (May 12, 2011)

I used baytril, now I have no more. The swelling never went away, but they don't limp, they can fly, and they seem super normal. Also, the swelling wasn't exactly on the joint for either, more like mid shin.
Can I give her calcium tablets instead? Or dissolve them in water? I take it she's just low on calcium after the eggs then eh? Thank god!
As for other symptoms, nothing really. Just stupid looking poops - a lil runny is all. The mouths on both look fine, skin, feather, eyes, vents are all fine - just super skinny really suddenly. I've added some proten/fat pellets into their feed.
Thanks so much for responding, I've been having a hard time dealing with my birds recently - the stress from deaths, sickness, new pigeons, and hand rearing babies is a lot for me to handle - I can't think straight!


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## AndreiS (Jul 28, 2013)

Ideally you would make a radiography to know exactly what causes the lump.

If is trully an infectious artritis, 95% chances are to be caused by staphylococcus aureus, not by salmonella. The best treatment for this is fosfomycin, the antibiotic with the smallest molecule, capable of passing through the thick articular capsule. I cured two birds that had artritis and wing joint and could not fly at all and they started to fly badly after 3-4 days of treatment, then after more treatment they improved even more. One of them is still at me, now she's on eggs, a happy bird.


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## feralpigeon (Feb 14, 2005)

November-X-Scourge said:


> I used baytril, now I have no more. The swelling never went away, but they don't limp, they can fly, and they seem super normal. Also, the swelling wasn't exactly on the joint for either, more like mid shin.
> 
> You are saying that the lump/bump is not over a joint. In order for it to be a true articular from of a bacterial joint invasion, it needs to be over a joint and the swelling seen is the swelling of the synovial fluid in the joint bursa/capsule. As mentioned, other types of bacteria than just salmonella can invade joints. I would take a pigeon with a bump and look all over the body for other similar 'lumps'. You may be looking at cutaneous pox which is in the skin itself and can appear on leg or wing but will not be a rigid lump of the kind found in articular joint infections.
> 
> ...


November, I don't know anything about your loft per se, though it is spring and insects abound this time of year dependent on location.

Birds housed out of doors especially need either a vaccination program or a topical feather treatment program in addition to a blood treatment plan for each pigeon to ensure against viruses transmitted by blood sucking insects.


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## November-X-Scourge (May 12, 2011)

Thank you so much <3 I'll fix up some calcium water for her right now!

I've thoroughly checked them out, can't find anything else, very weird. One of these pigeons I've had for maybe 4 months with no change AT ALL from his healthful state - lumps and all. I've been keeping him, waiting before release for something to happen. I've washed his feet in saltwater (some internet thing told me to do so for bumblefoot?), coated them in polysporin, and medicated with baytri with no results.
The other, its been almost two months. She couldn't walk at all and was dragging herself on the concrete, resulting in an exposed keel bone. She's still healing from that. She's gained plenty of weight and is slowly regaining skin, but the feet don't change.

My loft stats: My loft is an unruly pile of about thirty ferals. Its very rat proof, not particularly big (12x4x8). There's plenty of ventilation, grid floors to keep poo away.

There are no insects yet here, it was negative 2c a few days ago. I'm up in Toronto, and spring hasn't exactly... sprung.


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## feralpigeon (Feb 14, 2005)

How many days and how much did you dose the bird for, and with what? Please provide details....maybe the devil is in those details, right?


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## November-X-Scourge (May 12, 2011)

November-X-Scourge said:


> I used baytril,


.17cc baytril on both birdds, one for two weeks and one for one (the one with the keel.) I have to get ready for school right now, but I primise some photos when I get back.


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## feralpigeon (Feb 14, 2005)

November-X-Scourge said:


> .17cc baytril on both birdds, one for two weeks and one for one (the one with the keel.) I have to get ready for school right now, but I primise some photos when I get back.


No worries, school is definitely a priority! 

17cc's of Baytril doesn't really help, the following would:

* What form of Baytril do you have and what is the strength? If liquid, how many mg's per ml are in the solution? It will state this information on the labeling and/or state the actual percentage on the label.

* What is the weight of your birds?

thx


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## November-X-Scourge (May 12, 2011)

I- I don't h- have a scale...
I dont have the bottle anymore either, but I got the stuff from a vet for a pigeon with some unknown problem... I think my mom might've thrown it away (empty). It was liquid...
#mebeingunhelpful


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## Plucky Luciano Flock (Nov 3, 2014)

*Please Please Help*

My loving Pigeon had a baby...the baby suddenly had to use it's wings to walk and just died. Now the mom is flat and has just started using her wings to move--has anyone ever experienced this??? I am FRANTIC please please help!!!


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

I'm going to send you a note on how to start your own thread, that way more will see it.
But for now, it sounds like they need calcium and vitamin D. I'll send you the PM now. Please check your PMs.


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