# how do i take care of my hurt pigeon?



## peachykeen (Oct 1, 2004)

i found a pigeon flopping in the street on my way home from work tonight. a cat had been 'playing' with it. i stayed with him a while and then put my coat over him, picked him up and carried him home. 

he (or she, i guess, i have no idea) can't fly, but he can move his wings. his poop looks like normal bird poop, not really runny or anything. his eyes are open and he seems very alert. the ends of his wings are tattered. under one is fine but i haven't gotten a look under the other one. he's a bit sticky in places (underneath mostly but i haven't taken a close look yet) and one of his feet is a little messed up. 

right now he has some warm water with a bit of sugar in it. i dipped his beak in but he didn't even open it. there are also some bread crumbs. he's in a box lined with paper and a cloth. and he's in the dark.....

what should i do? should i be feeding him? what should i feed him? should he be in the dark? should he have a water bottle or something with him?

please give me some advice as i have no idea what i'm doing with this poor little guy! 
thanks!!
~laura


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## phyll (Mar 15, 2004)

Thank you very much for helping this pigeon.

If you have a heating pad, set it on low, cover with a towel & place it under the pigeon.
It's okay that he is in the dark, for now.
Does he have any visible wounds? Do you see any blood at all on him? 
I'm sure one of the expert members will advise you shortly.
If not, I will be back to answer your other questions in a little while.


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

Hi Laura and welcome. Phyll is right .. the bird needs warm, dark, and quiet for right now. The water is important too. You can get some wild bird seed mix or actual pigeon/dove mix at the pet store for the bird.

After the bird has had a chance to settle a bit, you do want to check carefully to be sure there are no wounds anywhere. 

Thank you for helping and please keep us posted.

Terry


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

Hi Laura,

How is the patient today?

Dark , warmth and quiet are essential initially for a stressed or wounded pigeon, but they won’t eat in the dark, so by now he should be given light but still kept in a warm, dry, draughtproof place. He should be provided with bird seed if you have it (unpopped popcorn and dried peas are a good alternative if you don’t) and examined carefully if only to see whether there was illness or injury that led to him being caught by the cat in the first place. 

This is copied from Terry and Marian’s post on examining a sick bird. Please let us know what you find!

Attitude and Posture? ( alert, normal behavior, erect posture// or still, fluffed, quiet, 
eyes shut, uncaring of surroundings, slumped, drooping wings or tail) 

Eyes? (clear, bright, open// or half closed, runny, dull, swollen area above, below or 
around eyes) 

Sinuses? (nares and eyes clean, without discharge, close-mouthed and effortless 
breathing// or swollen area around eye, wet feathers around nares or eye, wet cere, from 
any discharge, sneezing. Any open-mouth breathing, respiratory distress, overall body 
movement when breathing. Any open-mouth breathing with slight exertion or fear. 
Shoulder feathers may be matted with discharge from bird wiping its eyes) 

Mouth? (beak edges and inside of mouth pink and free of discharge, lesions, trachea 
clear and fully visible//or any paleness, dry membranes, swellings around beak edges or 
in mouth, any clumps of yellowish or whitish growths inside mouth, any seeds or objects 
lodged, any sour or other odor from mouth, weak jaw muscles) 

Ears? (clean, no growths or lesions or blood) 

Face and legs? (bare areas of body free of nodules//or nodules anywhere on face, legs, 
shoulders under feathers, lower abdomen under feathers) 

Crop area? (normal filling and emptying, no odor from mouth// or hard crop, crop that 
doesn't empty, feels lumpy, enlarged) 

Body mass? (plump, with fully fleshed breast area// or thin, with protruding keel, 
bruising) You can check skin surface for bruising by wetting the feathers with a gauze 
pad and wiping to reveal skin. 

Feathers? (intact and free of parasites and parasite damage// or dull, breaking easily, 
fluffed, evidence of parasites, cloacal feathers matted with discharge or feces, stress 
marks on tail feathers, frayed feathers ) 

Wings? (held erect, symmetrical, smooth structure, folded over tail// or drooping, with 
swellings or nodules at shoulders, enlarged joints) 

Abdomen? (firm, flat//or swollen, masses, fluid-filled, egg-bound. Abdomen is felt very 
gently. Vent should be free of feces, with dry feathers. There should be no protruding 
mucosa from the GI tract.) 

Legs and feet? (free of any nodules, pads of feet free of cuts, swellings, reddened 
patches, or other signs of bumblefoot // or nodules, red or swollen foot pad, smooth areas 
of pad surface, weak grip) 

Neurological? (easy, coordinated movements and normal posture // or unsteadiness on 
feet, inability to hold head erect, twisting, spinning, star-gazing, seizures, tremors, 
uncoordination, head tilt, unresponsiveness to surroundings or stimuli) 

Droppings? (white and dark portions clearly defined, no odor // or discoloration, 
runniness, excess fluid, odor)

70-90% of cats and 50-66% of dogs carry an organism in their saliva that is highly toxic to birds and leads to septicemia and death if introduced into a bird by a bite or a scratch. Even preening feathers that have been mouthed by a cat or a dog can prove fatal to a bird.

Because birds have a fast metabolism the infection develops quickly. They can die before symptoms show, even to the most experienced eye. This is why bird rescuers and rehabilitators will urge people that have a cat caught bird to put it on antibiotics as soon as possible. 

For this reason I always treat cat caught pigeons with Synulox (Clavamox) .

Cynthia


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## peachykeen (Oct 1, 2004)

*update*

he does have blood on one leg and his back feathers and legs have something dark and sticky which i am assuming is a mix of poop and blood. his feet look like they've been chewed up a bit by the cat.

he's been in a box all night. his beak is shut so it seems he's breathing normally. there seems to be no damage to his head or neck. his eyes are open and alert. 
i haven't seen him drink anything yet, but there is a dish in his box. and i did put a small hot water bottle in his box last night too
i've also tried to bath him this morning but he flutters too much to really do anything.


so for right now i should try to get water in him and find a pigeon/dove birdseed?


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## peachykeen (Oct 1, 2004)

*to the rescue!*

hey everyone!
thanks so much for all your welcomes and advice!

i found a shelter/rehab for wild animals not to far away from where i live and a friend of mine has agreed to take Boo (pigeon) and me there!!

i'm so relieved!

keep up the good work you guys are doing. i'm so grateful that there are so many of you dedicated to taking care of even pigeons. every life deserves a chance!

thank you all again!

~laura


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

Hi Laura,

Before handing him over just make certain that it is not one of those places that euthnases pigeons on principle!  

Cynthia


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## peachykeen (Oct 1, 2004)

*no worries*

i spoke to the woman who runs the veterinary hospital. she rehabilitates wild life at her own home. she'll try to nurse him back to health. if he can't get better then she will but him down, but the same way they would a dog or a cat. i'd rather that then for him to be suffering.

i'm going to call tomorrow and ask about him!


~laura


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## phyll (Mar 15, 2004)

Thanks for the update, Laura.
Please let us know how he makes out.


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