# Took in a wild pigeon, it’s either sick or injured



## Emeralds5668 (Sep 4, 2017)

The bird was with someone else for at least a week maybe 2. It was found just on the ground! Not able to walk. They brought it in! And have been feeding and watering it, but it can’t walk. It’s been laying so long it’s breast bone is off center. Bird is very skinny. I cleaned the poop off him but it’s very bright green and runny. I cannot find any injuries but he is missing tail feathers. He barely twitches his legs. I’m thinking maybe paratyphoid? But I have no experience with this. I gave him about 16 mg of amoxicillin, fed him up really good with thawed peas. He is eating seed a little and drinking but I don’t know what else to do. I have him separate from all my other birds and animals but I’m very concerned for him.


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## Silverwings (Oct 27, 2017)

sounds like a intestinal/ inside thing. The pigeon could most likely be underweight because of worms. I would also provide a vitamin and calcium supplement.


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## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

Could you pls post a photo? There are a lot of symptoms you might check for. Thank you for helping him! Where do you live so we might suggest helpers near you?


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Are you sure he is eating enough?
Picture of how he is holding his legs?
For now can you roll up a small towel and fashion a nest out of it to support him?
If missing tail feathers, he may have been caught by a predator.


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## Emeralds5668 (Sep 4, 2017)

cwebster said:


> Could you pls post a photo? There are a lot of symptoms you might check for. Thank you for helping him! Where do you live so we might suggest helpers near you?


I am from Kingman, AZ. I fed him about 25 thawed peas and he has been moving around, using his wings to crawls around. I will post photos. I am giving him amoxicillin 3 times a day. And I did put multi drops in the water although I have no calcium.


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## Emeralds5668 (Sep 4, 2017)

cwebster said:


> Could you pls post a photo? There are a lot of symptoms you might check for. Thank you for helping him! Where do you live so we might suggest helpers near you?


I will post photos


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## Emeralds5668 (Sep 4, 2017)

Here are photos, he keeps pooping on himself so I cleaned him up but that’s why he is wet. It’s shows his legs better, they both have swollen joints. Maybe you can see that in the picture. Poor little bird

https://postimg.org/gallery/cymjn7n2/


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Oh, the poor baby. He may have been born like that. Or maybe broke the right leg at some point and it heeled wrong. Maybe even did that while in the nest. The only hope he would have is if that right leg can be pulled out to where it should be, and braced that way for a while to see if it will straighten. Not sure though. A really good avian vet would be able to help, but if you were to try and straighten it yourself, it may hurt him a lot, trying to reposition it.
It must be fixed for him to ever have a quality of life though. Is it possible to get him to a good avian vet?

How much Amoxicillin are you giving. That is normally given in 2 doses daily. From 25 to 50 mg., divided in 2 doses. Some do 12mg for every 100 grams of bird weight, divided in 2 doses. So you would need too weigh him with a gram scale (kitchen scale). Do you have a scale?


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## Silverwings (Oct 27, 2017)

Emeralds5668 said:


> It’s shows his legs better, they both have swollen joints.


This may be a sign of a internal form of salmonella, or maybe (but way less likely) pox, though it does not sound like it.
This is my best educated guess.
Good Luck!


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Silverwings said:


> This may be a sign of a internal form of salmonella, or maybe (but way less likely) pox, though it does not sound like it.
> This is my best educated guess.
> Good Luck!


What does pox have to do with his legs? Where do you see pox?


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## Silverwings (Oct 27, 2017)

Nevermind, I just realized it not......
Sorry about that.


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## Emeralds5668 (Sep 4, 2017)

Silverwings said:


> This may be a sign of a internal form of salmonella, or maybe (but way less likely) pox, though it does not sound like it.
> This is my best educated guess.
> Good Luck!


He is getting better. He is shuffling around, able to flap his wings, is now pecking at me, has much better control of his head and is eating better on his ow. I’m giving him amoxicillin, 16 mg 3 times a day and multi in his water. Feeding thawed peas and corn and canard bird seed he has at will. I’m so encouraged. I don’t have a scale, but he’s failing weight. He felt like air, and from his paralysis his breast bone was pushed over from the way he was laying. His crop is nice and filled out, his eyes are bright and much more alert. His knees are going down in size. I’m encouraged and believe he will make is. I’m going to coin tine the antibiotics for 3 weeks. That’s what I read for paratyphoid.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

I give up.
Good luck with the bird.


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## Emeralds5668 (Sep 4, 2017)

Am I missing something? Did I not answer a question? I’m sorry. I’m not sad to this forum and the comments are showing up kinda mixed up on my tablet


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## Emeralds5668 (Sep 4, 2017)

Jay3 said:


> Oh, the poor baby. He may have been born like that. Or maybe broke the right leg at some point and it heeled wrong. Maybe even did that while in the nest. The only hope he would have is if that right leg can be pulled out to where it should be, and braced that way for a while to see if it will straighten. Not sure though. A really good avian vet would be able to help, but if you were to try and straighten it yourself, it may hurt him a lot, trying to reposition it.
> It must be fixed for him to ever have a quality of life though. Is it possible to get him to a good avian vet?
> 
> How much Amoxicillin are you giving. That is normally given in 2 doses daily. From 25 to 50 mg., divided in 2 doses. Some do 12mg for every 100 grams of bird weight, divided in 2 doses. So you would need too weigh him with a gram scale (kitchen scale). Do you have a scale?


I don’t think the legs are broken. His knees are big, both of them, but they are straightening and the swelling is going down. His feel are starting to work when they didn’t work at all. I’ve read that paratyphoid can cause that. He was at deaths door. He was so skinny, his crop was dry and hollow you could feel all his bones, and he head was partly being held up. I really don’t think it’s an injury. He is not a young bird from what I can tell. He was found on a sidewalk unable to walk. The swelling in his knees is in the exact same place bilaterally. I’m just glad he is getting better. I don’t have baytril so I’m glad The amoxicillin seems to be curing whatever this infection is. He does not have diarrhea anymore either.


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## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

Hope he continues to get better.


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