# Help!i have a pigeon with a chestbone sticking out of its chest and it has ppmv



## xaxa (Dec 12, 2016)

I found this pigeon.It turnes out it had the twisy neck disease(ppmv)...I had it for a week but then i noticedi that ts chestbone was sticking out...I thought it was because it cant eat alone ,so i stated handfeeding it from now on...what is that bone?How couldi help it?


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Don't know that it is PMV, but he is starving. He needs to be hand fed. What are his symptoms? Do you have fresh peas that you can cook to soft, cool to just warm and hand feed them? Here we would use frozen peas that have been defrosted and warmed, but fresh peas can be cooked and cooled to warm. Here is what you would do.

If you need to feed peas to a pigeon, hold the bird on your lap and against your body. This gives you more control. Reach from behind his head with one hand and grasp his beak on either side. Now use your free hand to open the beak, and put a pea in, then push it to the back of his throat and over his tongue. Let him close his beak and swallow. Then do another. It gets easier with practice, and the bird also gets more used to it, and won't fight as much. If you can't handle the bird, then use the sleeve cut off a t-shirt, slip it over his head and onto his body, with his head sticking out. This will stop him from being able to fight you so much. Just don't make it tight around his crop area. It helps if you have him facing your right side if you are right handed.


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

I'm sure you will be able to get frozen peas in Namibia. Just put them in warm water till soft and feed to him. Try to feed at least 30 peas 3 times daily. It's quite easy once you get the hang of it.


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## xaxa (Dec 12, 2016)

Thanks,I will feed him peas today...He has that twisty neck disease(PIGEON PARAMYXOVIRUS)


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

Supportive care will get him through this. Always leave a deep seed dish with him, sometimes they figure out a way to eat by themselves. His droppings will be mushy and green when you're feeding the peas, but if he eats by himself will be brown. They don't really need water when on the pea diet, but you can leave a small bowl with him. Small enough so that he does not drown when having a seizure. 

The one I had took 8 weeks to recover, seizures was at it's worst by week 6. Today she's healthy and fine and able to fly.


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## xaxa (Dec 12, 2016)

ok...thanks...What is seizure?


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

They get a fit. Head on the ground, wings fluttering and staggering backwards. Lasts a couple of seconds and then will return back to normal. Mine did not had this when I got her, only later on during week 4 - 6. Stress aggravate the symptoms, always keep him in the same cage in the same room so don't change the environment in which you are keeping him. He will also benefit from vitamins in the drinking water, maybe you can get some for pigeons at a petshop for when he starts drinking water again.


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## xaxa (Dec 12, 2016)

Do you think the bone will ever go back in again ...or will it stick out permanently?


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

The protruding keel is just due to starvation. If the bird gets enough to eat and doesn't have a bad worm infestation, then it can fill back out in time (there are a few other things but that's the most common reason).

Pidgey


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

Have you been able to feed him peas?


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

As always, thank you Marina.


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## xaxa (Dec 12, 2016)

Yes..he is eating 30 peas 3 times a day.Thanks for all the help.


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

Thanks for the update. Hope he recovers soon.


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## xaxa (Dec 12, 2016)

Hi...should i just feed the pigeon 30 peas 3 times a day and nothing else?....after i feed him 30 peas ,he still wants more and doesn't wanna stop eating.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

As he grows, he can eat more. After feeding him the peas for a while, he will see them as food and should start being able to pick them up himself. Leave some with him and see if he will do that. The 30 peas is kind of a starting point.


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

Yes, you can feed more. If he still shows signs of wanting more after 30 peas, go for it until he seems satisfied. You can also dip the tip of his beak (but not over the nostrils otherwise he might aspirate) into a small bowl of water if he wants to drink. They seem to drink a lot of water when they have PMV, something about the kidneys getting damaged.


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

I'll just chime in here that there's always the possibility that it isn't actually PPMV. For a certainty, feed him or her all that she wants to eat and see if you can bring his or her weight up to the point where the breastbone ("keel", "sternum" or "carina", believe it or not) isn't protuding. That's always the first priority, where and when possible.

Regarding seizures (neck-twisting and other such behaviors), the symptoms merely demonstrate which neurological systems are involved and not which pathogen is the actual cause. Literally, a huge amount of birds with these symptoms are suffering from a chronic infection of things that can be cured with the right medications and therapy.

That being said, sometimes caregivers aren't in a position to acquire or administrate such therapies, or don't have the veterinary talent or resources available and management ends up being the only possibility.

On a deal like this, you'd want to stabilize the bird's weight and see if it gets over the torticollis (neck-twisting) or if it remains a chronic condition. That's going to take a few weeks, at least.

Pidgey


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