# Very disturbing poops



## Athalie (Feb 3, 2008)

Greetings everyone!Hope you are all well. It’s been a while since I last posted, have been busy. Sadly Xena died a few days after I took her to the sanctuary but Peggy was doing great all week, ‘till today. Fort the past 3 days her poops have been runny but the colour was normal dark brownish green with white. Yesterday morning she seemed to be a bit sleepy but other than that there didn’t seem to be anything wrong. Since last night she’s been almost constantly fluffed up and sleepy and not long ago she produced a runny mustard-coloured poop with a bit of white in it. I found another one just like that on the windowsill smeared and dry, she must have produced that this morning. She has been on a budgie-seed diet, is eating normally even now but the sleepiness and the poop disturbed me. What could it be? I spotted her about 3 days ago pecking at a dried up pigeon poop in the yard, don’t know if she actually swallowed any but it was all over her beak I wiped it off with a damp cloth. Don’t know what to do other than make her comfy. Pleas advise! 
Best wishes Bernadette


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

Hi Bernadette,

I am so sorry that Xena didn't make it, there are so many conditions that pigeons can fight off but doves are too delicate and so they die.

Difficult to tell what is wrong with Peggy as so many illnesses can produce the same symptoms, it could be coccidiosis, worms or something else.

Keep her warm, make certain that she drinks enough water. Give her a probiotic such as natural yoghurt to help her good bacteria crowd out any bad bacteria.

If you could let me have your address I would be only too happy to send you some basic meds to have to hand for emergencies. I will PM you my telephone number, if you phone before 5 I should catch the last post.

Cynthia


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## Athalie (Feb 3, 2008)

Thank you Cynthia! I have been reading a thread about Young Bird sickness, and i saw a picture of a pidgeons breast bone. I felt that today when i picked her up. God i'm very worried! If it is that it says on the site that there is nothing to be done. She seems very reluctant to drinc water but still eats seeds. I will get the yoghurt soon. would a vet be able to help? I will phone you as soon as you send the number. Thank you very much for your help.


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

Done it.

Cynthia


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## Athalie (Feb 3, 2008)

Thank you Cynthia! I am going to a pet store shortly, i need to get seeds for the baby bird and my adopted budgie. Is there anything that i could get there that might help in any way? special feed or maybe vitamins? It's a pet superstore type so i'm guessing that there should be some useful stuff there othervise what would they fill 2 floors with


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

I'm not sure if this is what you're describing but if the solid portion of their poops turn a very light color, it generally means that their livers are badly affected by some kind of infection. It would also mean that they're not digesting their food very well as they're not producing enough bile salts and enzymes. That can turn fatal pretty quickly and you're often stuck with medicating them blindly unless very prompt testing turns up something.

Pidgey


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## Athalie (Feb 3, 2008)

Greetings Pidgey! The colour of the poops was normal even though they were runny, the liquid like substance was dark green towards brown but since this morning the whole poop is yellow mustard colour with brown normal poop bits and some white in they. I will keep an eye out for when she produces another one I'll take a picture. She is drinking and eating. Just got back from pet store got some budgie seeds and some trill with vitamins. Also a birdhouse and 25 kg of wild bird seed  
PS Cynthia I tried but I can't look in her mouth and i feel horrible because she's struggling poor thing. I put my nose up close to it though and it doesn't smell bad. It's similar to the smell of baby chicks like seeds and warm cookies. The poops smell a bit strong but not cheesy or sour.


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Mustard yellow is bad. I've got illustrations that show such poops linked to Chlamydophila and other diseases. I'd probably treat with Baytril and Metronidazole for starters and possibly change the strategy after a few looks with the microscope.

Pidgey


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Athalie said:


> Greetings everyone!Hope you are all well. It’s been a while since I last posted, have been busy. Sadly Xena died a few days after I took her to the sanctuary but Peggy was doing great all week, ‘till today. Fort the past 3 days her poops have been runny but the colour was normal dark brownish green with white. Yesterday morning she seemed to be a bit sleepy but other than that there didn’t seem to be anything wrong. Since last night she’s been almost constantly fluffed up and sleepy and not long ago she produced a runny mustard-coloured poop with a bit of white in it. I found another one just like that on the windowsill smeared and dry, she must have produced that this morning. She has been on a budgie-seed diet, is eating normally even now but the sleepiness and the poop disturbed me. What could it be? I spotted her about 3 days ago pecking at a dried up pigeon poop in the yard, don’t know if she actually swallowed any but it was all over her beak I wiped it off with a damp cloth. Don’t know what to do other than make her comfy. Pleas advise!
> Best wishes Bernadette



I'm so sorry to hear Xena died.

From your list of symptoms it sounds like she may have coccidiosis, which is possibly accompanied by another health issue. I've seen the sleepiness and fluffed up state, along with the watery poop.

If she isn't, get her on heat, give her fluids, and then make sure to feed her. Probiotics would be very beneficial along with Apple Cider Vinegar in the water, or a drop in the formula. I always give a drop of colloidal silver for infection.

I would get her on a major anti-infectant too-like the one Pidgey recommends, if you can't get her to a compitent avian vet or rehabber.


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

> Cynthia I tried but I can't look in her mouth


Can you get someone to help by holding her while you open the beak? The colour of the inside of the mouth can tell you a lot. But if you can't look, then give her half a spartrix. I have sent spartrix and I caught the last post.

Can you send a photo of the poops? Try not to panic yourself into thinking that the colour of the poops can only indicate a serious illness, remember that a headache is more often stress than a brain tumour.

You could take her to the vet I told you about, but most vets won't be able to analyse poops under the microscope and give an on the spot diagnosis unless it is something like cocci or worms, and most won't even do that. Poops usually have to be sent away for analysis and that takes about a week to 10 days.

Cynthia


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## Athalie (Feb 3, 2008)

Greetings everyone! Just cheked on Peggy not long ago, she pooped on my hand as I picked her up and the colour was normal,  dark green with white and it wasn't as runny as yesterday or today. Not one single sign of yellow poop anywhere in the room. She seems more alert aswell, left the light on for her untill we go to bed so she can eat, drink and move about if she wants. I got Actimel probiotic yoghurt with no flavour, put it right next to her water can't tell if she had any yet.I mixed cyder vinegar in her drinking water - 3 drops in 1 pint,didn't know how much is ok,she drank some of that. I sat right next to her twice this morning outside untill she ate all her seeds. Turned the radiator up to max she's nice and cosy on a towel right next to it, she can walk about on the bed if she gets too warm. She loves to sleep on my stuffed lions head, got that for my 21st birthday and she pooped all over it   She does seem alot better from what i can tell. Thanks everyone for helping! I will post again tomorrow morning and try to find fresh poops to photograph. Good night!


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

ACV is usually dispensed at 2 Tablespoons per gallon. It usually makes more sense to only make up about an 8-ounce cups' worth at a time, though. That would be about 1/4 teaspoon and a half of a 1/4 teaspoon more.

Pidgey


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## Athalie (Feb 3, 2008)

Thank you Pidgey! I will mix some up now. Don't know about the poops, I've looked again everywhere in the room and there is no sign of mustard yellow found another green one very small about the size of a pea and it's mostly dry but might have been there for about an hour. As far as i could tell she only produced 3 yellow poops, found two in the room earlier today and one outside which alerted me. Can something she ate affect the colour? She picks up all kinds of what-nots even onther bird poops - yuk Thanks again


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Don't know. Here's a link to the last thread that I can remember where a member had a bird making lightly colored poops:

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?p=237398

I don't like it when that symptom arises, though.

Pidgey


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

Good morning Athalie!



> Can something she ate affect the colour?


Yes, vitamin B supplements can turn poops yellow.

Very large pale droppings that look like biscuit are a symptom of pancreatic disease, when the pancreas is unable to digest starch. But if that is the cause the pigeon will eat voraciously and will still lose weight. Diagnosis is made by adding iodine to the droppings, that will turn the undigested starch black. I don't think that Peggy's problem is pancreatic disease.

Very pale droppings are a sign of poor food absorption and are often seen when a bird is recovering from enteritis.

Healthy dove poops are only slightly larger than a pea and dry up very quickly. I have just measured one  and it was one cm long and 1/2 cm wide. They are usually olive green to brown, but a couple of days ago one of my two babies (Consuelo and Soledad) was passing very dark green poops that stained the towel. That cleared itself up .

Is Peggy still fluffing up and sleeping? Does become alert if you speak to her?

Cynthia


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## Athalie (Feb 3, 2008)

Greetings Cynthia! The medicine just arrived, thank you very much for taking time to send it! She is not fluffed up any more, and she seems less sleepy. She becomes alert as soon as i step in the room. Right now she is walking about on the windowsill pecking at seeds. I took her outside this morning she had a nice walk around the garden had a go at some of the wild bird seed on the ground but eventually gave up trying to eat them and came back to where her food was. She was outside for more than an hour just snooping around then she just came up to the door and cosied up. I brought her in she went to the radiator got warm then started wandering wround the bed. She seems quite active. Shee pooped one outside again it was runny and dark yellow coloured I took a picture will try and post it with photobucket.


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## Athalie (Feb 3, 2008)

http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk53/AthalieYR/photo-0146.jpg
Hope this works


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## Athalie (Feb 3, 2008)

Sorry about the quality my phone is naked  She produced this one a few hours ago. I will try to take more with a better camera. 
Cynthia can I still use apple cyder vinegar in the drinking water at the same time as the probiotic or just the probiotic for now?


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

I'm not Cynthia, but I do give mine ACV in the water, and then give them a probiotic capsule down the throat, I don't think one hurts the other, as ACV provides a good environment for the good gut bacteria to multiply.


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

The colour of the poop is normal dovey colour. Is it slimy?

The probiotics are powdered and have additional vitamins, I can't think of any reason why they shouldn't go in the water with the Apple Cider Vinegar. If Apple Cider Vinegar destroyed good bacteria or vitamins then it wouldn't be much good!

I would also give Peggy pertex now (that treats coccidiosis). keep an eye on her and tell us of any changes you see.

Cynthia


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## Athalie (Feb 3, 2008)

Greetings everyone! peggy is well, alert and eating. I put two water dishes in the room for her one has a pinch of probiotic and the other ACV. I couldn't hold her still enaugh to give her the tablet so I will try and cut the half up in to smaller pieces and put a few seeds around it she might pick them up on her own she does try everything. The poop was more watery then slimy. I found two new ones that are more solid. I will post when i get her to eat the meds. Thanks for the help!


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## Athalie (Feb 3, 2008)

Greetings everyone! The trick worked, I cut the half of the tablet in to 7 seed sized pieces and she ate every single one of them on her own. Think she just went for them because they were bright  she always singles out the brown seeds and has those first. I'm glad it worked. She also pooped and it was normal consistency, not watery or slimy just poopy if that makes any sense. The colour was still brownish yellow though. Hope she will be ok. She's snuggled up to the radiator now getting warm. She had a little outing I took her outside so i could see the pieces of tablet better on the concrete. Post soon on how she is. Thanks everyone for all the help!
Have a great weekend!


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## nikku-chan (Jan 18, 2008)

wow that's a bit scary that she ate the tablets herself!

I guess it proves how much care you have to take to make sure she doesn't get her beak on anything dangerous. My pigeons always like to eat fluff balls from the rug, or my clothes.

They've picked up little pieces of wood that come out of the floor boards occasionally, but they always spit them out.

I just assumed birds would have more sense not to eat anything they might find.

I guess i need to be more cautious about where i let them play.


I'm sorry about poor little xena,
but glad that peggy is doing well


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## Athalie (Feb 3, 2008)

Hey Nikku!Great to hear from you!Hope you are well! I am a bit worried about that aswell,I constantly have to keep an eye on her and what she might pick up. I caught her eating bird poop twice so far and a few times i spotted her swallowing bits of dark soil. From my experience with baby chikens I would assume that this nehaviour is useful. Baby chikens pick up tiny chips of rocks and soil to help them digest the food in their crop and budgies need something similar in teir diet, might be the same thing with collared doves, I'm not sure. I'm just glad she did eat them herself and I didn't have to put her through the uncomfortable procedure of holding her down and pushing it in her beak. She is very picky with the seeds, seems to have her own little rutine, first she picks up all the brown millet then the white. That's how I usually know she's been eating, all the dark millet is gone  She also pecks at bright white marks on the pavement and bright green bits of moss on the sides of the fence. Guess that's why she swallowed the tablets straight away, because they were bright and they stood out from between the seeds.
She seems alot better, not fluffed up atall and very active, she's outside right now exploring.Her poops are normal consistency and dark brown coloured no sign of yellow in them. I will post again soon on her progress.
Wish everyone a great weekend!


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## Athalie (Feb 3, 2008)

*Need advice*

Good morning everyone! Since yasterday morning Peggy is flying, she's constantly on the shelves and the curtain didn't take her out atall yasterday. What should I do? If I take her out she might not come back... I know she would be ok, she knows how to eat and by the looks of it I am going to have a hard time cathcing her. I'm just worried she keeps bumbing into walls and windows she might hurt herself. Should I let her out today or keep her longer? Her poops are ok, dark brown with green and white. I think she wants to go


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## Reti (Jul 20, 2003)

I would keep her another couple of days, just to make sure she has no relapse.

Reti


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

> I would keep her another couple of days, just to make sure she has no relapse.


The weather is also particularly cold and nasty at the moment. It is always best to release in the morning of a bright day, with a good weather forecast for the next three days or so.

Cynthia


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