# found injured racing pigeon



## BIGHEAD (Jul 7, 2008)

hi all real great site by the way and great to see you all love pigeons

I found a pigeon in the middle of the road on friday and looked like it had been hit by a car, he was hit or flew into a car on his left side and is missing an eye because of it when we first got him home blood was streaming from his eye and had a swelling just on the left side of his head but now its sunday the swelling seems to have disappeared the eye has now healed over but cannot see, also he seemed to have a kink to the left side of his neck (where he was hit) and his head just lols to the left the neck doesnt seem broken but when he sits his head lols to the left and the centers again and he keeps on repeating this over and over.
He seems to have purked up since friday, but we are worried about him due to the fact the he is not eating and i have to hand feed him water on a cotton bud every 2-3hours.
he seems very hydrated poo normal and inside mouth from what i can see is normal.

can you advise how many times he needs to be fed water and how often he needs to be fed food and tips on how to feed him and what to feed him.

thanks for reading and any help would be really apreciated as my family are avid animal lovers
I have named him cyclops because he has only got one eye


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Where, basically, are you in case we've got resources in your area?

The head-lolling would be pretty typical for that kind of damage to the head. He could easily end up blind over this but we'll just have to wait and see. Normally, you'd want him to eat about a tablespoon of seeds per day. That can be thawed frozen peas, whole kernel corn, wheat, barley, milo, safflower seeds... When they're in bad shape, though, we sometimes resort to tube-feeding them a formula that you can buy at pet-supply stores. Kaytee Exact Hand Feeding Formula is one kind, but there are others. You can make a makeshift tubefeeder out of some electrical heat-shrink tubing from a hardware store and a syringe, if you have one.

Pidgey


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## Jaye (Mar 13, 2008)

Hi. Thanks for rescuing him.

He may have neurological damage....it also sounds like, IMHO, taking him to a wildcare facility would result in the birdie being put down pretty immediately. I dunno about a vet. If I were taking him to a vet, I would tell the vet he was mine and get assurance that they wouldn't put him down automatically.

You are right...you found him Friday. You gotta get some food into him pronto, especially if you cannot find medical care which will guarantee they will not just flat-out put him down. Now...to your questions:

1) Get some Kaytee Handfeeding Formula for birds.

If you cannot find this....try to get something sort of fine "mash" birdfood...maybe Harrisons mash for parrots or such.

If you cannot find that either....you can get some parrot pellets like Zupreem or LaFaebers...and smash the hell out of the pellets with a hammer (or use a food processor) until you have a powder (pretty fine powder...not chunky).

Bird can be fed w/ a syringe or a baby-bottle nipple. if it's an adult, it won't wanna do that so you may have to hold his head and open his beak to do it. Try putting some into his mouth, near the tip....hopefully he'll recognize it as food and ingest.

I do hope he has not been hurt badly enough that he cannot ingest.

Mix the powder with warm water to a drippy consistency...wetter than a pudding...kinda like a watery cream of wheat. Make sure it's a little warm, but not hot (if it's hot on your wrist, it's too hot for his mouth) when feeding.

2) He needs a good 30cc-40cc a day to maintain weight. I usually break this up into 3 or 4 feedings...although an adult crop of racer can hold about 15+ if necessary...I would not chance filling his crop (again, we are not sure of the internal damage he sustained).

3) Hydration: get some Pedialyte (it's gatorade for human babies, basically). with the syringe or nipple again, give him an extra 5-10cc's of that per day.

I suggest, in this instance, a plastic or metal-tipped syringe...because it directs the food more accurately than a bottle nipple.

Maybe...if things aren't too bad...you can also try wetting/warming some small pieces of food (as Pidgey said...peas and corn is always good...or wetting birdfood pellets until they are near mushy) and seeing if you pop some in his mouth if he will eat them by himself.


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

This is about tubefeeding:

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/f25/pictures-amp-videos-of-tube-feeding-16235.html

...and this is a version of the product that you can usually find at Petsmart, Petco and places like that:

http://www.kaytee.com/products/companion_birds/?aid=all&pcid=1&pid=47511

Pidgey


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

You called this bird a racing pigeon. Does it have a band? If so, what info is on the band?


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## BIGHEAD (Jul 7, 2008)

thank you so much for getting back to me so quick. the numbe on the ring is GB08 R21037,we are afraid if it returns to the owner,then he will probably kill it as i don't think he will beable to race again,for a long time. 

he is now eating himself if i hold a small cup up for him,he is so funny he knows the sound of the food being poured,he is drinking out of a egg cup now,again when i hold it up to him. its lovely to watch him eat and drink. 
i have had him out of his cage (cause he has taken over my dog cage,my dog is not very happy ha ha)and he goes a bit round and round,he has started to try to itch his eye with his foot maybe its itchey.there doesn't seem to be any eye just red.his left wing is hanging.
i am in liverpool so if there is anyone in the area who can assist in tips it would be much appreciated. 
we are made up we didn't take him straight to the vet now, cause they would of just put him down,and we can't believe he has improved so much. 

thanks for all your previous advice,its lovely to know there is other people out there with feelings even though he is just a pigeon.


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## mr squeaks (Apr 14, 2005)

*WELCOME TO PIGEON TALK!!*

As you can see, BIGHEAD, we don't view pigeons as "just a pigeon." In fact, we can be darn right adament about it! 

These birds are something else and many have been the pigeon that changed the minds of people who thought poorly of them...and all because they found an injured pij and wanted to help!

We do have members from "across the pond" and I'm sure they will be online soon. 

Sounds like you are doing well so far and your bird seems to be responding!

Wishing Cyclops and you ALL THE BEST with LOVE, HUGS and SCRITCHES

Shi


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Don't suppose you could take and post a picture of the injuries, could you? If you have tape, you can tape the long feathers of the drooping wing to the tail feathers (just go around them all) and that will help with that for the moment.

Pidgey


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## BIGHEAD (Jul 7, 2008)

no no mr squeaks i would never think of a feral as just a pigeon but where i come from;liverpool in my city 99% of the idiots disregard the bird and call them rats with wings 
me and my uncle have supported birds and animals throughout our lives and at the moment my uncle has a feral in quarantine due to it having an infectious disease and is keeping it in his room.
be it an ant feral or dog i always stop to pick it up move it or rehabilitate them we have always been sad like that

i will try and get some pics on thanks all for you help


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

BIGHEAD said:


> thank you so much for getting back to me so quick. the numbe on the ring is GB08 R21037,we are afraid if it returns to the owner,then he will probably kill it as i don't think he will beable to race again,for a long time.
> 
> he is now eating himself if i hold a small cup up for him,he is so funny he knows the sound of the food being poured,he is drinking out of a egg cup now,again when i hold it up to him. its lovely to watch him eat and drink.
> i have had him out of his cage (cause he has taken over my dog cage,my dog is not very happy ha ha)and he goes a bit round and round,he has started to try to itch his eye with his foot maybe its itchey.there doesn't seem to be any eye just red.his left wing is hanging.
> ...


Here is the link for reporting this bird. 
http://www.rpra.org/Default.aspx?tabid=100

I'll tell you what I would do and you make the decision. As far as this bird EVER racing again.........you're right....it probably won't. However, ALL fanciers don't destroy a bird just because it's injured, BUT, some of them do. If I was in your shoes, I would try to find the owner, let them know that you've got the bird and are willing to keep it if they don't want it back. Some fanciers WOULD take the bird back and keep it as a breeder. Some would TELL you that they want it back and then.............who knows............but if you give the owner the option of letting you keep it, and he truly doesn't want it back, I expect they'll be fine with that. 
Personally, if it was my bird, I would WANT to know where it is and what happened to it. Since it can't race any more, there's a GOOD chance I would let you keep it, BUT, if you didn't want to keep it, I would take it back and it would stay right here in my loft until someone else could take it or it would just stay here. 
You've got the information, so you do what you want to do. And, thank you from someone who does race their birds and appreciates when someone like you finds one and cares for it.


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## BIGHEAD (Jul 7, 2008)

woooooow just saw your house and loft and its boss have you got room for a child of 16 a snowboard and a one eyed feral pigeon. hahaha

what i am gona do is find the persons number and ring him tell him cyi's condition and tell him like you said that i would take care of him and see what he says but if he sounds shady i might think about it because i have grown really attached to him.

thanks again for the advice every1


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## BIGHEAD (Jul 7, 2008)

today he seems to be a little worse, when he turns his head right round,because his neck must be ingured,he falls over, as if losing his balance, then panicks because he can't get back up, we nursed him for a while to try to calm him down, and have now put bedding in the cage to support him,we spoke to a rescue place in our area,and they have said that a vet will see him tomorrow morning but we think they may just put him down.he seems fine if only he wouldn't turn his head right round, do you think we could make a neck brace out of something.
we really don't want him to put down.


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## maryjane (Jul 15, 2006)

Thank you for rescuing this pigeon. I don't think the vet *can*put it down, as he's not a feral pigeon. I could be wrong. As he is a "pet" pigeon, it would be your at your discretion whether to put him down or not. I am surprised a rescue agency is willing to help, since he's not feral. I would suggest trying to find a regular vet to take him to, if that's at all possible. Preferably an avian specialist. You could call around and ask about them seeing your pet pigeon.

I don't know if anyone suggested putting a heating pad out for him, but that would help. Just put it in his cage on low with a towel over it, and some room for him to scoot off it. Hopefully you were able to tape the wing up; the sports tape used by people works well. I would put some neosporin or other antibiotic ointment on the eye to help keep an infection out, very gently, *unless some other members thinks that's a bad idea, please let us know.* (So wait a bit and see what people say).

You can try rolling a towel into a "donut" position and tucking him into the middle of the donut. They do get panicky when they're unbalanced or ill, and the thrashing around doesn't help. If only we could make them understand that hehe. He sounds like he has head trauma from the accident. If you have any lavender, you can put it around the cage, as it has a calming effect on animals. I'm not sure about the neck brace but I'm sure someone (probably Pidgey) will have an idea for one. Seems like it would be hard to do because there's nowhere to secure it to on the body, really. But we'll see. 

I hope he does well and you are able to find a good vet that will help. Thanks again for helping him, and welcome to the site!


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

He could probably use an antibiotic. You might be able to calm him down into a pillowed nest and that might help.

Pidgey


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## amyable (Jul 7, 2007)

Hi Bighead,
Well done for helping this poor bird. I was told by a vets once that if it's not your bird, (seeing as how it's ringed), that they will contact the owner with regard to treatment first. Does this vet know it's not yours?
A rescue centre I also contacted said the same, that they would contact the owner and ask if they wanted the pigeon back first. They did say that in their experience, if the owner was prepared to come and get it, or pay for it to be returned, they weren't likely to go to that trouble and expense just to kill it. So you'll probably get an honest answer from them, but make it clear you will be happy to take over it's care if they sign it over to you.
I do hope you can help it. You seem determined to do what you can and that's just what this pigeon needs right now. Good Luck!


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

> today he seems to be a little worse, when he turns his head right round,because his neck must be ingured,he falls over, as if losing his balance, then panicks because he can't get back up, we nursed him for a while to try to calm him down, and have now put bedding in the cage to support him,we spoke to a rescue place in our area,and they have said that a vet will see him tomorrow morning but we think they may just put him down.he seems fine if only he wouldn't turn his head right round, do you think we could make a neck brace out of something.
> we really don't want him to put down.


Most fanciers vaccinate their pigeons against paramyxovirus, but there is a slight possibility that this is what your rescue has and that this is what caused the accident rather than the accident causing the neurological symptoms.  If you contact the owner you could ask if the pigeon has been vacinated against PMV.

The danger of taking him to any vet is that if the vet suspects PMV, which as I said is only a possibility, then they might put him to sleep.

If it is at all possible, and I know it is a long drive, it might be better if you were able to make an appointment with a vet called Laura (I can't remember the surname) at this surgery:

Springfield Vets
Springfield Veterinary Surgery
144 Redlam
Witton
Blackburn
Lancashire
BB2 1UW 
01254 54654

If Laura is not available, then ask if it would be possible to put you in contact with Helen Illiffe of Wild-Life-Line.

Cynthia


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## BIGHEAD (Jul 7, 2008)

Hi the Pigeon is now quite well , the owner has been told about him and said I can keep him. blind in one eye.
We have made a small shed for him but are trying to sort the entry out for him to learn to enter it and leave through it.
Can someone help on making a entry gate for his den. 

Also when we put him in there to try it out he was very very quiet about it. 

He will be on his own in there at night is this okay for a pigeon or not. what else can we put in there for company if not another pigeon.

One final thing is that he is always going for us. All the time he only wants to peck us and gets anoyed and flaps his wings at us in temper? can someone say why ? 

Thank you for all your help on this


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

get him/her a mate, they like to be with other pidjies.


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## PigeonQueen (Aug 13, 2006)

Another alternative to housing piggie in the shed would be to buy a giant dog crate, one which he could flap his wings okay, than let him live as one of the family in your home. You could buy the pigeon diapers so piggie would not mess your place and place him back in the crate when you have visitors etc. and at night. He would be safer than in the shed.

I would also put a band with your phone number on now that the previous owner has said you can keep him.

Good luck with the piggie.

Jayne


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