# Injured Pigeon Found



## vishal-ibs (Jan 5, 2014)

Yesterday evening at about 7pm, while playing badminton i found i pigeon, i think it fell from 4-6 floors to the ground where some stones bricks were there. I think he is about to be mature (adult) in a week or so. I think he is badly injured area under his thigh is ruptures and the skin is torned and also injury at the join in leg he also may have broken his wings. but area under thigh is badly injured. As i live in a hostel there is no Vetanary Doc available here, although there is a clinic (PHC) for human but not of much use, so i am my self taking care of it. 
I applied soframycine ointment under the thigh and tried to give Diclofenak Sodium + Paracetamol tab for pain )the tablet is for humans so I powdered it and mixed with water. Bt as he is still a baby he is not eating or drinking on his own, i have to forcefully make him dring and make him eat by opening his mouth. Presently he is in my room most pf the time he sleeps on one leg or lays down.
Suggestions please.
For medicine u can search google and bear for the wrong english. ty.


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## kunju (Mar 14, 2012)

Hello Vishal, thanks for rescuing the poor bird. Where in India are you located?

Firstly, the bird needs to be kept in a warm place. Maybe you can line a cardboard box with towels, and top up with newspapers and keep the bird into it. The wounds need to be cleaned carefully with warm saline water, and antibiotic applied to it. I guess the soframycine you applied is good enough. 
Metacam(meloxicam) is a good painkiller for giving to birds,,..I don't think paracetamol is good for them. The dosage for metacam is 0.1-0.2 mg per kilogram of bird, so dose according to your bird's weight. 
You can start him on antibiotic like Amoxicillin (it is a human drug too, so you can get it in all medical stores)...the dosage is around 50 mg per kg of bird, once a day. Treat for 10 days.
Since he cannot eat or drink on his own, keep up the hand feeding. You can make him drink by dipping the tip of his beak (not the nostrils) into a shallow dish of water, and see if he drinks on his own. It is not a good idea to forcefully syringe water into the bird's mouth, it could choke the bird to death. You can feed him seeds, grains or green peas (fresh peas ), corn etc...feed him till his crop fills, and then wait for another 4-5 hours until the crop empties, for the next feeding. You need to feed atleast thrice a day.

Since the bird is seriously injured, please start the antibiotic immediately...if you don't get amoxicillin, you can try for ciprofloxacin, baytril etc. 
All the best!


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## vishal-ibs (Jan 5, 2014)

Thanks Kunju for the advice, 
I will start with ciprofloxacin or amoxy immediately as other medicines are not available with me, but the problem is he is not drinking water and i dont understand how should i give him medicine. i can forcefully make him eat but cant force him to drink. other prob is as he is injured he is not letting me hold him and tries to go away or fly but that also he cant do. he keeps sleeping most of the time. 
During this time (day) I keep him in open above newspaper so that he can get some light and fresh air and during night i keep him inside a Plastik bucket (open mouth) i put some clothes on him but he throws it and also i put some newpaper on top of the bucket to keep it insulated.

another think now i am giving him raw rice to eat, that also he eats very less, i cant understand that weather he is hungry or not. how can i judge? 

sugessions????


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

*Thank you for helping this poor bird.

Can you try to get some of the seeds in this mix? rice is not a good food: http://www.purgrain.com/ingredients.htm *


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## kunju (Mar 14, 2012)

Where are you from in India? If the climate at your place is harsh, you need to protect the bird from the cold...so it is better to keep the bird indoors, in a warm place. 

It is apparently undergoing lot of pain, and quite stressed and tired...which is perhaps why it is sleeping so much. Allow it as much rest as possible, in a quiet dim corner. 

You can give him bajra, jowar, corn, ragi, wheat etc. Rice is not a good food for pigeons. If you can get fresh peas (matar), give him that. You also get frozen fresh peas in the supermarket, which you can thaw by soaking in warm water, before giving. The advantage of giving peas is that it already contains good amount of water.

Pigeons do not drink a lot of water, so he just needs to get a few sips in a day. 

To feed him, catch him firmly with a thick towel and wrap him with it, so he cannot move his legs/wings and only his head is sticking out. Open his beak, place a pea and close his mouth so he can swallow. You can give around 20 peas in one feeding for a start. Three feedings a day (total 60 peas in a day).. After each feeding, offer him water by gently dipping his beak into a small bowl of water...he will drink if he wants. 
You can gradually increase the number of peas depending on how well he eats.
Do not put clothes ON him...You can place him inside a cardboard box lined with towels or cloth...make sure he is warm and away from air drafts..If you have a hot water bag, you can fill it up, cover it with a towel, and place the bird on it so he is warm.. but make sure the water bag is not too hot for him. 
You are doing a great job...hope your pigeon gets well soon!


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## vishal-ibs (Jan 5, 2014)

thanks for ur advise guys.
i am living in a college hostel that is located in outskirts of hyderabad, near shankerpally. all i can get here is rice, tomorrow i have classes and tests but still i will try to get some wheat grains. The climate these days is really gets cold and chilly during night bt thats not the main issue as he is with me in my room, not exposed to blowing wind or cold weather.
can u suggest how to feed him medicines? u can see his pics in my profile and notice his legs, he is always standing on one feet as other is injured, i find no movement in that leg or sensation, i tried to firmly press the claws bt he didnt felt any thing. now from noon he is trying to move a bit on his one working leg.


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## kunju (Mar 14, 2012)

Saw the pics. He does seem fully grown to me.
If you have the amoxicillin tablet, see how many mg it is. You need to get 50 mg out of it. So if it is 250 mg, you need to cut into 5 pieces. That way. Just open the beak, place the piece of tablet, and allow him to swallow the piece.
Regarding the bad leg...where is the injury? When he struggles, does he push out with that leg or does it stay limp at all times?
Thanks for taking the time to care for Chotu.


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## vishal-ibs (Jan 5, 2014)

no, i dont have amoxy now, but i have cipro 500, so similarly i gave him a piece about 50-70 mg to eat, the injury is inside the thihg area, if i say in human term the part between thigh and balls. skin (not only feather) of that area is completely torn, i can easily see the tissues (meat). Again just now i feed him and applied soframycin. there is one prob regarding feeding him. as u noticed hes is not fully grown so i have to feed him, but when i put grains in his mouth he shakes his head and most of the throws out most of the grain, so now i tried to open his mouth a bit wider and put grains a deep so that he cant throw it out. is it a good thing to open his mouth wider? a friend suggested me put some thing like a funnel ( a hollow pen open from both end) in his mouth and then feed him through that so that he cant spit out. will it be good? i thought it may cause him pain so till now didnt applied this technique. another thing how to check if he can eat more? i mean like touching below neck. also u said to feed him peas or corn, but will it fit his mouth? will he be able to swallow?


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## kunju (Mar 14, 2012)

Don't do the funnel thing...you could choke the bird to death. Just take a pinch of like 2-3 seeds, place it inside the beak, and let him swallow. You don't need to open the mouth wide, just open it slightly, place the seeds and close the beak. You can give like a tablespoon of seeds in one feeding.
Peas are a good option, they have good water content, and they are easy to give. When you give seeds, many seeds just get scattered around, but with peas it is easy. You get frozen peas, which you need to defrost before giving.
If you feel below his feathers on his chest, you will be able to feel the seeds you have just fed him. This is the crop. When the crop feels full...not compact but still soft and grainy..you can stop feeding. The crop extends like a bag when full, so his chest will look expanded after a feeding. If you can get around 20 poops out of him in a day, you are feeding him right.
Peas do fit inside the mouth, but sometimes you might have to split them in half for a youngster.


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## vishal-ibs (Jan 5, 2014)

ok, understood. tomorrow i will try to get some peas and corn, as today i am busy till 8. and feed him accordingly. and for poos i didnt count but it must be easily 20. every now and then he poops. and for medicine - 50mg cipro once a day right?


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## kunju (Mar 14, 2012)

Yes, 50 mg once a day. Please continue for 10 days.


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## vishal-ibs (Jan 5, 2014)

one prob i am observing, is that he cant make noise or sound. rarely i hear his voice that too very fine. today while i was holding him he was opening his mouth and putting his neck forward, seemed he was trying to yell. but no sound came. and from yesterday he becomes very restless when i hold him. earlier it was very less.


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## kunju (Mar 14, 2012)

Pigeons usually make sounds to each other. Since your bird is alone, it will not be making any noise...
The more your bird fights you, the better he is doing I guess. His natural instinct is to get the hell away from you, and he will try to do so as his strength improves. Take care that he does not escape by any chance.


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## vishal-ibs (Jan 5, 2014)

there has been a prob with his poop, as u said in earlier post that he should do around 20 poops a day but for last 2 days this count has decreased to very low around 5-10 but at the same time it not normal the quantity has increased, no or very less water kind or semi solid, green, thick. and for 1 day i am feeding him well around 15-20 fresh green peas, 4-6 corn, 2 peanuts * 3 times a day. still drinking very less water. a good sigh always trying to move and fly, but not able to do so.


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## vishal-ibs (Jan 5, 2014)

i dont understand what went wrong... wha i did wrong? why he left us?
today at around 5 pm he passed away. missing him too much. lv u babu. may u rest in peace.


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## kunju (Mar 14, 2012)

So sorry he passed away. Were you giving the antibiotic? I can't think of any reason, other than possibly some infection...


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