# pigeon in shock



## deadgoon (Oct 6, 2001)

hi,
recently whilst driving i found a pigeon which had been hit by a car. it was in shock and looked to be dying. we took it home and put it in the aviary with some budgies in our back yard. that was a week ago, and it is still alive and seems to be much better, however it still cannot fly. we are concerned that it may never fly again because of it's damaged wing. we have also been told not to put the pigeon in with straight beaked birds, but because we have a cat, we don't have too many other options. We have been giving it water and birdseed, but we're not sure if it's eating. How do we clean and care for it's wounds and is it ok to keep it in the aviary with the other birds? We think we may have Lawry the pigeon for life.


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## raynjudy (Aug 22, 2000)

Bless you for helping a pigeon! Pigeons-R-us!

Navigate this website for emergency information.

Check your email...

--Ray


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## bigbird (Aug 19, 2000)

Hello and welcome.
Yes, pigeons make wonderfull pets. 
Lawry will probably survive almost any conditon you make for it, but only if seed, grit and water are provided and some attention from you to the physical and emotional needs of a pigeon. 
Regarding the budgie environment, I know that budgies can bite when protecting their space so you will need to keep an eye on the situation to be sure the pigeon does not get attacked. 
The thing to remember is that one lone pigeon needs your care and attention to all of its needs, much more that you probably now provide to your budgies.
Regards,
Carl


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## raynjudy (Aug 22, 2000)

Here is a cross-post from my friend Marian, from another forum. It will answer some of your questions.

Question: are you checking for normal droppings to see if the pigeon is eating?

--Ray

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You can clean the birds in stages so as not to stress them too much.
Clean what look like serious wounds first, i.e. still bleeding or puncture
type, and any wounds on or about head and neck.
Use warm water with betadine added (to color of weak tea--about l TB of
betadine to 2-3 cups of water). If you have a syringe (no needle, l0 cc or
larger) , just keep flushing the wound and removing loose bits of dried
blood, dirt, etc. If no syringe, use gauze pads (alot) soaked in the
water and gently clean each wound area. Cotton balls have too many fibers
that will stick in wounds. You can wrap the bird in a handtowel to
immobilize him. When you're working on areas other than the head, cover the
head with the cloth which will calm him. Alot easier with two people. The
person holding the bird is responsible for observing if the bird is getting
too stressed, so you can stop when it needs a rest. Open-mouth breathing,
fighting, agitation are reasons to stop for the bird to rest.

After you finish a cleaning session, apply triple antibiotic cream to each
wound--just a very thin layer so it doesn't get smeared in the face or over
feathers.

Clean more areas after the bird rests a few hours. If too stressed, wait
for another day.

Check for hidden wounds, especially where you see matted, sticky feathers.
I'm assuming the blood is from pecking by other birds, but they might have
been dog or cat attacked, given they were so badly cared for when you found
them. If you see what looks like a cat or dog puncture wound in one area,
there will likely be an opposing bite wound on another side of the body.

Meds: They can be started on Baytril or TMS (pediatric Bactrim).

Baytril dose is l5 mg per kg of body weight. It comes in tablets of 22.7 mg
each.
Crush two tablets and add to l0 cc of pharmaceutical syrup. This will give
a concentration of 4.54 mg per cc. Doesn't need to be refrigerated. Will
keep for at least 3 weeks.
If your bird weighs, for example, 0.300 kg:
0.300 kg x l5 mg per kg weight divided by 4.54 mg per cc = l cc of
Baytril
Shake well before drawing each dose. If you use apple juice instead,
keep refrigerated and make new batch after 5-6 days.

If you use TMS instead, this already comes mixed and ready to use. Dose is
30 to 60 mg per kg of body weight. (I use 60 mg). Shake well before
drawing up. To calculate a dose for, say a 0.300 kg bird: 0.300 kg x
60 mg per kg weight divided by 48 mg per cc = 0.38 cc of TMS
Both meds are twice a day for 7-l0 days. Doesn't need fridg. Keep both
meds out of light when storing.

Check birds for trichomonas by looking into their mouths (pen flashlight or
regular flashlight) for any cheesy white-yellow clumps near back of throat.

If mouths are clean and clear, go ahead and treat them for trich anyway by
giving each a Carnidazole tablet once. If they do have the trich
symptoms, give the Carnidazole tablet but repeat the dose in 2 days, then a
third time, in another 2 days. ( There are a variety of different dosing
instructions about this med in different books. There is a wide safety
range in dosing.)

You can wash the feet and tail/wing feathers with running water (one person
holds, the other does the light rubbing). Don't submerge the whole
body--too much stress and chance for chilling. Just do a part at a time.

Put them in a warm, quiet box to rest.

Make sure they are drinking plenty of water. They are probably mildly
dehydrated.

They should be kept separate from your other birds, in quarantine, with
separate implements, food, etc. Wash hands before and after handling them.

They should also be treated for parasites. Check feathers, particularly
undersides of wings for lice, mites, etc. If you see these, or if you see
feathers that look eaten, dust the birds lightly with Sevin dust (from
garden or vet supply store). Keep the dust out of their faces (and yours)
and dust lightly in a ventilated area. You can use a new, l-2 inch paint
brush, dipped in the Sevin and brushed onto the feathers.

Internal parasites--all new birds over 25 days old should be treated for
this with Ivermectin (Ivomec).
Dose is oral, 200 mcg (micrograms) per kg of body weight.
I assume your vet has this, but if not, you can buy a small bottle of it
from a vet supply or good feed store. Make sure it has a far expiration
date as small bottles cost around $40. It's really handy to have this at
home. Then, get a bottle of propylene glycol from pharmacy (may be by
prescription). It can't be mixed with anything else to be effective.

To mix: draw up 0.l cc of Ivermectin (this is just one tenth of a cc, NOT
one cc). You'll use a one cc syringe with a needle to do this. Combine
that with 9.9 cc of the propylene glycol, so that you have a total of l0 cc
of the mixture. Concentration will be l00 mcg per cc. You can put this
solution into a small, clean pill bottle. It should be very well shaken
before drawing up each dose. Store at room temp, away from light. Shelf
life about 3 weeks before you need a new batch. The Ivomec will expire long
before use use even a fraction of it.

To figure the dose:
For a 0.300 kg bird x 200 mcg per kg weight divided by l00 mcg per cc =
0.6 cc once.
Repeat this in 3 weeks.

I'm sure they are already two happy fantails. I'm glad that you have a
kind vet.

Best,
Marian

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End


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