# wheezing pigeon



## TylerBro (Mar 14, 2011)

Help I went to look at some pigeons yesterday and there was a hen that was in with the rest . When the dude grabbed her with a net it was kinda hard . But when he was showing me her I noticed a slight wheezing sound coming from her . There was no discharge and she felt okay no lumps . He gave me her for free due to her sound .. but I'm not adding her to my healthy pigeons till I know what it is .... what meds do u recommend to de tox pigeons in order to introduce them to ur loft .. clean and healthy .. thanks Tyler oh and she looks young still is it possible she is just young and making the noise ??


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

Tyler, can count how many resting breaths a minute she is taking and let us know? Is she open mouth/beak breathing or does she still have her beak closed? Is she eating and drinking and producing droppings, if she has produced droppings, what do they look like? Also, what do you have on hand in the way of meds?

Karyn


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## TylerBro (Mar 14, 2011)

I got her tonight and she is with the four other birds I got .. I'm new to pigeons so I don't have any meds but willing to get what I need .. ill go count her breathing in a little ill get a diff cage to see her droppings and check to see if she is eating .


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

Please separate her out from your other birds, to quarantine her, bring her in the house and keep her in a warm spot. If you do this, you'll have to give her a few minutes to calm down, so her resting breaths are accurate and she is not all stressed and excited. Do any of your family members or friends have some antibiotics around for them, their family members or even their pets?

Karyn


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## TylerBro (Mar 14, 2011)

I got her in her own pen she is eating and drinking the first to do so outta the other birds .. its more of a whistling when she is breathing .. I counted thirty whistles per minute if that sounds right . She is breathing closed beak .. and I have cipro, flagyl, clindamyacin, bacteria, penicillin all for human use... what could I use and what is the does bird to human conversion ... hahha


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

Tyler, 30 breaths a minute is in the normal range for a pigeon, it shows she is most likely not in a state of hypoxia (having trouble getting oxygen into her body) and while this does not rule out an infection, it is a a good sign, as most advanced infections start to really hamper the amount of oxygen a bird is getting and you get an increase in breaths per minute and most times open mouth breathing. Wow, I was not expecting such large selection of antibiotics to be available for possible treatment, what strength are the Cipro and Flagyl you have and do you possibly have a 1cc syringe around? 

Also, could you gently open her mouth and have a look inside and tell me what you see, if it is clear and pink looking or are there any kind of growths there that may look "cheesy" looking. At the base of her tongue on an opening called the glottis, this is the opening to her trachea (windpipe) can you make sure to it clear of any obstructions and there is not any swelling or growths blocking it.

Karyn


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## TylerBro (Mar 14, 2011)

They are both 500 mg pills and and yes I have a 1cc syringe .. and I looked and everything is clean and don't look obstructed or looked cheesy .. the throat looks clear ..


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## TylerBro (Mar 14, 2011)

Now the owner didn't have a record of there last meds or vaccines .. what would u recommend .. I need to make them safe ans have my loft disease free ??


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

OK, good, glad things in her throat are clear. Tyler it sounds to me like she could possibly have an infection or is developing one. When I hear these sounds from one of my birds I almost always start them on a course of antibiotics to either clear up what's there, or put a halt to what may be starting to develop.

The Cipro you have would be a first choice drug for respiratory ills in a pigeon (most times we would use what is called Baytril/Enrofloxacin, but Cipro is more or less the human equivalent of this). To treat her you would cut one of the Cipro tablets in half and put away one half. With the other half I want you to grind this up into as fine a powder as you can, here I use a shot-glass - like for measuring alcohol - and the end of a small kitchen knife that has a rounded end. When you have the pill all ground up, I want you to add 5mL of pancake syrup or honey to this, you can use the 1cc syringe 5 times to measure this amount, or you can use a cooking teaspoon (this is 5mL, but it must be a cooking teaspoon, not a regular teaspoon). I then want you to stir this very well, then let it sit 20 minutes, stir very well again and the medicine will be ready to use.

I want you to give your hen 0.10cc (this is to the first line on the 1cc syringe, and is about 2 drops, and will contain 5mg of Cipro) and do this every 12 hours for 7 days and we'll see how she is doing by then. Stir the medicine well each time you use it and keep it in the refrigerate between use.

Make sure she has seed and water and is kept warm and if you can tomorrow, I would not mind seeing you post up a photo of her and of her fresh droppings. Any questions, please ask.

Karyn


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## TylerBro (Mar 14, 2011)

Would u worrie about the other pigeons or when they are ill they show it ..??


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

TylerBro said:


> Would u worrie about the other pigeons or when they are ill they show it ..??


We do want to keep your other birds under close observation for the next little while, but they do not require treatment at this point. If you see any of them start to develop any symptoms or start to act like they are ill, please let us know.

Karyn


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## TylerBro (Mar 14, 2011)

How much would that be in milleters ?? I have a pipeet that is ml my syringe is bigger than I thought .. would the pipeet work or where could I get a syringe in a pinch


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

TylerBro said:


> How much would that be in milleters ?? I have a pipeet that is ml my syringe is bigger than I thought .. would the pipeet work or where could I get a syringe in a pinch


Tyler, you could use a pipette, or even any eyedropper, and pick up a 1cc/mL syringe tomorrow (the kind without a needle). What you want to do is get two drops of this medicine into her tonight (then evey 12 hours for 7 days).

Karyn


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## TylerBro (Mar 14, 2011)

I have my med all mixed just trying to figure out the ml to cc conversion .. or is it the same?? Thanks


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

TylerBro said:


> I have my med all mixed just trying to figure out the ml to cc conversion .. or is it the same?? Thanks


Sorry, some people say cc, some mL.

FYI, 1cc = 1mL, they equal the same.

Karyn


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## TylerBro (Mar 14, 2011)

Hey I want to say thanks the hen is a cock and paired up and has has two babys .. thanks again


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