# HELP - Need To Find Canker Medication



## phyll (Mar 15, 2004)

Hi,
Spotted a pigeon in a flock with his legs bound together by thread. He was still able to walk.
We put bread (only thing available) on the ground to attract him. We were unable to catch him. 
When I got closer, I realized something else was wrong.
His cheeks looked swollen & his beak was slightly open.
His feathers were ruffled & I THINK I saw yellow on the side of his beak. 
I'm almost certain he has canker. My husband ran to a store to buy scissors ~ the pigeon was in a courtyard of a nursing home. By the time my husband returned, the pigeon had left for the night.
This same flock is always there, so we will try to catch him tomorrow to remove the thread. 
Of course, I want to help him with the canker.
Through other posts, I see that Turbosole (thanks Snowbird) would be a good choice to treat the entire flock of about twenty.

I am in NY. Does anyone know where I would be able to get Turbosole in a hurry?

If not, about how long would it take to arrive from Australian Pigeon? I know that they carry it.
Thanks.

Phyll


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

Hi Phyll,

Try throwing raw unsalted peanuts or even unpopped popping corn close to your feet. If the flock is a hungry one they will usually pile on top of each other as they try to get the peanuts which will enable you to grab the sick pigeon.

Although treating the whole flock for canker is an excellent idea, if you manage to catch the pigeon that already has canker it is best to give it individual treatment, preferably a 10 day course of metronidazole (Flagyl) or otherwise a three day course of Spartrix (Carnidazole).

I have a pigeon with canker at the moment and the difficulty is keeping it fed until it is able to swallow food. I have done this by soaking chick crumbs in water, rolling it into tiny pellets and force feeding the pellets one by one but dipping them into water just before putting them in the pigeon's mouth. That was they virtually melt into a liquid that it is able to swallow, but even so you have to be very patient and keep checking the mouth to see that the food is going down properly and not blocking the throat or the trachea.

Before tackling the string injury try rubbing some Bach Rescue Cream into the foot and leaving it for half an hour. This makes the string removal much easier.

Good luck with catching it!

Cynthia


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## birdboy12 (Jul 27, 2004)

*hrmm*

your right it does sound like cancker you might try to go to www.jedds.com and buying something from them to try and help this bird and the thread around its legs sounds to me like it was someones bird and it had sprayed legs and the birds owner put the thread around its legs to pull them back in because if has sprayed legs it isnt going to make it half of the time the reason sprayed legs occurs is lack of gripping from the nest so the legs slip from under the bird but its old enough to were it can stand without it slipping and just like cyro said get peanuts and/or popcorn(un popped) and if the bird is hungry it will come close enought to catch and if u cant catch it with your hands try bringing a small sheet or towel to toss over the bird 

hope this will help

Erik


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## Snowbird (Jun 24, 2004)

Turbosole can be purchased and delivered quickly from Siegels (1-800-437-4436). It is not only best for flock treatment but it is best, period, though a mixture of this and other medications is a good choice. I would get this quickly and give the flock a 3 day treatment via the food--1 gram Turbosole for 20 birds/day. If you can catch the bird then you can hand feed it the Turbosole (I can tell you how to dose this).

As recommended that Bache Cream, given some time to soak in, will make the string operation much more possible. It will not simply be cutting some string between the two legs, but a potentially complex nexus of knots that need to all be gotten out to alleviate pain and allow the toes to stay connected and functional. This is complicated if the string has been there a long time, if there is swelling, if there are multiple knots, if the the string is a multibraid floss typpe, etc. If you catch it I can provide detailed instructions. You will need a tweezers, fine sewing needles--straight is better than curved, a razor blade, magnifying glasses, Bache Cream, a blood clot agent (just in case--not normally needed) and a topical antibiotic.

Catching is difficult if the bird is still strong, and if there is a number of birds, the box held up with a stick attached to a string trick does not work because you won't get the right bird most likely. If by any chance you can get that bird to come to hand, then you can get it to walk under a hand net--this is more realistic than grabbing it because if you grab and miss (the odds are you will miss a strong bird), you will not get another chance and the bird is lost.


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## phyll (Mar 15, 2004)

Thank you Cynthia, Erik & Snowbird for your help.

My husband & I returned to the nursing home to catch the pigeon, but he was not there.
We went twice ~ once being the exact same time we saw him yesterday.
The pigeons came very close to eat, so I'm certain he was not with the group.

I feel terrible & learned a lesson.
From now on, we will carry "supplies" in the car.

When we saw the pigeon yesterday at the nursing home, it did cross my mind to ask to borrow scissors & I SHOULD have done that. The time that my husband spent going to the store to buy them, could have been used trying to catch him.
I am not ready to give up on seeing him again. We are going back to look for him tomorrow.
Again, I thank you.

Phyll


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## Snowbird (Jun 24, 2004)

I meet a certain bird everyday within 3-4pm--an ex sring patient of mine. Once in a while she won't make it and I worry. A few times she missed two days in a row. But she was there the next day, and the next. One day she will be gone, but the birds do a have many stops on the daily itiniery because all food supplies are ultimately unreliable and they have back ups. Maybe your bird scored food earlier, or met a mate or something, but there is a very good chance of appearance. And preparation is important because some situations come up just once and if you miss that chance you feel that bird is lost.


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

Don't kick yourself about this! The neediest pigeons are sometimes the hardest to catch and your own sense of urgency will sometimes hamper you.

I was once trying to catch a pigeon whose feet were tied together with string, I was new at it and not very confident. Every time I lunged I got the most appalling headache and ended up crouched on the ground with the pain. I didn't ever manage to catch her and eventually she lost a foot, but I still feed her and she has survived for two or three years so far.

I try to carry a foot repair kit with me whenever I go into town because on two occasions I had to send people off to get a pair of scissors while I waited, clutching a pigeon! I also try to carry some Spartrix so that I can treat a pigeon with canker as soon as I find it. Even so, whenever I have a real emergency I find that I have left my supplies behind.

Cynthia


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## Snowbird (Jun 24, 2004)

Yes, it's like life--wanting something and feeling needy is a sure way not to get it, so when there is a bird in trouble I try to act like it makes no differrence whether I get it or not. And many situations are low percentage on the catching--only the most desperate, run down birds can be easily caught.


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## John_D (Jan 24, 2002)

I know what Snowbird means about pigeons not being there when we expect them to be. Around here I have a little fella I call BP (just 'Brown Pigeon'). He will be there on the corner of a roof of the next block of apartments and sometimes catch me as I come out to the car in the morning, sometimes when I arrive home in the evening (in the long days of spring and summer). He recognised my car and, when I changed it not long back, soon recognised the new one. Soon as I step out he flies down to one of the two feeding places, depending on which side of the courtyard I am parked at.

In winter I only get to see him at the weekend, never leave or return in daylight. 

Sometimes he goes missing, few days or over a week. Just as I start to worry about him - he turns up. He's always there - I just don't always keep the same time, I expect.

He also knows my balcony, and if he's lucky gets breakfast there - if he sees anything move inside (like me), he will stand and coo for peanuts. He also comes around to take a bath, or just to wash his food down.

He's been around a few years, and used to be the boldest one - stand on the windowsill and accept his food through the window. Then, he got thread round his feet. Pity of it was, I could never catch him. If I step outside, he'd be gone. Tried once to drop a cloth over him while he ate just outside the door - but he saw it coming. No way could I catch him in the grounds - he wouldn't think of eating until he has checked I'm just far enough not to be able to grab him.

So, eventually, he ended up with stumps. But he is an amazing survivor, just like the one Cynthia mentioned. 

John


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