# Found a sick/wounded pigeon and need advice



## pollyselma (Jan 24, 2012)

Hi All,

I'm new to the site, but so far have found a wealth of information. I found a wounded pigeon a few days back, but am quite perplexed as to what may have happened to her, so I need a bit of advice (I live in Portland, OR)

A little background (sorry for the long post): I initially saw her sitting on the ground outside my house about 4 days ago at dusk. Since I know birds nest out of reach of predators, I was concerned and went to pick her up. However, she immediately flew out of my reach and up to our lower eaves, which I took to be a good sign. I checked the area in the morning and saw her sitting there out of the rain, but by the afternoon she had left. When I came home that evening, I found her again sitting by my house, however, this time, when I went to check on her, she could only drag herself by her wings.

I'm a huge animal lover, so immediately took her inside and tried to look her over without causing her too much distress. I initially thought that she'd been grabbed by a cat, but there wasn't a lot of bleeding, only strange gouges, missing feathers on her chest and two limp feet/legs. I warmed her up, rehydrated her, tried to clean her up with some antiseptic wash (I didn't want to do too much all at once) and started her on the only antibiotics I had in the house (azithromycin) which I had left over from my cat. Since then, she's been eating and drinking, but has absolutely no use of either of her legs. I'm assuming perhaps her toes have been broken, but it's really hard to tell.

I've had her for 3 days now and she's alert and eating. Tonight I decided it was time to give her a quick soak in the sink to get as much of the gunk/dirt/poop off of her as possible, then dried her off and tried to bandage her feet (she was extremely calm and cooperative, but I wasn't able to get a splint on her).

My dilemma is the fact that I'm 7 months pregnant and aside from the usual paranoid friends who are telling me that I'm going to catch encephalitis or some other terrible disease (I not one to scare easily, although I do have to be a little more cautious right now), I'm not sure how I'm going to be able to care for her much longer (we've also got two house rabbits, two cats and three chickens). The problem is that our audubon society won't take her because she's not native and the only avian vet in the area is incredibly expensive (I'm willing to take her there, but am a little concerned about the cost of xrays, etc.) 

Does anyone know of any wildlife rehabbers in the Portland area and beyond (I'm willing to drive a ways) who would take a non-native pigeon? She's a very sweet girl, but I've got the unfounded health concerns (I know, I know, I probably shouldn't be worried, but would love to hear from folks) and more importantly, if she does have irreparable damage to her feet, I'm not set up to care for her. I guess if I knew there were no health problems, and that she just needed time for her feet to heal, I'd certainly keep working with her. Perhaps the only way to find that out is to bite the bullet and take her to the vet.

I'm posting some photos which will hopefully help. I just can't, for the life of me, figure out what's going on with her chest. It's only slightly raw and was never bleeding, but there's a big gouge missing (the black part is just matted feather and dirt I couldn't get off).

Thanks for any and all advice!
Chelsea


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## Msfreebird (Sep 23, 2007)

Hi pollyselma and welcome to PT. Thank you for caring and taking this little one in. Looks like you've covered just about everything....good job! I understand your concerns, but don't worry, pigeons are not dreaded disease carriers. That is hype made up by 'pest control companies' to boost their business. 
Common sense with handling any animal...wash your hands, and you should wash your hands _before_ handling her, as she can catch things from you. Your more likely to catch something from a cat than you are a pigeon 
We have some members up in your area, so keep checking back. I'll send a private message to Charis....I believe she's in Portland also.


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## Libis (Oct 8, 2010)

You have fantastic instincts--starting her on antibiotics right away! With the scratches this could have been caused by a cat or a hawk. Don't worry about the bird making you sick. 

But since you're pregnant I do want to be sure to mention that you had better be having someone else clean that litterbox for you. It's not safe for you when you are carrying a baby because of the parasites that cats carry and how these could hurt your little one. 

http://www.cdc.gov/healthypets/pregnant.htm

I'll try and keep an eye out for members from Oregon for you. Wish I were closer--I could at least take her temporarily until I could find someone. Or I could see if my vet could do something. Or our local bird rescue. (By the way--you might be able to get help if you have a local domestic bird rescue. Our parrot rescue takes doves, button quail, anything legal in the city along with parrots. I'm sure our local lady would not be above taking a pigeon in need either.)


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## Libis (Oct 8, 2010)

Here are some domestic rescues. Call them and talk like this "I found someone's injured pet bird... I think it's a pigeon or dove..." Don't say anything about it possibly being feral and they might be more likely to help. Half of peoples' pigeons are not "cuddly" types anyway.

Exotic bird rescue:
http://www.rescuebird.com/

Always Birds First Rescue -- Eugene
P.O. Box 2301
Eugene, Oregon 97402
541-461-5851
Sally Gilliam, president: [email protected]

Rose City Exotic Bird Club. Adoption only at this time. P.O. Box 68342, Portland 97268; (503) 221-4213; [email protected] [email protected]

Stephanie Tillitt, Stephanie's Feathered Family Exotic Bird Rescue, www.featheredfamily.org - 360-896-3588 Home, 360-601-9778 Cell


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## Libis (Oct 8, 2010)

More rescues in your state:

http://www.sdexoticbirdrescue.com/

http://www.sanctuaryone.org/


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

Liz...none of those places will take pigeons. Oregon is a bad place to be if you are a pigeon.I love that you've done some research though and tried.

Chelsea, I'll take the pigeon from you. I'll pm you my phone number.


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## Libis (Oct 8, 2010)

Charis said:


> Liz...none of those places will take pigeons. Oregon is a bad place to be if you are a pigeon.I love that you've done some research though and tried.
> 
> Chelsea, I'll take the pigeon from you. I'll pm you my phone number.


Really? I'm surprised none of the bird rescues there are kind enough to take in birds other than parrots.  Maybe I've just seen too much good out of Roberta here at our local parrot rescue and expect them all to be as caring as her.


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

Libis said:


> Really? I'm surprised none of the bird rescues there are kind enough to take in birds other than parrots.  Maybe I've just seen too much good out of Roberta here at our local parrot rescue and expect them all to be as caring as her.


Part of the problem, is that the director of Oregon Fish and Wildlife , is really big into the control of non-native species. We all know where pigeons fall in that category. Licensed facilities are in fear of loosing their permit and funding if they take pigeons in.
As hard as I've tried, to find others here with the same passion for pigeons that I have, it's been difficult to find them. Just within the past year, a small group as started to emerge.


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## Libis (Oct 8, 2010)

Charis said:


> Part of the problem, is that the director of Fish and Wildlife , is really big into the control of non-native species. We all know where pigeons fall in that category. Licensed facilities are in fear of loosing their permit and funding if they take pigeons in.
> As hard as I've tried, to find others here with the same passion for pigeons that I have, it's been difficult to find them. Just within the past year, a small group as started to emerge.


But those are all facilities that I listed are for taking in _*domesticated non-native species*_ like parrots! What is wrong with them for not taking another domesticated species beyond the parrots? I bet they'd take in feral Quakers.


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

Yes...they will take in feral Quakers and they may take banded pigeons or fancy pigeons but they don't take feral pigeons...at least I've never found any that will.


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

Liz..if you can find someone in the Portland area that will take feral pigeons, understands pigeon illness/injuries, has medications, experience and the resources for a pigeon friendly vet, I want to know them. In all sincerity, I would be thrilled to pass the torch.


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## pollyselma (Jan 24, 2012)

Thanks all so much for your help, info and the quick replies. I've spoken with Charis and she's going to help get her (I've named her Midge) back on her feet and figure out what the problem might be. I'm willing to release her back in my yard if she's able to go back to the wild. Otherwise, I'm also willing to give her a good life if she can't be released! I really appreciate all the help - what a great group!


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## Libis (Oct 8, 2010)

Charis said:


> Liz..if you can find someone in the Portland area that will take feral pigeons, understands pigeon illness/injuries, has medications, experience and the resources for a pigeon friendly vet, I want to know them. In all sincerity, I would be thrilled to pass the torch.


I wish I knew someone in Oregon who did. Most of the bird people I know are in the Omaha, NE area. But if I hear anything I will let you know.


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## pollyselma (Jan 24, 2012)

Libis said:


> You have fantastic instincts--starting her on antibiotics right away! With the scratches this could have been caused by a cat or a hawk. Don't worry about the bird making you sick.
> 
> But since you're pregnant I do want to be sure to mention that you had better be having someone else clean that litterbox for you. It's not safe for you when you are carrying a baby because of the parasites that cats carry and how these could hurt your little one.
> 
> ...


Oh, and my husband is already on cat litterbox duty (although considering I grew up with cats in my crib, I've probably built up quite a resistance to toxoplasmosis already...but better safe than sorry, plus it gets me out of cleaning the litterbox  )


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## Bella_F (Nov 29, 2008)

Good on you Charis l! I'm sorry to hear that you are all alone there without much help in the area, I can imagine it gets tiring being the only one with your skills & experience to help.

Does the wound with this one look like a hawk attack to you?


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

Bella_F said:


> Good on you Charis l! I'm sorry to hear that you are all alone there without much help in the area, I can imagine it gets tiring being the only one with your skills & experience to help.
> 
> *Does the wound with this one look like a hawk attack to you*?


Probably it is, Bella but the bird won't be arriving for a few hours yet.


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## Bella_F (Nov 29, 2008)

Charis said:


> Probably it is, Bella but the bird won't be arriving for a few hours yet.


Wishing you good luck with her, Charis. I know she's in the best of hands.


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## Libis (Oct 8, 2010)

Charis said:


> Probably it is, Bella but the bird won't be arriving for a few hours yet.


Keep us updated. You're awesome for taking in this little one.


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

That wound is what you get when a pigeon hits a highline or wire at fairly high speed in such a way as to scrape the chest badly, often ripping off a lot of skin or abraiding it heavily. It also fairly often breaks the legs. In the position they're hanging, it's possible that they can heal without splinting if she's kept in a simple towel donut that's well fluffed. It's usually better to hang them up in a sock like was done with Braveheart. I'll go get a link for that story.

Pidgey


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Okay, go read this entire thread (it's not that long):

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/f6/my-birds-been-shot-help-53961.html

There's a link in there somewhere about a racing pigeon that hit a wire.

Now, we should probably talk about the Azithromycin dosing for the bird...

Pidgey


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

For Azithromycin, you'd go with somewhere between 40 and 80 milligrams of actual medicine per kilogram of bird. She's probably running somewhere in the 250-300 gram range, so somewhere in the 10 to 20 milligram ballpark would do per day. Got info on the pill?

Pidgey


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

On that chest wound, as long as there's no rotting smell, it's probably going to be better at this stage to literally leave that alone. Yes, a person could debride the wound (clean all the scabs off, etc.) and possibly sew the skin back up where it goes if it's not ripped off entirely. HOWEVER... that's often not the best course. A vet can even want to make a bunch of money by "doing the job right" and literally overdo it... and kill the bird, ultimately. Or make matters worse. There's a big difference between treating something like that within hours of it happening versus doing it days later. The exposed tissues start the process of creating scar tissue and once they get going on it, they don't want to stop. Anyhow, when it's all healed, you're going to be VERY surprised at how good it looks (unless something worse goes wrong).

Pidgey


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

Thanks, Pidgey...I've got it handled.


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## November-X-Scourge (May 12, 2011)

Such a cute pij! Glad shes getting help


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## Bella_F (Nov 29, 2008)

Pidgey said:


> That wound is what you get when a pigeon hits a highline or wire at fairly high speed in such a way as to scrape the chest badly, often ripping off a lot of skin or abraiding it heavily. It also fairly often breaks the legs. In the position they're hanging, it's possible that they can heal without splinting if she's kept in a simple towel donut that's well fluffed. It's usually better to hang them up in a sock like was done with Braveheart. I'll go get a link for that story.
> 
> Pidgey


Thanks for mentioning this Pidgey, what an awful wound to get  Also I appreciate the advice about handling leg breaks and the info about Braveheart.


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

The pigeon has been here about 1 hour.
His legs are not broken. He does not need to be stitched up but if he did, I have a vet that would anesthesize, stitch him up and not charge a ton of money. There still are some of those vets around. 
The wound is bad but I've seen far worse. Still, I'm sure it's painful and so I've started him on metacam. I also gave baytril. He ate on his own and had a drink. Right now he's asleep.
It was lovely meeting Chelsea and her husband. She did a great job with this little guy and I hope that soon she will be able to let him go to in her yard and let him find his rightful place in the eaves of her house.


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## Libis (Oct 8, 2010)

Charis said:


> The pigeon has been here about 1 hour.
> His legs are not broken. He does not need to be stitched up but if he did, I have a vet that would anesthesize, stitch him up and not charge a ton of money. There still are some of those vets around.
> The wound is bad but I've seen far worse. Still, I'm sure it's painful and so I've started him on metacam. I also gave baytril. He ate on his own and had a drink. Right now he's asleep.
> It was lovely meeting Chelsea and her husband. She did a great job with this little guy and I hope that soon she will be able to let him go to in her yard and let him find his rightful place in the eaves of her house.


Great to hear that this is looking relatively good.


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## Msfreebird (Sep 23, 2007)

Charis said:


> Thanks, Pidgey...I've got it handled.


Thanks Charis


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

*Update*

I'm thrilled to let you all know, that Mitchell, as named by his rescuer, is now recovered and has been cleared by the vet to be released. I'm going to give him some fly around time inside, for a couple of days and then return him to where he came from.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

That's great! Lucky bird! That was quite a wound.


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

Jay3 said:


> That's great! Lucky bird! That was quite a wound.


Lucky for both of us. I think poor Mitchell is as tired of my company as I am of his wing slaps and pecks.
I suspect he will miss his field greens and minced carrots though.


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