# Constipated Ring Neck Dove!



## Msfreebird (Sep 23, 2007)

OK....this is a first for me. I've never had a constipated bird 
Background - no health problems or symptoms.
Yesterday morning I noticed him sitting on the perch 'hunched', and didn't come down to eat. So I took him out and looked him over. He had a huge poop stuck *in* his vent. He was straining to try to get it out.
The only different is that I just switched both of them over to Kaytee Dove Food, which they both loved and 'inhaled'! (they were getting pigeon mix for 1 year)
Treatments - I've been sitting him in warm bath water every couple hours since yesterday. Injected mineral oil into his vent with a soft tube. Swabbed around the vent with mineral oil.
I was able to get a large piece out with oiled blunt tweezers, and several small after each bath. It looks like dry digested food.
He's pecking at food but not eating it. No vomiting.
I'm syringe feeding him water with 'Nutri Cal' in it which has soybean oil, cod liver oil, molasses, corn syrup along with vitamins and minerals to keep him hydrated and trying to lubricate his intestinal track. 
Also on heat and started giving him SMZ-TMP this morning.
Any other suggestions?!!!!! HELP!!


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

I would do the warm baths more and really soak his butt.. and repeat what you have been doing.. He may of just gorged food without having enough grit to break it down.. that feed has some pellets in it as well and if he ate allot of those perhaps he got backed up. I would just keep him on liquids for now till you get this poop ball out.. I have had it happen but it came out the first time I tryed to get it out ..so it was not as bad as yours. those darn things are like cement..and you don't want to force it out for sure..so just keep a soakin..


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## Libis (Oct 8, 2010)

Best of luck with your little guy. Hope it doesn't take too much more soaking for you to help him.


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## Msfreebird (Sep 23, 2007)

Thanks SpiritWings and Libis. He's straining and slowly passing 'stuff', looks just like food matter. I've soaked the poor thing so much, I've added a reptile heater overhead as well as his heating pad because he's shivering. He loves the bath, but he gets chilled afterward. He wants to perch up on the water dish so I took it out so he will stay on the heat. I hope whatever caused this passes soon! The poor little guy is experiencing true labor......napping between contractions


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## Libis (Oct 8, 2010)

Msfreebird said:


> Thanks SpiritWings and Libis. He's straining and slowly passing 'stuff', looks just like food matter. I've soaked the poor thing so much, I've added a reptile heater overhead as well as his heating pad because he's shivering. He loves the bath, but he gets chilled afterward. He wants to perch up on the water dish so I took it out so he will stay on the heat. I hope whatever caused this passes soon! The poor little guy is experiencing true labor......napping between contractions


Shivering suggests a fever to me (or extreme pain.) Is it possible to get him vet checked just in case there's an infection? I've heard of sharp bits of seed getting stuck and then causing infection and constipation before.


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## Msfreebird (Sep 23, 2007)

Libis said:


> Shivering suggests a fever to me (or extreme pain.) Is it possible to get him vet checked just in case there's an infection? I've heard of sharp bits of seed getting stuck and then causing infection and constipation before.


I brought him to work with me today and took radiographs. But can't find anyone to interpret them with avian knowledge. We even had a radiologist come in this morning, but he admits he has no clue about birds. So that's great! 
I don't see anything obvious. I emailed the rads to myself, so I will post them later (when I get home from work), maybe someone here can interpret them?
In the meantime, I'm still sitting him in warm water, syringe feeding him water w/nutrical, giving smz-tmp and keeping him on heat. I did see him peck at food a couple times today, but he still does not look good. I'm also sending out a fecal float and culture & sensitivity just in case.


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## Msfreebird (Sep 23, 2007)

Here are the radiographs...Hopefully somebody out there can interpret them!










He's pooping a little after his warm bath. Dark green w/white.
I did a fecal smear at work (not enough for a float at the time), I think I saw quite a few coccidia, but it was hard to tell in a smear.
Edit......wow, their really small!


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## Doves1111 (Mar 5, 2005)

Have you tried to give him any greens? Doves loves greens. Spinach is a natural laxative. Perhaps if you chop a little bit up and offer this to him...or even try lettuce. Did you notice if he ate a lot of grit? Grit will bind a bird up if they ingest too much at a time.

Dawn


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## Msfreebird (Sep 23, 2007)

Doves1111 said:


> Have you tried to give him any greens? Doves loves greens. Spinach is a natural laxative. Perhaps if you chop a little bit up and offer this to him...or even try lettuce. Did you notice if he ate a lot of grit? Grit will bind a bird up if they ingest too much at a time.
> 
> Dawn


I did chop up and feed him some red leafy lettuce yesterday, he wasn't thrilled about it, but I made him eat it! He's not giving up and neither am I.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

gosh those are small..but I can't read them either..darn wish I was at work we got a new medical director that is an avian vet and she is great!.. you may even try to give him some canned unsweetend pumpkin.. I know this helps other pets when their bowels are off..but that is just an idea on my part.

are you going to try any meds?


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## Msfreebird (Sep 23, 2007)

spirit wings said:


> gosh those are small..but I can't read them either..darn wish I was at work we got a new medical director that is an avian vet and she is great!.. you may even try to give him some canned unsweetend pumpkin.. I know this helps other pets when their bowels are off..but that is just an idea on my part.
> 
> are you going to try any meds?


So far so good! Looking better this morning, brighter, preening, more poop...starting to get consistency. There was about a 1/4 inch round/hard 'something' in one of the poops. I broke it apart and it just looked like digested food 
I started him on smz-tmp right away with all his warm baths and enemas! .....Now he squats down when he sees me coming, LOL
I'm hoping the worst is over, his poor little butt isn't puffed out and red anymore  I'm waiting for the fecal results to come back from the lab to see if there is anything else. In the meantime, I'm keeping him on heat, still giving him warm baths because he's covered in mineral oil, and giving him his antibiotic....just in case.
But what really pisses me off is that I work for a vet......and have to do everything myself! NOBODY in my area knows anything about birds!!


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## Libis (Oct 8, 2010)

dawn dish soap is bird-safe and should help with the oil


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## PigeonX (Oct 17, 2010)

Can someone tell me the signs of a bird being constipated?
One of my favorite black homers was probably constipated yesterday. The sad part is that he died today when I got back from work this afternoon. He was very healthy and fat but surprisingly it happened within a day. Yesterday he was on his perch and all fluffed up and when I fed the group everyone came down and ate except him. I took him and examined him because he was not acting himself. He had an odd walk, and as I felt his body, it felt plump, but I wasn't sure what was wrong with him. I examined his mouth, and everything else to check for any signs, but there were none. Just that he was down, not aggressive, and fluffed up. I held him above the water, he drunk a little, and left him on his perch. I thought he would be okay for the night, but I guess the cold probably took him. I am so sad that he passed. I am astonished by how quick a life can leave you....Rest In Peace boy


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## Libis (Oct 8, 2010)

PigeonX said:


> Can someone tell me the signs of a bird being constipated?
> One of my favorite black homers was probably constipated yesterday. The sad part is that he died today when I got back from work this afternoon. He was very healthy and fat but surprisingly it happened within a day. Yesterday he was on his perch and all fluffed up and when I fed the group everyone came down and ate except him. I took him and examined him because he was not acting himself. He had an odd walk, and as I felt his body, it felt plump, but I wasn't sure what was wrong with him. I examined his mouth, and everything else to check for any signs, but there were none. Just that he was down, not aggressive, and fluffed up. I held him above the water, he drunk a little, and left him on his perch. I thought he would be okay for the night, but I guess the cold probably took him. I am so sad that he passed. I am astonished by how quick a life can leave you....Rest In Peace boy


Did you check his vent? Most of the constipated birds I've seen had a big blob of poo stuck to their vent. (This may not cover all cases of constipation.)


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## PigeonX (Oct 17, 2010)

Yes...but I did not see any thing in the vent, it was clear and looked healthy, he just felt weak


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## Msfreebird (Sep 23, 2007)

PigeonX said:


> Can someone tell me the signs of a bird being constipated?
> One of my favorite black homers was probably constipated yesterday. The sad part is that he died today when I got back from work this afternoon. He was very healthy and fat but surprisingly it happened within a day. Yesterday he was on his perch and all fluffed up and when I fed the group everyone came down and ate except him. I took him and examined him because he was not acting himself. He had an odd walk, and as I felt his body, it felt plump, but I wasn't sure what was wrong with him. I examined his mouth, and everything else to check for any signs, but there were none. Just that he was down, not aggressive, and fluffed up. I held him above the water, he drunk a little, and left him on his perch. I thought he would be okay for the night, but I guess the cold probably took him. I am so sad that he passed. I am astonished by how quick a life can leave you....Rest In Peace boy


I'm sorry you lost your bird  As soon as you notice their not acting right, they should be checked over, which you did. I was lucky enough to catch it in time. He was still up on his perch also. I watch all my birds when I feed, I stay with them to make sure they come down to eat. He just ignored me - not a good sign. Birds will hide their problems/illness as a defense, until its too late. Mine had a large hard block inside his vent and it (vent) was swollen. At first I thought maybe he WAS a hen....eggbound, because at the opening was kind of white.
For future reference.....this is what I do when I find a bird acting strange. I bring him inside to my isolation (luckily my 2 doves are in there for the winter), put them in a cage lined with paper so I can check their poops. If their fluffed up, I put them on a heating pad set on low. With my pigeons, I will give them a dose of pyrantal (worming) to see if they pass any worms. Pyrantal is very safe. Other than that, I keep them warm, observe for symptoms, and go from there.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

I think that also in the winter it is so dry.. I think baths and misting the birds can help or a humidifer maybe...adding some chopped greens too. I had a chicken hen with a poop ball (for lack of a better word)..and did the same as you did with her too.. I cleaned her vent with nolvassan dilute and some prep H on her swollen vent and she healed well.


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## PigeonX (Oct 17, 2010)

Winter is so dry as well as he probably did not drink enough water. The water freezes, and then every day as I feed I put out new water while I observe them eat. They gorge themselves with as much food as their crops can carry and then they drink water and fly up their perches, I think he must have ate too much grain and not enough water. My birds tend to get fat during the winter because I allow them as much food as they would like. What kinds of laxatives would allow for their poop to flow free?


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## Msfreebird (Sep 23, 2007)

PigeonX said:


> Winter is so dry as well as he probably did not drink enough water. The water freezes, and then every day as I feed I put out new water while I observe them eat. They gorge themselves with as much food as their crops can carry and then they drink water and fly up their perches, I think he must have ate too much grain and not enough water. My birds tend to get fat during the winter because I allow them as much food as they would like. What kinds of laxatives would allow for their poop to flow free?


You shouldn't have to give a laxative regularly. Another member sent me a message telling me that 'Flax seed' is good for helping constipation.


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