# Injured Pigeon Care - UK Collared Dove



## DexterMcRhubarb (May 26, 2020)

Hi there,

My cousin accidently hit a bird with a frisbee yesterday and asked for help releasing it. It was struck by a frisbee from the air and crows started trying to attack, so my cousin decided to take it home before deciding what to do. 
Upon attempted release it could not fly more than a foot and for a short distance. The injuries it has are:
-Broken right wing; it can flap and fly about as much as a chicken, but it sticks out it's right wing and has shed most of the large tip-feathers.
-Legs seem to be splayed out weirdly as it sits.
-Right eye is bludgeoned and probably permantly damaged.

I have a large cage I can kit out for it, but at the moment I'm unsure how to treat it. It has eaten a cherry and wash/drank some water I put in for it over night. However, today it has not eaten anything so far. I have recently put in the bird feed mix and some salt/sugar water.

Any tips on helping this bird, I'd rather help it and know its ok, but we were told by the RSPB that they'd likely put down a bird with broken wings etc.


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

Are you on Facebook? You can try posting on 2 sites: Pigeon rescue and rehabilitation or Palomacy Help Group for Pigeon & Dove rescue & Adoption. There are members in the UK and hopefully someone will able to help.


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## DexterMcRhubarb (May 26, 2020)

Thanks, I'll have a look into this, if it is crippled for life I hope a bird enthusiast could look after him/her.


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## Colombina (Jan 22, 2017)

Hi, I hope that you can find someone able to help on those sites. 

In the meanwhile, you can make a cup of chamomile tea (without added sugar) and wash his eye with it (check carefully the temperature, it must be slightly warm), you can use an eye dropper. You can also look for something similar to this product:

https://www.cocooncenter.co.uk/bausch-lomb-ophtaxia-singledose-10-x-5ml/20726.html

It's a sterile solution for eye wash. I used it for myself (when I had conjunctivitis) and for my birds too. You can find it in pharmacy.
In any case, wash his eye twice a day.

Please keep us updated.


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## DexterMcRhubarb (May 26, 2020)

Cleaned the pigeons eye yesterday, it is squinted and looks bruised but the eye seems to look ok. It hasn't eaten for the past two days though, how do I encourage it to eat?


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## Colombina (Jan 22, 2017)

Chamomile tea is a natural anti-inflammatory, you could rinse his eye twice a day with it. Do it for some days (4/5 days or more if needed, depending on how the eye is going). 

I was thinking that maybe he is suffering from a head trauma/concussion. If so, it's important to keep him in a comfortable box (as you are doing) in the dim light in a cool and quiet room. 
Here is a general link about head trauma in pets: 

http://www.petdr.com/main.cfm?id=51854

I cared about a dove who had a head trauma and a swollen eye, I had to hand feed him and to offer him water for a few days. 

You could try to give him some crumbled biscuit (something simple, no chocolate, marmalade, etc): put it in a separate bowl from seeds. You could also add a mixture for canaries containing dehydrated fruits to his seed mixture. Usually doves love canaries mixture and biscuits but I think that probably he will not eat on his own. Btw, is he able to walk? Can he reach the food bowl? 

Two days without eating are too much, you will have to hand feed him. 
Can someone help you feeding him or you have to feed him alone?
I have someone who helps me. I am used to feed a mix of seeds and dry legumes (as he is a dove, you can use small-medium size food), I make a small "shovel" cutting a rectangle (about 4/5 cm x 1,5 cm) from a cover of a magazine (see the pics).
I put a few seeds on the shovel. The first person opens the beak, the second person keeps the bird with one hand and feeds the seeds with the other hand (see the pic). Do it slowly. 
The amount of seeds on the shovel and the number of shovels depend on the bird (a dove is smaller than a pigeon so needs less food, normally I'm used to feed 20/25 shovels twice a day to a pigeon). If you notice that he has difficulty in swallowing just reduce the amount of seeds on the shovel and increase the number of shovels and meals. By checking his poops, you will understand if he is eating enough.

If you can find baby bird formula, you can also feed him a few small balls of formula (small pea size). Just add a little water to the formula and make some balls (the balls must be not too hard or too soft).

Do you have a vitamin supplement? If so, you can add it to his drinking water and use that water even for make small balls.


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## Colombina (Jan 22, 2017)

Here is a link about concussion in pigeons:

http://www.pigeonrescue.sirtobyservices.com/commonailments-2/concussion/

The concussed dove I cared about looked like a "doll" but didn't have a "hanging down" or "twisted" head.

Keep us updated.


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## DexterMcRhubarb (May 26, 2020)

*Dove update*

The bird has recovered alot, but I am reluctant to let it out in case it can't fly very well. It's right eye is definitely permantly damaged and doubt it can see out of it much, if it all. It is eating and drinking though which is a relief, but I'm not sure whether to just let it go and let nature "do it's thing".


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

If you release him, he won't survive with only one eye. Have you tried posting on those groups on FB? I'm sure you will find someone that will be able to give him a good life in an aviary.


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## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

Agree with Marina. Would not release a bird with difficulty flying and seeing. That would be very unkind. Please contact the Pigeon Rescue in UK.
https://m.facebook.com/PigeonRescueTeam/


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## Colombina (Jan 22, 2017)

Agree with the others. 

You could also post a message in the adoption section of the forum and put a message on the notice board at pet shops, vet clinics and in all other places which have a notice board. 

You could ask to friends, family members if they are interested in getting a pet or if they know someone interested in it... You could find someone by word of mouth. 

There are some vets who help animals in need to find a home (I adopted three baby pigeons from my vet), if someone can suggest you one you could try to ask his/her help.

Keep us updated.


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## DexterMcRhubarb (May 26, 2020)

I have posted in the facebook link you sent me, and I will ring some pet shops and my old vets to ask around for possible advertisement/people interested.
As for friends, I don't know anyone in there early-mid 20's who wants a bird, nor any family members...althought I could ask my grandparents. 

It's just a real shame because it may of had a mate, and a family to feed, plus you see city pigeons and seagulls with disabilities all the time, but I can understan its chances of survival in the wild are dramatically lessened. 


Thank you to the three previous poster, you've all been extremely helpful.


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## Colombina (Jan 22, 2017)

Unfortunately his disabilities are too "serious" : a blind or nearly blind eye means a blind side and so inability to see predators and to escape from them, to see cars, etc.
Excellent flying skills are also really important for a wild bird.

Anyway, let us know if you find him a good home.

Thanks for helping him 😊.


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## DexterMcRhubarb (May 26, 2020)

I'm still struggling to find anyone who want's the Dove, no one on that facebook group seemed interested. He's become very confident now and won't hesitate to fly past me when I'm cleaning his cage. Should I let him fly around abit now, let him gain some strength?

I feel bad keeping him inside all the time, but his blind eye is basically missing, like it's been hollowed out and healed over.


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

Any chance of building him an outside aviary?


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

Do you have a petshop closeby? If so, put a poster up regarding him. Someone might have a large aviary and hopefully he will get adopted.


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## DexterMcRhubarb (May 26, 2020)

I let him go in the end, I had a tenant moving in and my garage was getting filled up and he managed to get through a gap in the cage. He sat on the cage and watched us for an hour or so before flying out. Hopefully he is ok in the wild. He was getting very uncomfortable, the last few days he was tearing the tissue apart and somehow pulling all the bamboo purching sticks out and shoving them into one corner, it was a mess covered in droppings too.

Fairwell Baldrick.


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

I hope he will be ok. He might not live that long outside, but rather that than living for years in captivity all alone.


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