# injured dove. tail feather/s crooked, pull/straighten?



## Tim_Nebraska (Aug 10, 2008)

Hi,
Found a dove that couldn't fly in the front yard about 10 days ago. Saw a smaller bird attacking it. Didn't feel right just leaving it in the yard to be lunch for the next cat or dog. I've been feeding it birdseed, mealworms, and catfood for 10 days, keeping it in a cat carrier with newspaper and paper towels balled up in bottom for soft/nesting. Fresh water everyday. I was hoping it would be better by now, but still can't fly. I just let it out in the grass for a couple hours of exercise and it hasn't flown off. Vet says legs don't appear broken and wings seem fine. Vet gave it a small steroid shot 10 days ago in the hopes it would help it recover. It can flap its wings but never can seem to get up on its legs and get its balance.
It seems it can't get its balance as its few sickly looking tail feathers curve markedly to one side. I think this may be part of the problem of why it can't fly and why it can't seem to get balance and get up on its legs.
I tried to release it about 4 days after I found it, It flew off and got to a tree but couldn't land and crashed back down to the ground. So I retrieved it and decided to care for it a few more days. Thats been over a week now. 
I'm really hoping there's something I can do to help it. 
Ideas on the tail feathers? I'm reading mixed signals on whether to pull or not.
I am in a small rural area without any kind of animal rescue and cannot care for it indefinitely. The vets here are great, but know more about large cattle and things like that. I hate to ask this, but worst case scenario--what would be a humane way to euthanize it if it doesn't recover? Take it to the vet?

Thanks

Tim in Nebraska


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Is there any way that you can post a few pictures of the bird, including one taken directly over the top to show the funny tail?

Pidgey


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## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

Tim_Nebraska said:


> Hi,
> Found a dove that couldn't fly in the front yard about 10 days ago. Saw a smaller bird attacking it. Didn't feel right just leaving it in the yard to be lunch for the next cat or dog. I've been feeding it birdseed, mealworms, and catfood for 10 days, keeping it in a cat carrier with newspaper and paper towels balled up in bottom for soft/nesting. Fresh water everyday. I was hoping it would be better by now, but still can't fly. I just let it out in the grass for a couple hours of exercise and it hasn't flown off. Vet says legs don't appear broken and wings seem fine. Vet gave it a small steroid shot 10 days ago in the hopes it would help it recover. It can flap its wings but never can seem to get up on its legs and get its balance.
> It seems it can't get its balance as its few sickly looking tail feathers curve markedly to one side. I think this may be part of the problem of why it can't fly and why it can't seem to get balance and get up on its legs.
> I tried to release it about 4 days after I found it, It flew off and got to a tree but couldn't land and crashed back down to the ground. So I retrieved it and decided to care for it a few more days. Thats been over a week now.
> ...



Hi Tim, 


Thank you for helping this little Dove...


Tail feathers, whatever their condition, would have no effect on standing, or in walking, and would have litle effect on flying.

definitely odd that they would be 'curved' to one side though...


Leg issues, weak Legs, when nothing is broken, can be of quite a few different sorts of things, from vitamin deficiency, to kidney inflamation, Calcium deficiency, or sprain...


Images would help...


If this is a Dove, do not force feed 'Meal Worms', or any kind of 'Worms' please...

'dog food', only if grain based 'kibble' ( no 'meat' ) and if pre-soaked to be soft, first, and then cut into tiny bites before feeding.


When you say 'feed', do you mean that the Bird is eating on it's own? Or that you are putting foods into it's mouth and causing it to swallow?


What are the poops looking like? Color wise, number in an hour or in-a-day wise?


Phil
l v


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## Tim_Nebraska (Aug 10, 2008)

*just took photos, will develop and post tuesday.*

Thank you both for your replies. I do not have a digital camera, but have just taken a few photos with a disposable camera, will develop tomorrow and scan and post before the end of the day Tuesday 8/12.
I just let it sit in my garden for awhile. It flew off and tried to land in a nearby tree, but couldn't get its balance and stay in the limb, so it fell back down to the concrete.
I retrieved it and am going to give it a few more days. If it would have been able to stay in that tree, I would have let it go and wished it the best!

I am not force feeding it anything. I just have a little paper cup in its cage that I put some parakeet birdseed mix along with some catfood and mealworms from the pet store. I also make sure it has fresh water every day in a little tuna can. It seems to be better, but its as if its legs just don't work and it can't get its balance. The Vet we originally took it to said its legs weren't broken, nor its wings. Thats why they gave it a little steroid shot.
It took a few days to start eating, but it eats on its own now. I clean out the newspaper I have in bottom of cage once a day and spray out the cat carrier. Generally there is yellow poop, mustard yellow discharge on the newspaper, daily.
Thanks for your help
--Tim in Nebraska--


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## little bird (Aug 11, 2006)

Tim, where in Nebraska are you?


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## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

Tim_Nebraska said:


> Generally there is yellow poop, mustard yellow discharge on the newspaper, daily.
> Thanks for your help
> --Tim in Nebraska--



Hi Tim, 


'Yellow' Urates are understood to indicate an infection in their system which is useing up a lot of Leucocyctes which then get passed in the Urine, which in this case, is an infection which is probably effecting the Kidneys, causing swelling of them, which swelling is effecting the Sciatic Nerve, which can cause the Legs to be 'asleep'...


Possibly the illness is 'Canker', but could be other things.


Your Dove ( and their poops/urates if possible ) ideally, need to be examined by someone in your area who has good practical Pigeon and Dove experience, or, if this is not possible, you could take a chance that this is 'Canker' and see about obtaining medicines for treating it.


This Dove will pretty well certainly die if not treated and cured of whatever illness it has which is occasioning 'yellow' Urates and effecting their Legs like this.



Has anyone checked to see if we have any members near you?


I do not know how to check that, but others here do...


Stores which sell Tropical Fish and Aquarium supplies will tend to sell little bottles of pills called 'Fish Zole'.


This is 'Metronidazole' and would be suitable for treating 'Canker' in a Dove, if in fact 'Canker' is what the Dove's underlieing problem is...and it very well might be.


If you can get some, check back with us for determining the dosage and regimen.

Is there any actual 'poop' occuring in addition to the 'yellow' ( Urates )?



Good luck..!



Phil
l v


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## Tim_Nebraska (Aug 10, 2008)

*Here are the photos*

Finally, i have the photos from disposable camera developed. I tried to get what angles I could.

I'm in rural western Nebraska, Ogallala, by the way, to answer your question. Zip Code 69153. No major city within 200 miles from here, where there might be proper care for a dove. Denver is 200 miles, Lincoln 285, Omaha 330.

You can see the crooked tail , but that its wings seem healthy.
Thanks for everyone's advice. 
-Tim-


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## Tim_Nebraska (Aug 10, 2008)

*4th photo*

4th photo I couldn't add to last post.
Thanks!

Tim


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

Tim, I did some searching for a rehabber and there appears to be none.......not even close and I only found one in the whole state of NE!!
I don't know what to tell you about the tail feather. I expect, if it's broken, it will just fall out. Pretty certain something tried to get that bird and it escaped, luckily. 
Have the droppings changed any? Are they still yellow?


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

Tim...have you tried calling your local veterinarian to see if he/she knows of a rehabber of if he/she will treat the bird?
I'll try finding someone but I think it's too late today.


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

Tim...I just spoke with Dr. Fanning at the Animal Clinic and Pharmacy. She told me that if you contact the clinic in the morning, they will help you with the bird. The can help find a rehabber and run a fecal if needed. She was very helpful.
Animal Clinic and Pharmacy
105 O Street
308-284-2182


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## Tim_Nebraska (Aug 10, 2008)

Thanks for the input. I actually know Dr. Fanning and will call in the morning. Incidentally, I am going to Lincoln tomorrow, so that will be perfect time to pick up anything you might recommend, like Fish Zole, etc, at a Petsmart. Thank you for the help and advice.
Tim-


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

Hope you can get to the vet just to be sure about this dove. The "crooked" tail appears to me to be no more than just a tail feather or two that weren't lost to whatever got the bird in the first place. It appears to me that there is a lot of fecal build up on the vent area .. if so, you need to get this cleaned up/off right away so the poop can still exit as normal.

Good on you for helping this dove! Please keep us posted!

Terry


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## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

TAWhatley said:


> Hope you can get to the vet just to be sure about this dove. The "crooked" tail appears to me to be no more than just a tail feather or two that weren't lost to whatever got the bird in the first place. It appears to me that there is a lot of fecal build up on the vent area .. if so, you need to get this cleaned up/off right away so the poop can still exit as normal.
> 
> Good on you for helping this dove! Please keep us posted!
> 
> Terry




Hi Tim, 


Yes indeed...


Terry's mention of the possibly clogged 'vent' area is important.


You can hold hi about as you were, only vertically, so just his Vent areas is under some running tepid Tap Water, and with your free hand, use your fingers to 'massage' and gently work out whatever poop is soilingt he Feathers down there, so all is clean, and so there is no danger of things being glogged.


'Canker' does this fairly typically...causing sticky poop-urate combinations which can rapidly build up on their vent Feathers...


Good luck..!



If you are seeing a Vet tomorrow, see about the Dove getting an injection of Metronidazole, if the Vet can confirm that this is a Canker issue.


Bring several 'fresh' poop-urate saples also if you can, wrapping them in plastic film to keep them moist.



Phil
l v


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## Tim_Nebraska (Aug 10, 2008)

*grey excrement today, could hop up on legs off and on and even landed in tree briefly*

Thanks for the new input. Darn, I just threw its newspaper liners away outside a few minutes ago. I have some good news, hopefully. The poop/discharge at the bottom of the paper was grey today, and maybe what would be more normal, not mustard yellow like it has been. I just let it out to sit in the grass for awhile and it enjoyed the sprinkler and the fresh air. It flew off and landed in our tree and was perched for a minute before it lost its balance and fell back down to the grass. It WAS able to hop up on its legs a bit, but sporadically, however much more than it has the two weeks I've been helping it. I am thinking hopefully that it might be slowly improving. Won't have any excrement samples to take to Vet now, but I'm hoping if they'll take it for 2 days while I'm out of town, they might be able to administer some medicine and vitamins while I'm gone.

Thanks
Tim


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

Tim, thank you for helping this dove. I would not attempt to let it fly outside until you find out what is going on with the tail. It is under a lot of stress right now and any attempt at flying until it can get back to 100% could harm it further. 

BTW, the mealworms won't hurt the dove but they don't really need them.


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## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

Lady Tarheel said:


> Tim, thank you for helping this dove. I would not attempt to let it fly outside until you find out what is going on with the tail. It is under a lot of stress right now and any attempt at flying until it can get back to 100% could harm it further.
> 
> BTW, the mealworms won't hurt the dove but they don't really need them.




Hi Tim, Maggie, 



'grey' poops can suggest Yeast infections or digestive system infections...

What about the Urates? If they are not 'White' and clearly 'white', then this also signals problems.


Mealworms, will vary in concern with the Bacteria they have in them and in their guts.


They can kill an 'iffy' Bird very reliably if they have Bacteria in them which the Bird's system can not handle.



Since there is no way to now what Bacteria Meal Worms will have in them, I do not feel it is worth the risk, especially for any Bird who is not in good shape already. 


Anyway, there are 'poops', meaning 'fecal matter'...and, there are 'Urates', meaning Bird 'pee'...

Each of these is a seperate material, even if being eliminated at the same time, from their respective sources.


Yeast troubles can accompany Canker troubles...and when present, both should be treated.



Good luck..!


Phil
l v


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## Tim_Nebraska (Aug 10, 2008)

*Dove is improving*

Gang,

I will update more thoroughly tomorrow, but a quick update to let you know I think the bird is showing sure signs of improving. I'm very happy. I've been taking care of it about a month now. But, it is gaining strength in its legs and beginning to walk. I will keep it until I finish the 5 days of Canker medicine treatment I have just started.

Just wanted to update, I am very happy it seems to be markedly improving.
Thanks

Tim


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

Thanks for the good news update, Tim. I hope all will be well from here on out! Please keep us posted!

Terry


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## Tim_Nebraska (Aug 10, 2008)

*hope to release today*

Update, gang...

taking pigeon and droppings for final analysis at vet's today ( Dr. Fanning's group) , if the test comes back good, I hope to release it.

IT is hopping around and flying around in my patio when I let it out to clean its cage. Very promising. I will keep everyone posted. Hard to believe it took over a month. I think it had canker really bad and it just needed a long time to recover. I've been giving it ronsivet for Canker and an antibiotic I got at friskyfinches.com . Had it been in the wild, I doubt it could have made it very long being so helpless and weak.

Looking forward to hopeful successful release today.
Thanks gang!

Tim


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Does he act perfectly normal, now? Do both wings look completely symmetrical when folded? Does he walk around normally? If there are any "no" answers, then he'll need more time.

Pidgey


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