# Sick and dying pigeons please help!



## Tara Marie (Sep 24, 2011)

Hi there, can anyone please help me, I have been feeding feral pigeons for the past two years and they are almost like pets to me, two having been born in a nest on my apt balcony. Sadly I have found two dead this week and I have another sick one I am trying to treat, symptoms are puffing up of the chest feathers and puffing the neck area, closing of the eyes, diahorrea and general weakness. As the vet is closed today, I have diluted some amoxicillin and also some Dioralyte and have tried getting these down the pigeons with a plunger, amoxicillin in case of flu/virus and dioralyte for the sick stomach. Can someone please advise, it's heartbreaking, I don't want this poor little one to die as well.

Thanks a lot

Tara


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## rackerman (Jul 29, 2009)

Tara, I hope you get help soon! Someone should be here to help you soon, so hang in there!! I am wondering if it is canker?? Do you have Pics??


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## amyable (Jul 7, 2007)

Hi,

This is heartbreaking not knowing what exactly you're dealing with.
As Rackerman said, my first thought was whether it's canker.
To get an idea if it might be, are you able to gently open the youngsters beak and look down it's throat. What you might see are yellow chessy growths and possibly some mucous and a bad smell if it's really advanced.

The trouble is, as you say vets are closed ATM so you are in a situation where you need to try and keep the bird warm and hydrated. The Dioralyte will help. Is it just plain liquid or fruit version?
You can soo make some up anyway with warm water and a tbls of sugar or glucose and quartertbls salt.
Be careful not to put fluids down airways though as it will drown, just drip the liquid along the side of it's beak so it sips it in. Depending on how old it is you could dip it's beak into the water, just up to the nostrils for the same reason as before, and it might drink for itself.

I'm not very good on dosage for ant-biotics so someone might help you with that just to make sure it's ok for the size bird.

When you say it passed diahorrea what colour is it?

Keep us posted as you should get some more advice from others hopefully.

Janet


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

Tara, thanks for your concern for these birds and for trying to help this sick little one. I can go over the meds dosing with you, to see if you are give about the right amount of the Amoxicillin to this little guy, if you tell me what strength the capsules are you have, how much water you added to dilute and how much of this you gave to this bird and if you know a weight for him, this would be helpful as well. As the others have mentioned, this could be an infection called canker that would require a different medicine than the Amoxicillin, one called Metronidazole (Flagyl), but I think you should continue with the Amoxicillin, as a number of times weakened birds can have two types of infections happening at once and the Amoxicillin should help for a number of bacterial infections.

Is the bird you are caring for a baby?... here is a link to a site to help you with how old it may be: http://www.speedpigeon.com/baby_racing_pigeon.htm

Once we get an idea of age we can make suggestions for further care.

Good luck with him,

Karyn


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## Tara Marie (Sep 24, 2011)

Hi everyone, thanks to you all for your replies and help. The Pigeon is 3 months old and was born on my apt balcony but now lives on the roof above my apt and comes down for food and water. Diahorria is moss green. He is puffing up his chest and kind of swivelling his neck, his brother was like this a few days, I tried to catch him and couldn't and he hasn't come back so I guess he must be dead somewhere. I looked down his throat and I can't see any kind of yellow or smell, I have managed to get some amoxicillin and blackcurrant Dioralyte down him, and he seems a little better but I have him in a cat box in the apt separated from the rest and at the moment he is going crazy to get out to his mother who is looking at him through the window, but I am afraid to let him go and don't want the others to get infected. The amoxicillin is 250mg per tab and I have been diluting it with water and using a syringe to get it down his throat along with a syring of dioralyte. He has had the mostof 2 tabs yesterday and 1 today, not all of it went into him, can you tell me please if I am giving him too much or too little as I don't want to damage his poor little liver or give him a candida infection or make his stomach sick. Also how many days should I give him the tabs?

Also, another pigeon landed on my balcony last week with a damaged eye like superglue or acid, I managed to catch him and bring him to the vet, the vet gave him a steroid injection to boost him and antibiotic cream in his eye, he was getting better but died suddenlyafter a week, he was not showing any other symptoms, so I thought it was just his eye and was just washing it, I didin't realise he could have something else wrong also. 

The apt block where I live has a new management agency that is trapping the pigeons in a cage by baiting them with food and wringing their necks, also, I am wondering if they are laying out poison food. This could be anything, poison, salmonella, e coli, some kind of avian flu and I read in the newspaper there is an outbreak of Newcastle Disease in Ireland at the moment, this apparently starts with a sore eye, but he does not have a sore eye at all.

Please advise guys, don't want this little fella to die on me.

Thanks very much

Tara


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## Jaye (Mar 13, 2008)

This is a quick reply on one of the issues you have raised. You have receiver great advice on how to care for your pal. I would ask: is there any way you can lure him inside with food or such ? If so, do it.

Now, the other issue:

The new management..."policy"...is illegal, I have almost no doubt. It might run afoul of criminal or civil laws, it certainly will run afoul of animal cruelty laws. I would suggest you contact them even an anonymous letter if you feel that's best, and state that you have been recording their horrible practice, and state your intention to report them to local authorities.

Even though Pigeons are considered a nuisance and some localities even have them reprehensible categorized as vermin...most every place has animal cruelty laws on the books which prohibit poisoning and torturing/killing of any Feral or wild animal in so horrible a manner.

If you have a Animal Control/Care Dept. in your town, call them first and get the scoop. Same with a Humane Society. Any sort of Animal Welfare organization either local or National (you are in Ireland, I dunno what names these dept's go by there...but you get my drift).

Do some quick research on any cruelty statutes on the books which may apply in this instance. Then hit the management with that...or have one of these municipal dept's do it for you (keep in mind when dealing with dept's, they may well try to brush you off since you are "only" discussing Pigeons...so sometimes you need to be insistent (respectfully) ).

Basically arm yourself with some knowledge of the law and take it from there.

Thank you for caring so.


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## Tara Marie (Sep 24, 2011)

Hi Jaye

Apparently it's not illegal in Ireland, I rang the society for prevention of cruelty to animals, they said pigeons are basically vermin even though I think they're highly intelligent lovely little animals, they said that to catch them and wring their necks is 'so called humane' and perfectly legal, but it is considered inhumane to starve them apparently. I have no proof that the management company is poisoning them, just a guess, but I know for definite they are trapping them and wringing their necks. 

They have threatened me by email saying they are watching my apt etc and are threatening to fine me 150 per month, I went to the police and reported them and a I also went to a solicitor who told me that it would be laughed out of court in Ireland. I don't care, I will not change the person I am for anybody, I could never be cruel to animal or person or see something starve or be in pain. If there were more humanity and kindness in the world, it would be a far better place. As far as I'm concerned the pigeons were here before me and have more right to be here as this area where the apts are built used to be a grain factory and they have been nesting here for over 50yrs. They are a mixture of feral pigeons and racing and fancy pigeons who have lost their way and gain sanctuary, a little rest on my balcony and some food to keep them going. I cannot describe the joy they bring me, I hate where I am living and they make it bearable, the first thing I do when I wake up is say hello to the pigeons and feed them, same thing when I get home from work.

On another note, does anyone know if amoxycillin will do some good if I cannot get flagyl, I have taken amoxycillin and Flagyl for tonsillitis myself many times and Flagyl is very harsh on the stomach and really knocked me and does anyone know how much amoxycillin to administer and for how many days, the pigeon is indoors at the moment, but I am opening the door of the balcony to give him some air and so he can see the other pigeons as he must be very frightened indoors. The vets here in Ireland do not entertain pigeons, one refused to see me, the other said he did not know a lot, but he would certainly do his best to save the life of the other little fella who died, so it's almost impossible to get the drugs required unless you have them in your home for human consumption, I asked one vet for doxycillin and they would not give it to me as they said it was a prescribed med, - really stupid here in this country. From what I hear a lot of the proper pigeon fanciers here treat the pigeons themselves and there is almost an underground system of getting flagyl, doxycillin etc and I know there is widespread wringing of necks over here if pigeons don't win the races, same with the dogs - Irish greyhounds - they just dump them on the sidewalk, it's disgraceful. Anyway I'll keep this little fella indoors and keep up with the Dioralyte and Amoxycillin and hope for the best.

Thanks everyone

Tara


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

Tara, the Amoxicillin may help if this bird has as part of its issues a bacterial infection. However, the dosing to are giving is way too high most as two, 250mg tabs, will be 500mg in a day and this bird should be getting, as a rough estimate, about 1/10th of that a day. You want to give this bird about 25mg of the Amoxicillin every 12 hours. Amoxicillin is one of the most forgiving antibiotic we use on birds and the high dosing you have given should hopefully not be a problem. You really need to see if you can located a bit of Metronidazole (Flagyl) it is well tolerated by pigeons and what is need to treat a canker problem. Ask around to friends, family members neighbors, or maybe even a sympathetic pharmacist, 1-2 pills should do the job.

Also, any chance of getting this little guy into a vet, he doesn't even have to really see many birds, as Metronidazole is used in other animals as well. Dosing would be 50mg/kg BID for 10 days. You will have to say he is a pet if you do go, that you keep his cage out side and perhaps he picked something up from a wild bird.


Karyn


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## Tara Marie (Sep 24, 2011)

Hi Karyn

The bird only got a little of the tablet about a quarter of it as most of it dripped out etc, he seemed a bit perkier last night but he is dying this morning he can't even stand up I have put him out in the air so he may see his mother again through his little box and breathe the fresh air, I have to go to work and he will die on his own, I am in uncontrollable tears as I write this, I wish I could toughen up, but I can't. I think it is definitely canker, this morning he has a lump in his crop, I read somewhere that this is where young birds get canker. If I get to a vet for flagyl is there any hope at all, I don't think so, he can barely stand. What do I do to protect the rest of flock, bearing in mind, they are wild birds and I cannot catch most of them.

Thanks

Tara


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## John_D (Jan 24, 2002)

Is it possible that the lump in his crop is undigested, hardened food?

I could send you Canker meds, though the situation sounds pretty bad for this one by now.


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

Tara, where there is life, there is hope. Has this little gut been drinking, never mind eating, as if they dehydrate, they get very lethargic and weak. If you do get the Flagyl we can start treatment and hope for the best and make sure he stays hydrated and while figuring out a way to get some nourishment into him.

Karyn


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## Tara Marie (Sep 24, 2011)

Hi everyone

The poor little guy died this morning am devastated he was only an egg on my balcony 3 months ago he was my little chick, he was a bit perkier yesterday but this morning was so weak he couldn't walk, I put him out on the balcony in his box with the door open so he could breathe the air for the last time and see his mother, but his mother didin't arrive in time. I rushed to the vet the minute he opened but it was too late, poor little guy didin't make it. The lump in his crop was gone and he had vomited up liquid/bile from his crop, as I thought there was no sign of canker in his throat, vet had a good look. Vet thinks it is poison, when I came home from work the was another pigeon dead on the pavement underneath my apt. I was talking to one of the neighbours who used to work for a pest control company and he said poison is used quite often, and is legal in Ireland. He thinks it is a type of ammonia, he said they look they have symptoms of a cold and then just keel over. Does anyone know if a pigeon can be saved at all if it has been poisoned? If so, what do I do if another lands on my balcony to die? I have four others all who have names and are quite tame that I have been feeding the past two years that I am very attached to that live on the roof over my apt, what should I do if they become ill too? Please help. It's like a pet cemetery, house of death, if ever I get to move out of this place, that is how I will remember it, house of death, it's just barbaric, waiting to open the balcony doors to see what else is dying.

Thanks everyone

Tara


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