# Pigeon's eye area swollen



## omega ridge (Sep 3, 2015)

Located outside Austin, Texas, USA. have a king pigeon whose flesh around eye is swollen, almost shut. Now her mate is starting to show same problem. Purchase as an adult and flesh was pronounced then but thought is was her 'normal' but may be a return of a problem. Going to post a picture a.s.a.p..
Thank you for advice - have antibiotic eye ointment.


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## kiddy (Feb 5, 2015)

Yes a pic would help a lot to understand what is the issue.


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## omega ridge (Sep 3, 2015)

Terramycin with one application seems to have helped - will continue. Here is a picture before meds - well can't figure out yet how to download it.


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## omega ridge (Sep 3, 2015)

Finally have picture of a pigeon and her male mate who have had the flesh around their eyes and on pad above beak swollen. Been putting Terramycin on eye and pad above beak and swelling has gone down. However now there appears little tan bumps by eye and beak that were not there before. Help greatly appreciated.


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## alby68 (Mar 18, 2013)

Omega, her eyelid is definatly irritated. I use Dac eyedrops from amazon site with great results. in my experience this is possibly caused by sinus canker, and the blocking of the tear duct canal to the throat. this is typicaly called a one eye cold. a five day, rondizole treatment for canker may help, and can't hurt. 
the other possibility is chlamydia, and being her mate is getting it, sounds probable. read up on it in pigeons, and I believe a long, at least 14 day treatment of doxycyline is advised for chlamydia- it can be stubborn to cure, but it can be done. wish you all well!......bruce


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## omega ridge (Sep 3, 2015)

*Thanks greatly!*

Will do research and purchase products mentioned. Still keeping them separated I suppose until healed.


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## alby68 (Mar 18, 2013)

Yes Omega, keep them seperated. you can get or give chlamydia to your birds, so use good hygene protocol when handeling birds, and wash up afterwards.


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## AndreiS (Jul 28, 2013)

The problem seems rather to be caused by pox, according to this vet - approved website:

_"Avian Pox is another eye disorder which is found in birds, and is due to a viral infection. Though it is a generalized disease, the eye symptoms include *swelling of the eyelids with blister-like formations*, and partial or total loss of vision. However, the eyeball is not affected by the infection and the vision usually returns after the infection is treated."_


http://www.petmd.com/bird/conditions/eyes/c_bd_Eye_Disorders


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## omega ridge (Sep 3, 2015)

*Are they healed?*

After five days on DAC eye drops and Ronidazle in the water the cancers are still somewhat visible. Do they have to disappear entirely before I can readmit them to the flock?


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## c.hert (Jan 15, 2010)

Pox is a virus that is self eliminating that eventually will heal itself as the pox areas dries out and fall off. The antibiotic Terramycin that you are putting around the eyes is good in order to keep them getting infected with maybe a secondary thing. The lesions on the body you could dab with Betadine---diluted maybe half and half taking a guess here but someone else might know the dilution rate because it would be too strong at 10% Povidone Iodine the kind you buy at the drug store or wal-mart or you could dab them with hydrogen perioxide after you dilute that with water as well. These are only to help dry out the pox lesions and in time they will clear and fall off the pigeon..This is self eliminating disease and will take care of its self but it is very contageous to other pigeons and I would wait until the birdie is cleared before putting it with the rest of your flock---but once they have this they are immuned from the disease for life...They get it from mosquitos or other pigeons...Do not put the Betadine or the hydrogen perioxide near the eyes---only pox sores on the body. Give it a few weeks and in good care the birdie will be fine. Keep us posted on how the birdie is doing so that we can judge the situation along the way...Thank you for helping the birdie..


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## alby68 (Mar 18, 2013)

Omega, if its pox, it might take some time to clear. the rondizole should have done its thing, although two more days will not hurt. keep up with the eye drops till the eyelid is clear- all of this is easier to do when they are isolated.


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## omega ridge (Sep 3, 2015)

Sure do thank you all for valuable information. So glad to be able to learn from you. Stumbling along is no fun. Only thing left is a droopy eyelid which I imagine will resume it's normal shape in a while. Will add probiotics to water. Have been adding a product called Aqua-Zyme Plus from Compass Unlimited, Inc, Pryor, Oklahoma. for some time. Use it on chickens and goats also. Can only get it from people mentioned.


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## omega ridge (Sep 3, 2015)

*continuing treatment*

Seven days wasn't long enough. Stopped for one day and now starting up again.


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## alby68 (Mar 18, 2013)

what treatment are you continuing Omega? what is starting up again? try to be more clear about what you are doing. OK


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## omega ridge (Sep 3, 2015)

*Retreating for canker*

Thank you for encouraging me to be specific. I had left the two birds (mates) untreated for 24 hours after 7 days of the following treatment and irritation around the eyes had resumed. Therefore I am continuing to apply DAC eye drops twice daily and renew their water treated with Ronidazole 10% daily. It appears I need to continue this until I see all areas completely normal to the eye - likely weeks. The female is more seriously affected than the male and more receptive to treatment. I am no longer treating with Terramycin but upon encouragement I will.


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## alby68 (Mar 18, 2013)

the picture of the hen does look more like pox than canker to me now Omega. 10% rondizole is a weak med, so longer will definetly be needed, but I don't think weeks. I use 15% ronidozole. I have had birds with pox, but never with the eyes involved, so I can't speak to that, but as mentioned it does run its course, and the birds are then immune for life. so no meds are needed for pox. the eye drops should give the bird some comfort I would think.


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## omega ridge (Sep 3, 2015)

*Controlling the eye irritation*

Controlling the eye irritation is my immediate concern and the drops seems to help with that. I am looking forward to their healing and hoping it will not be weeks. Will research pox now and compare with canker. Will give them probiotics when they are well as suggested.


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## AndreiS (Jul 28, 2013)

Probiotics should be given all the time, daily if possible. They are shield against bad bacteria and other germs.

If what is around eyes is pox, you can dramatically hasten the healing by enriching the food with proteins, making the food contain 30-40 % peas. That will shorten the healing time from ~ 6 weeks to 1-2 weeks.


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## John_D (Jan 24, 2002)

Pigeons getting a good, well balanced diet should not require probiotics continually. If they seem to I would suggest there's something wrong with them or their environment. Clean water with a suitable purifier/disinfectant is good due to their pooping habits. Good grit with minerals and trace elements is good. 

Whatever you feed them is not going to reduce the lifecycle of the virus by a drastic degree. Certain foods probably help their systems deal with the effects better, of course. Whether they can help dry up and disintegrate the pox lesions is yet another thing.


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## AndreiS (Jul 28, 2013)

John, if there is a stressful or infected environment, or the birds are sick, probiotics help a lot. If there are good, hygienic conditions and healthy birds, surely they don't need probiotics daily. 

As about the relation between proteins and pox healing, just try giving that amount, Just these days I had a case, not entirely sure it was pox, but typical white growth at the joint of beak's parts and swelling of the cheek. I started giving a formula based exclusively of grinded peas powder. In few days, the white formation was completely cleared the cheek back to normal size. Is true that I also treated for candida with fluconazole but most likely was pox, as candida doesn't cause swellings and rather several smaller cloths instead a single big growth. And as I mentioned on other threads, in other past cases I noticed 1 or two weeks complete healing with a protein rich diet.

I started giving this protein rich diet at the recommendation of Pidgey, and was amazed of the results.


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## omega ridge (Sep 3, 2015)

*Diet*

I feed all (20) king pigeons organic: whole corn, whole wheat, sprouted wheat, and chicken scratch. They get minerals in their filtered, treated well water, grit and they can peck on the dirt floor of their 20'x25'x15' high pen. I do have peas - they are Australian Winter peas that I sprout for the goats. I will try them dry and sprouted. Probably probiotics will help the ones in the hospital I just don't want them to interfere with the medicine . . .?


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

AndreiS said:


> Probiotics should be given all the time, daily if possible. They are shield against bad bacteria and other germs.
> 
> If what is around eyes is pox, you can dramatically hasten the healing by enriching the food with proteins, making the food contain 30-40 % peas. That will shorten the healing time from ~ 6 weeks to 1-2 weeks.



Probiotics are not needed daily. They are used on occasion,like after stress, or maybe once a week if you need to give them. and after medicating, to help build up the good bacteria that you have killed with the medications. 
Other than that, let them build their own good gut bacteria.


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## omega ridge (Sep 3, 2015)

*Understanding pox*

When I put 'pox' into the search bar nothing comes up.


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## alby68 (Mar 18, 2013)

google it in your browser instead Omega.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Try avian Pox in the search bar.


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## AndreiS (Jul 28, 2013)

John_D said:


> Pigeons getting a good, well balanced diet should not require probiotics continually. If they seem to I would suggest there's something wrong with them or their environment. Clean water with a suitable purifier/disinfectant is good due to their pooping habits. Good grit with minerals and trace elements is good.




I use a product called Columbo Simbiotic, and on its package is written:


_8. advice on correct administration:
It has the best effect when given permanent.
To diseased birds, bran, recovering before or after long flights, consider the maximum dose or increase it._

http://www.romvac.ro/Blog Posts/columbo-sinbiotic.html


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## John_D (Jan 24, 2002)

AndreiS said:


> I use a product called Columbo Simbiotic, and on its package is written:
> 
> 
> _8. advice on correct administration:
> ...


Business, my man, business. Use a lot of something, you gotta buy more sooner 

Non-biased advice you will find ranges from 2 - 3 times weekly (or less) to just giving them when stress may upset the gut flora (moulting, racing, the egg cycle ...) and after a course of (particularly broad spectrum) antibacterials. Some fanciers will include them pretty much all the time, I don't doubt, but It's really about individual choice and commonsense.


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## omega ridge (Sep 3, 2015)

*Diet*

The site for Colombo Simbiotic appears to be only in Spanish . . . 
Thanks for mentioning other seeds - they love them.


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