# Please help my dove



## [email protected] (Oct 18, 2014)

My dove is about 2 months and a half old it still chirps like a baby, it cant walk but it eats and drinks water if we bring it to him. 
Right now it seems really sick its feathers keep puffing up. Im really sad i hate to see animals sick. Im also poor and cant afford to take it to an avian vet. Please someone tell me what to do. Why does its feathers ouff and it keeps twitching. Also i sad it eats fine but as im watching it ea right now , it seems furious because it nods his head and bashes all the food away.

Santa ana california


----------



## CBL (May 13, 2014)

Your bird is really sick, what do the poops look like, do you have any access to medication. Keep him warm, he is sick and fighting to keep warm and this taxes their system badly. Put in a cage with a heat lamp or very warm bathroom. If you have electrolytes give too him too drink. If not, mix one teaspoon of sugar in one cup of water with a pinch of salt as well. You will probably have to hand feed peas into his mouth as he looks too sick to eat himself. Where did you get him and was he sick when you got him? Without antibiotics or worming meds or parasite meds, he may not recover. Do you know of anyone near that can help out with meds? Google local pigeon club in your area and contact them and see if they can help. See if you have American racing pigeon union or such a club that can help asap.


----------



## [email protected] (Oct 18, 2014)

*Thank you for helping*

The poops look normal, and i might have access to medications, i just don't know where to go get the medication. Pet Smart doesn't have anything for birds besides liquids that are for protein. Ill try my best to keep him warm. Is gatorade fine for them and if is whats the best color to give them ? I breaded two other doves and got two of them but one of them died after the two weeks after it died this one became odd and more quiet, it cant walk nor fly. My dad says it broke a leg but im not sure. Anyways its been like that for 2 months now but now its sick. I love birds so much and get really emotional, my parents are poor so we cant afford an avian vet and the one near me I've heard is really expensive /: thank you so much !!! I really appreciate it.


----------



## [email protected] (Oct 18, 2014)

*This is what the poop looks like*

This is what the poop looks like


----------



## CBL (May 13, 2014)

The poop looks fine but the bird is very sick. If you go to petsmart in the fish section they DO have different fish meds that are the same for birds. Eg: YES petsmart HAS some meds I have picture for you but you need to give me your email so I can send thru there. They have for both parasites and antibiotics cheap. The "general cure" treats parasites and will treat trich or canker in case it has that. But I say get the tetryacyline type drug and start that if u tell me the dosage of meds I can tell you how to mix it. I will try to google it for you. 

Check this link this IS the stuff I have for canker in a pinch...
http://www.petsmart.ca/food-care/sk...A0OL1bd?_t=pfm=search&SearchTerm=general+cure

does your bird eat, does it have yellow in the throat that looks like cheese? Can it swallow. IF not it needs this med. If not then at the same place they have a tetracycline type drug that you can use but this bird is very sick, you have to act fast. It must be kept warm, hydrated so as much water as it wants and help it drink. And even a few peas soft from frozen will help. Take frozen green peas, thaw them out in warm water, then put one at a time in the birds mouth and allow it to swallow, this will also be a form of hydration as the peas have water in them.
Here is the link for the antibiotics as well, BOTH of these you can go get today!!! in the fish seciton. for 40 bucks you can treat at the same time both meds in the water and the bird has a good chance. You can tell me when u get it and I will figure out dosage for you....


----------



## CBL (May 13, 2014)

If you do give gatorade, do it now before you medicate and get the meds asap. Any gatorade but try to get one with no color or apple or orange, at this stage ANYTHING will do as the bird is critical by the picture I am seeing. If it cannot walk or stand it is in rough shape.


----------



## Pigeonfriend (Aug 14, 2009)

A local humane society may have cheaper rates than a regular avian vet. Personally, I would either try to find a way to get him to a vet by whatever means necessary (CareCredit, credit card, borrowing from friends/family), or I would try to get him adopted by a person who could take him to the vet - I know it's really difficult to find an adopter for a pigeon/dove, especially a sick one, but I would try.


----------



## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

If he has never walked, then he could have a calcium deficiency and vitamin D3. Are his legs splayed at all? He needs vitamins, and probably now a good antibiotic. Treating him in the water is not as effective because you cannot be sure that he is getting enough of the drug.


----------



## Lyna (Sep 16, 2014)

Deficient in Diet. If feeding just a seed diet, I know he will need some grit (fie sand) to aid with his digesting his food. Hopefully he has access to a bigger water dish at least 1 inch deep.. I had a little one just like him that I rescued and I thought for sure would not live through his initial sickness & digestion problem at only a couple of days old but resilient he was. Keeping him in a comfortably warm, quiet & stress free environment is important. If digesting his crop is an issue, I gave mine a little apple juice & then tried mixing that with a very small piece of Alka Seltzer. Just a couple of sips of that seemed to do the trick.


----------



## [email protected] (Oct 18, 2014)

*I just found out is leg is broken*

I just fond out his leg is really broken 
His bone is popping out 
Im panicking i dont know what to do, i have know idea who will adopt him 
I am thinking about buying something that i coukd dab on his bone that will numb it. In this case i dont know what to do  he cries at night cuz it hurts him 
I wish i could get a job !!!!!


----------



## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

If his leg is broken someone here probably knows how to splint or wrap it. Pros suggestions? Don't panic. Just keep feeding him and taking good care of him if you can't get him to an avian vet. Our pigeon had a broken wing and was nearly decapitated by a fan and recovered nicely with lots of loving care. The important thing is to stay calm and learn how best to help your bird.


----------



## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

If the bone is sticking out he may need antibiotics to prevent infection. Keep him warm. Be cautious and don't put stuff on his leg to numb it unless you are totally sure you are not using something safe for birds as many things are toxic for birds. CBL and others, suggestions? Meloxicam? Is there an animal rescue place near that does not just euthanize birds? Some vets will help with rescues if you explain that you have no money.


----------



## [email protected] (Oct 18, 2014)

Thank you your a kind hearted person, you made me feel better hes been living like this for 5 months and i hope he continues to be with me living.
Is meloxicam good for him ? 
Where could i get this medicine? 
And no we only have an avian vet, which i saw reviews and heard hes a dick and very expensive and has no heart for birds. 
Thank you again


----------



## CBL (May 13, 2014)

Post me a pic of this broken leg, nice and clear. Medicam or meloxicam (same thing) is for pain, is this a new or old break, you are saying he has been like this for 4 months? More details please thanks.

Sorry Cweb, I have been out all day and night and only got on her just now.


----------



## [email protected] (Oct 18, 2014)

Yes he has been like thisto be exact for about 5 months and a half. 
Where could i get this medication ?
Ok ill try to get the picture tomorrow becuase hes calm and sleeping right now and if i go pull his leg he begins to cry and his feather puff up and he wont stopp shaking his head.
But for sure ill take it tomorrow but ill send you a pic of a time where i was a ble to take a pic when his leg was sticking out. This was when he had about 3 months and it wasnt that painful but im not sure if it got worst.
Anyways thank you i appreciate it.


----------



## [email protected] (Oct 18, 2014)

And btw we (my dad and i) belive that this accident happened when he was a baby and probably caught his leg in the cage and pulled it and broke. So no its not a new break


----------



## CBL (May 13, 2014)

Picture is not clear nor close enough. No matter. It would need to be set by a vet and or minimally wrapped in the correct position. This is beyond your scope. You would have tape a bottom ball to bottom of foot and splay the toes all into the correct position and then tape the leg and align the broken bone and tape that. I would suggest a vet. If you try and tape too tight as before you will cause MORE harm than good. If I was there I would do it for you. You could ask a rehab place if they would do it for you and that you would keep the bird and care for it. They may have a vet that would do it as well, not sure what you have in your area, but seems like there needs something to be done.


----------



## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

Do you live near a vet or rescue center? Which part of the country do you live in?


----------



## [email protected] (Oct 18, 2014)

CBL i am really thankful for your help. It makes me feel better because there is people in this world who care. The directions do seem complicated and im very thankful that you would actually be willing to do it for me. 

Im from California and live in the city of Santa Ana
I found a couple of hospitals and im going to contact them tomorrow to see if they can understnad that i dont have the money to pay. Im really hoping they could wrap aspmething around his leg.
Ill try showing you a video of him. 
Thank you guys.


----------



## Gitane44 (Apr 6, 2014)

Google/starling talk bone fracture repair--It might help in a emergency.


----------



## CBL (May 13, 2014)

The only thing I worry about is if it is compound fracture, or fractured in half and has been broken that long, then it wont knit together. Would need professional help. Usually after 0 days any break is what it is. But Im no doc. So if the bones need realigning, you or someone would have to do that, splint and then wrap, or use the THICK wrap as a splint and by that I mean, just wrapping over and over until you have a chunky soft wrap.

The vet wrap works well for that. Also not so tight as to cut of circulation. Also if not repairable, then would need to be amputated. It cant walk or stand around on a leg that my be broken in half right. So would need a better pic or two if you can and some type of idea of what is going on. I had a finch with a busted let right in half. I aligned it best I could and taped it properly for ten days. Instructions said to wait until the bird puts weight on the leg to remove tape, which was bag on ten days. Bird can perch and land on that foot but I can tell which one it is as the toes dont quite curl around perch like his good foot. My objective was to simply salvage the leg to be useful and so I did. You may be able to do so yourself. I will see if I can find the pic of the proper tape job. Will post you a link.


----------



## CBL (May 13, 2014)

Ok this was the easy simple way to wrap the leg, simply read the instructions as I did and set the leg and tape. Worked like a charm.

Set by step pictures. Good luck. Dont worry if it is not perfect, and you make the tape ahead of time in the pattern it shows then stick on leg or layer it on leg one strip at a time.
Both work.

http://www.lbah.com/word/fractured-bird-leg/


----------



## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Good link. Thanks.


----------



## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

Great link! please keep us posted on how your dove is doing.


----------

