# A half blind pigeon



## denitsa (Jul 27, 2010)

Hello to all!

First, excuse my english! I need a competent advice on a pigeon problem. I found a wounded pigeon. I do not know what happened to him except that it was something really bad. On top of that he had to stay 1 hour under the pouring rain. I found him one week ago. The first night he was only lying on one side. After the night he was up again and started eating and drinking on his own. One of his eyes is lost and he has deep wound under his wing which obviously prevents him from flying. I took him to the vet, they said it was nothing wrong with him  Well, it is, he can`t fly. He makes a try and then give up. 2 days he spent on my balcony never trying to fly. I treat the wound with antibiotic spray and it seems that it is healing. My question is - what will happen to him if i return him to the street when he starts flying again? What are the chances for survival with one eye? When i approach him from the side with the lost eye, he does not react. So, he will not react if a cat or car approaches him. Is that right? When i approach him from the other side, he runs away.
Any advice will be helpful. 
Thank you!
Denitsa

Here are some photos


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Thank you for helping this very needy bird.

It would be best to find a home for him, either a sanctuary or someone who has pigeons already, as he definitely will be a target for cats,dogs and flying preditors. I have a pigeon blind in one eye and she does fine among other pigeons in a loft environment or as a indoor pet.

You can try a drop of colloidal silver in the eye, it works well on any eye issue.

Where are you located?


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## rackerman (Jul 29, 2009)

*Welcome to Pt. I never seen anything like this, Poor bird. Thanks for helping him and I hope someone can step up and help you. He will never sevive in the wild. 

PLEASE, someone HELP!!!!!*

Where are you located, that will help!


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## sreeshs (Aug 16, 2009)

Treesa is right, it will need a thorough medical attention and immediate cleaning of the wounds. Secondary infections are many times as dangerous as the injuries.


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## denitsa (Jul 27, 2010)

Thank you, Treesa!
We are located in Bulgaria. I know the forum is American, right? 
I am not sure whether the eye is still there or not. He/she (the pigeon) scratches the eye from time to time. But there is a lot of dried blood which i can`t remove. I tried with warm water and a cloth - it just does not get off. I do not know what colloidal silver means but i will look it up in internet. 
Yes, i was afraid that his survival is questionable. But unfortunately here i seriouslu doubt that there will be anyone interested in him. I have one opportunity - there is a rescue centre for wild birds but it is in another town. They prefer not to take pigeons, because they are crowded but said they will make an exception. I have to send the bird by bus. I hope he/she will be fine during the trip. I prefered to let him go here, where i found him, but i agree that he is too vulnerable in that condition.
Thank you!


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## denitsa (Jul 27, 2010)

sreeshs said:


> Treesa is right, it will need a thorough medical attention and immediate cleaning of the wounds. Secondary infections are many times as dangerous as the injuries.


I am a little worried now. The vets sprayed him and i do that 2 a day. His wound is deep and still fresh but does not seems sore. I think it is what prevents him from flying because his wings are okay. What else can i do? Or i should speed up his departure to that rescue centre? I wanted for him to be stable before i load him to the bus.


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## sreeshs (Aug 16, 2009)

I doubt spraying antibiotics alone will solve the issue, the pigeon might need antibiotics administered orally, since he is feeding and drinking by himself, hand feeding wont be necessary. The wound and dirt will have to be cleaned. I am not sure what antibiotics should be given, someone else would be able to guide on that.


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

Hi Denitsa,

That is a frightening injury! I haven't seen one that bad, but it looks as if the skin of the scalp has fallen forward rather than being torn off? Try Manuka Honey to help the healing! Here is an encouraging series of photos first a before and after of Winnie the Pooh, then a series of photos of Charlie who was expected to lose an eye. Charlie was treated with Manuka Honey by his rescuer:

Winnie the Pooh "before"










Winnie the Pooh "after" (she is the one on the right):









Charlie after 5 days

Charlie after 5 days










Charlie after 40 days










Charlie's left eye is fine now and her right eye looks almost normal.


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## lwerden (May 31, 2008)

Denista.............We do have a member in Bulgaria that might be able to help you.

Go to our member list and look up a member.......the name is "eternal".......Send her a private message........hopefully she can help you......she already has rescued pigeons.


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## Birdbabe (Jan 24, 2006)

awww, poor guy. I cant beleive the vet said there was nothing wrong with him. I hope you find someone who can further help him. Thank you for saving him.


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## Jaye (Mar 13, 2008)

Denista.

The pigeon is a baby and he/she was pecked at by an adult, over and over and over again. It is amazing that he/she is still alive. MORE amazing that you were able to save him and that he is actually eating on his own.

Does he/she eat a lot ? Feel the chest/breast-bone area. Is it sticking out ? If you cannot feel good muscle and 'meat' in the chest area, the baby is very underweight and needs hand-feeding.

Can you get green peas ? If frozen, you can warm them under warm tap water and feed the baby by hand. Hold him/her in one arm and pry open the mouth gently with your fingers...and put a pea into his mouth, towards the back of the mouth. They usually swallow immediately.

He/she will need about 30-40 peas each day; you can divide this into 3-4 feedings, given 3 hours apart. So that is about 7-10 peas during each feeding.

This will help him gain weight and will also give him hydration.

Now, for the head injury: that is his _skull_ you are seeing on the back of his head. He/she has been pecked until all of the skin came off. The skin may eventually grow back...or it may not.

Horrible, but believe it or not....a pigeon can recover OK from this.

*As Shreesh said...although the antibiotic spray has helped...he really needs oral antibiotics. *

1) Can you possibly call the vet and ask if they can prescribe some antibiotic ?

Amoxycillin or Ciproflaxin (also called Baytril) are the best two.

Also, since the vet obviously knows nothing...check back here with us BEFORE you start giving the medicine, to make sure the dosages are correct.

2) NOW...if you CANNOT call the vet again...can you find some HUMAN antibiotic pills which either you, or your family, or your friends have left over ? 

Amoxycillin, Ampicillin, Penecillin, Ciproflaxin, Baytril, Ceclor, Cefclor...any of those ? You would only need one or two pills.

If so, get it and tell us the strength of the pill (for example: 125mg, 250mg, 500mg). You can then crush the pill & mix with water to get a good strength for a pigeon.

For any oral medication, you will need a plastic syringe to give it to the pigeon,


Finally, regarding the dried blood...you are doing it right. I would not try to 'force' all of the blood off. Just every 2 days re-clean it with water and apply some more antibiotic spray.

The likelihood is the eye is gone or blind. So the pigeon CANNOT be released back into the wild. So he/she will need to find a home...but right now, let's work on getting the bird as healthy as possible.

Thank you for saving him/her !!!


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## denitsa (Jul 27, 2010)

Wow, thank you all for the information and the information! This is so helpful!
Unfortunately i am not sure whether i am doing everything right. My opinion is that he was run over by a bicycle or car because this wound under his wing cannot be done by other pigeon. Right?
My vets were obviously not competent. I tried another one who said i shouldn`t even bother him wiht birds because he knew nothing about them.
Also, i think the pigeon is doing great and recovering. I hope i am right. He poops all the time which tells me he is eating good. I give him grain and bread, but he leaves the bread behind.
I talked with that rescue centre and we decided that i can send the pigeon to them the day after tomorrow. Do you think it is a good idea for him to travel at this point or i should wait more? I think there they will take more care than me here.
Since yesterday i moved him to my bathroom. Before that i settled him on my balcony and i think he enjoyed it there. But now the weather is cold here and i did not want to leave him outside. I do not know which is the right choice because certainly the familiar noises from outside comforted him. Since he is in the bathroom i think he is eating less. That is the reason i think he will do better in the bird rescue centre. 
I will look for that eternal person and hopefully she will be the one from the rescue centre i contacted. 
He does not make any tries to fly. I suppose he is still hurting. I will try to photograph the wound.
I am not sure whether i can find Manuka Honey here and if i order it through the web, it will take more than a week perhaps.
I will try to touch more intensely his chess bone but he moves a lot while in my hands.
I have several cats and a dog and it is a real challenge to keep him safe. 
One thing is for sure - he is so gorgeous and beautiful! I really hope he will live a long happy life in that rescue centre.


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## denitsa (Jul 27, 2010)

Okay, i took a closer look under his eye. There seems to be something. Something like a bone or a wen (is that the correct word in english). Oh, poor guy. Maybe it is more serious than it looks like. 
Here is the wound. I will now defrost some green peas because his chess was not full. But he moves a lot. Hopefully i will succeed in feeding him.


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## Jaye (Mar 13, 2008)

Hello again.

1) OK, the first thing you need to ask the rescue center is whether they will just kill him because he cannot be released back into the wild.

This is an important question, because many wildlife rescue centers will do that: if he pigeon is not releasable (and yours is not), they will just kill it, instead of healing it. So you must ask this before you take him/her there.

2) I still believe he was pecked by an adult. I do not believe a vehicle injury could have given him the head wounds. Also, the injured areas look like they have been attacked repeatedly...because some wounds are fresher than others. 

3) For the under-wing...did you also wash it out and apply spray to it ? very important that you do this.

4) Did you find any antibiotic ? It looks like his/her injuries are several days old. I do not mean to alarm you....BUT....

A pigeon needs to be started on antibiotic within the first 2-3 days of an injury, or the pigeon will not survive. It is VERY important that he start on antibiotic now.

If you wait until tomorrow, if you wait until you take him somewhere, it will likely be past 3 days.... and really, his chances are not very good if he has not been started on oral antibiotic in the first 3 days after his injuries. A pigeon's circulatory system is small, it doesn't take much of an infection to overwhelm the bird. There comes a point where giving medicine is too late to reverse an infection.

Better to keep him in a warm and quiet place. If you get him to eat the peas, clean his wing wounds, make sure he is dry afterwards (because wet feathers will make him cold, and cold is not good), and keep him in a warm and quiet place, that is all good. He still needs that medicine.


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

Poor little thing. His injuries could be the result of trauma...Winnie the Pooh's scalp wound was the result of being hit by a car. But it could be the result of being attacked by a predator.


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## MaryOfExeter (Sep 30, 2007)

Oh my goodness! Poor baby, he's really beat up!


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## Ivor (May 12, 2008)

Denitsa, Thank you so much for helping this baby, he won't be alive if you were not there, hard to tell what it happen but I really hope the baby gets better soon!!!

Ivette


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## denitsa (Jul 27, 2010)

Hello,

Sorry for answering so late. Tomorrow i will go to the vet for some antibiotics. I will keep him a little bit more. I am more than confident that he will not be euthanised in the rescue centre. Be sure of that. He will be released in their yard where he will live along with other birds who are not able to be released into the wild and are kept there forever. Most of them lack a wing or so.
My vets told me today that they will give me antibiotic. But please tell me what kind should i ask for. Because obviously they are not so much into bird treatment. 
One more thing i am worried now. Today i met a friend of mine who told me that she also has a pigeon at her home right now. Hers has infected eyes and she used eye drops for them. The thing she told me bothered me very much - she said that pigeons can poop without eating. So far i was sure that my pigeon is eating on his own because of the many poops on the ground. Only once i saw him eating grain from the ground. The moment i enter the room, he is stressed and tense and does not move. So, i am not sure now that he eats on his own. He poops, that is for sure. But is this a sign that he eats???? I can`t judge from the food that i leave because obviously i leave too much or he eats too little. For the record - he is with me since 21 of July. Today is the 28 here.


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## Jaye (Mar 13, 2008)

Hello.

*Ciproflaxin* (also called Baytril) or *Amoxycillin* (or Clavamox) are the best two antibiotics.

Ciproflaxin should be a strength of 50mg/ml. Amoxcillin/Clavamox should be a strength of 125mg/ml.

Dose for Ciproflaxin/Baytril will be .12 cc, 2x/day. For Amoxy/Clavamox .25cc 2x/day. Make sure you give the medicine doses at least 8 hours apart. 

You only need ONE of these antibiotics...not BOTH 


It is amazing that the pigeon is still doing as well as she is, really. *You are doing a good job !*

It is also wonderful news that the rescue center does not kill their patients. It is more of a sanctuary, then....which is great. Because even with one eye and a damaged wing, your pigeon friend can still live a happy life if he can get healed a little bit more.

Well...yes, sometimes starving pigeons will still poop something. This is why I suggested feeding her/him the peas. How did that go ? Did he eat some peas ?

If you can get 30 peas into him in one day....then you KNOW he is eating enough to keep his strength up.

I am just curious, where in Bulgaria are you ? (Your English is very, very good...)


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## denitsa (Jul 27, 2010)

Hi, Jaye!

Thank you so much for the thorough information! I wrote down the antiobiotics you suggest and i will get them tonight.
I have new observations. You might be very right that he needs antibiotics. His eye is still there i think. But it is not open like the other one. I cleaned it with water last night and some fluid came out from there. I suppose beside the trauma there is also an eye infection. I am not sure at all of course. The girl from the rescue centre says that the eye might get open but still be blind. 
Another observation - he is eating on his own for sure. Last night i left only about 15 grains. He had eaten them all during the night. They were missing in the morning so i am relieved. He is still pooping like 16 times a day.
I am sad that i keep him in the bathroom instead of the balcony but my balcony is not safe and i am afraid that now he has more strength and might fly enough to fall down.
The rescue centre does a great job, really! They save birds from all over the country and their main priority are wild birds. They do not take pigeons normally but that doesn`t prevent them from having many many pigeons there  They have programs to "produce" baby birds from birds that are not releasable and release them into the wild when they grow up.
And originally i am from a mountain town called Veliko Turnovo but now i live in the very dirty and noisy capital - Sofia.
Thank you again and if you allow me one last question - how am i supposed to give him the antibiotics? In a syringe? Injection? And how often?
See picture - he started climbing on the bucket. So cute!!


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## Jaye (Mar 13, 2008)

Hello and I am sorry I did not check back sooner ! is he/she still with you, or is he at the rescue center now ? I do hop the vet told you to use a plastic syringe to give the medication. wherever you can get teh antibiotic, they should be able to give you a syringe, too.

It is AMAZING that he is recovering so very well ! I do believe that a course of antibiotics will be all that he needs to recover. If the eye is still there, who knows if he will ever see from it again ? probably not, but it IS possible once the infection and swelling is gone he may have some use of it.

Keep us posted and thank you again for caring !!!!!


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## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

The poops/urates seen in the image, are consistent with Canker/Trichomoniasis infection.

If seeing a Vet, please inquire about this.


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