# Pigeon with a broken beak!!! Cat bite (in the UK)



## Denisef (Jan 18, 2006)

Hello everyone,
So glad i found this site
I really need some sound advice.
I was out in my car today when i saw a cat with a flapping pigeon in its mouth!!
I beeped my horn the cat ran off and i got out of my car to see how badly the bird had been hurt it was lying on its back but was blinking so still alive
I picked it up wraped it in my sweater and raced it to the local vets office.
the vet looked the bird over and said it loooked fine and to release it as soon as possible
anyway it didnt look fine to me, It was obviously in shock!!
I drove back to the place i picked it up from and put it on the grass in the hope it would just fly away
but it didnt it just sat there i tried clapping my hands and it just walked a few steps and stoppped. it was alll fluffed up too!!
i knew i couldnt leave it there or a cat would have had it so i took it home with me put it in my cats carrier and placed a blanket over the box so the poor thing was in the dark, oh i did place a dish of water in there in case it needed it
I left it alone for a few hors then went to peek on it and it looked a little better more lively anyway!.......... I picked it up and noticed straight away its beak was broken!! I remember earlier looking at its beak and thinking it had a redish beak!!! i feel so dumb this was obviously blood!! the tip of the beak is hanging down obviously broken it wasnt hangind down earlier which is probably the reason neither I nor the vet had noticed it!!
I wiped his beak with a piece of cotton gauze soaked in water just to see if the red was in fact dried blood and it was!!
I was hoping to release it tomorrow but am now worried about weither it will be able to eat if its back in the wild.
I know his beak will grow back in time and am prepared to care for him at least until i know he can eat!!
Im taking him back to the vets in the morning for an antibiotic shot or some baytril!! 
any advice apriciated, what can i feed him. Im thinking maybe soft veggies corn peas rice maybe???
Ill see if i can take a photo of his beak in the morning
id say about a 1/4 of an inch is broken off of the top part of his beak maybe a little more!! 

thankyou in advance for any advice you can give me to help the little chap
he is so beautiful and I so want him recover from this ordeal!!

Denise x


----------



## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Hello and welcome to Pigeon Talk.

Thank you for helping this needy bird. You have all the right instincts!

The bird was in shock and maybe coming out of it. You should place the bird on a heating pad set on low , with a towel between the heating pad and bird, inside carrier in draft free area in subdued light.

Follow the advice on the following thread:

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=8822

The bird will need an antibiotic for the cat bite such as Augmenten or Clavamox.

Where do you live?... perhaps we can help you locate an avian vet or rehabber that is pigeon friendly. Some vets refuse to treat pigeons, especially wild ones.

Once the bird is stabilized you can try some liquid baby bird formula.

If the beak is actually bleeding it may be just be misalligned, please do show us some pics. I had a pigeon that had his upper beak shoved in his upper throat, it looked broken but actually wasn't, we had to pull it out gently and it slipped back into place, and healed in a matter of days.


----------



## Denisef (Jan 18, 2006)

Hi Treesa,
Im in the United Kingdom,
I dont in fact have a heat pad but pigeon is in a warm place near a radiator and th box is on my sofa he has a warm fluffy towel to sit on too.its nice and warm in here and he is perkier compared to how he was when i found him. which im pleased about. its just this beak thing!! im really worried about now!! I have parrots and a 5 year old europen starling, so understand a little about birds, but pigeons are new to me!! i know hes not going to be able to eat hard foods for a while his beak must be very sore!!
i just need to know which soft foods to offer him!! any ideas?


----------



## Denisef (Jan 18, 2006)

when you say baby bird formular do you mean the type meant for hand rearing parrots?
Ill take a closer look at his beak in the morning and take some photos to show you

the beak isnt bleeding now in fact i dont think it bled very much at all I didnt see any blood anywhere anyway!!!
just the dried blood!! the tip of the beak is almost hanging off a definate break!!

thanks
Denise x


----------



## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Hi denisf,

We have two moderators that live in the UK, perhaps they can help, whereabouts in the UK?

Try some baby cereal, oats & barley, or baby bird formula, like Kaytee Exact, yes I believe that is for parrots, maybe some softened and thawed corn or soft peas.

Perhaps the beak can be put back on with soft surgical tape, or is it hanging by a thread?


----------



## Reti (Jul 20, 2003)

Thank you for rescuing this poor little bird,. What an ordeal he has been though.
You're doing all the right things.
An antibiotic must be used in his case, since birds injured by cats or dogs can die very quickly from septicemia.
The beak won't grow back, but he might be able to eat from a deep dish. 

Thank you again.
Our UK members will be on soon, I am sure.

Reti


----------



## Denisef (Jan 18, 2006)

Im actualy in towcester Northamptonshire.
I really need to take a closer look at the beak!!
I dont want to dsiturb him now its almost 1am here in the uk 
im about to go to bed myself lol

thanks for the advice ill report back in the morning
with pics


----------



## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

Hi Denisef,


I believe that this break of the upper Beak should be aligned and set as soon as humanly possible, in order for it to have a chance to heal.

The upper and lower Beaks are really spongy or semi-spongy Bone with a thin Keratinaceaus 'sheath', and, if there is 1/4 inch broken off and dangleing, it might be too late by now, BUT, it is their upper mandible 'Bone' which is broken and not merely the Keratin sheath we see 'as' Beak...so, even though there has been some time lost, it is still worth a try to set and affix it correctly and hope for the best.

Now, likely, if set and aligned nicely it could be kept soundly and perfectly in place from then on with a judicious application of an adhesive such as a Cyanoacrylate ( Hot Glue, instant super glue, finger nail glue, Eastnman 9-10, thin transparent adhesives used often by Model builders and Balsa Aeroplane builders and so on, sold at all Hobby Stores as well as in other forms for other uses) in whatever form as may be OF the "Cyanoacrylate" fast-acting type, BUT...ONLY applied c-a-r-e-f-u-l-l-y and in the right amount, to the outside Of this break-line, AFTER the broken portion is set and aligned nicely and being held with no gaps.


Take notes now...of these key points...

This m-i-g-h-t save it, where the necessary circulation could re-establish itself...and, would, in the mean time, allow the Bird to peck normally.

This Pigeon may also be compromised from some illness or anticeedant injury ( maybe flew into a window, broke the Beak, and, while stunned, was caught by the Cat, ) in order for a Cat to have caught it at all, so, also, let us know what the poops look like once there are poops occuring, and continue of course to keep them warm and comfy...

If you know anyone who builds ANY kind of 'Models' or who does Lady's Nails, or who repairs broken China or Porcelains...they will likely be familiar with the Cyanoacrylate adhesives. Do not use anything else or let anyone else talk you into useing anything else, and, if you yourself are not familiar with their use, please see if you can find some acquaintance who is, otherwise, it is very easy to glue your fingers together or worse, it is VERY fast acting, and makes a VERY strong bond. 


Likely three people will be needed anyway...one to hold the Bird, (Cover the Bird's head with maybe the cut off few inches of a child's cotton sock and on that pur a damp kleenex) so it can not see, and, so it is protected also from the glues momentary fumes, ) one to hold the Beak alighned for it to be glued, and one to apply the adhesive-glue ( which is like 'water' in consistancy so it is easy for the novice to use TOO much and make a dangerous mess) to the outer line of the break-line only AFTER the end part is being held neatly on and perfectly lined up...do not apply any to the inside area, only apply it so the outside of the assembled whole ONCE the end part is lined up snug and perfect, and, apply it only to the line of the break itself...

So, as well as covering the Bird's head, make sure to protect the Birds nostrils and face and eyes from the fumes which momentarily will emerge from the adhesive as it catalyses-kicks-cures seconds after being applied, so, set a damp kleenex over the end of a child's cotton sock, to cover the Bird's face well so the little puff of fumes do not effect it's eyes or get into it's nostrils...make sure the glue is wrist temperature 'warm' when applying it, and apply it in a warm environ.

Good luck...!

Make haste!


Phil
Las Vegas


----------



## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

Hi Denise,

Please doin't release the pigeon just yet, he needs care and Synulox, which is the UK name for the antibiotics mentioned before.

Karen is in Northampton, maybe she can help.

I will e-mail you my mobile number.

A hot water bottle wrapped in a towel makes a good heat pad but needs re-filling every two hours.

Cynthia


----------



## Karen 210773 (Mar 17, 2004)

Hi Denise I'm Karen in Northamptonshire, so pleased that you have managed to get him from the cat  I'm certainly willing to help out. Cynthia has given you my mobile number, please give me a shout. I'm at dentist today then at work, sorry but could you make sure you catch me instead of leaving message on my answer machine as don't have no credit or send me a text with your number and i'll be able to contact you. I have large avairy's full of pigeons and able to give him the Synulox that Cynthia is on about. Really hope that he is ok this morning. Take care and really hope to catch you soon - Thanks Karen x


----------



## Denisef (Jan 18, 2006)

Hi Karen Ive sent you a text,
that would be great if you could help me out 
the vet didnt seem very interested in doing a lot yesterday i even had to tell the receptionist i was willing to pay to see the vet, when she said she didnt know weither the vet would have time to look at the bird!! 
and as he didnt even notice the blood on the beak makes me think perhaps maybe the bird wasnt even looked at!! the bird was in the cats mouth so im assuming it MUST have some puncture wounds somewhere on its body!! so cant understand why antibiotics wernt even mentioned. I didnt actualy get to see the vet the nurse just took the bird away then brought it back to me 5 minutes later 
anyway Pigeon is doing much better this morning he is VERY perky lol 
had a job holding him still to get a better look at him, I think its a wood pigeon
not sure.
hope to speak to you soon.
an thankyou everyone for your helpful replys ill keep you all updated 

Denise x


----------



## Denisef (Jan 18, 2006)

Just took these photos
there was a loose layer on the end of his beak which i removed it was dry and came off easily i took the pics before removing it I dont think the actual beak is broken after all, which is a good thing but there seems to have been some trauma to the beak because of the dried blood i wiped off of it!!
I dont know if the beak is supossed to be this colour, 
let me know what you think?


----------



## Reti (Jul 20, 2003)

Love the look on his face. He seems really angry. How cute.
Is this a woodpigeon?
Anyways, the beak looks pretty good. When you described it, I though at least half of it was missing. Looks like he might be sore though.
He should heal well.
Is he able to eat?

Reti


----------



## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

Hi Denise,

He seems to have a bit of trouble with his beak, it is partially open and it looks a little traumatised. But he should be okay.

The beak colour varies from woodie to woodie, but normally it is pink drifting into yellow, much as you are seeing. Woodies do have a little curve at the end of the beak because they eat shoots and leaves, that allows then to tear little bits off.

I have posted you some synulox but at the time I thought it was a feral pigeon that we were dealing with so the quantity and dosage might be a bit low.

Can you weigh him so I can let you know the correct dose and send you extra pills? Otherwise I can take a guess based on the average weight of my own woodies.

Ideally he should be kept for the duration of the course (7 days), preferably in an aviary with other pigeons and released only when he has shown that he can pick up seed and fly with no difficulties.

Cynthia


----------



## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

What a gorgious  wood pigeon, I've never seen one! Thank you for showing the picture. I'm glad he will be observed, and that Cynthia and Karen are helping.

I didn't realize the beak was this long, hopefully then he can afford losing the 1/4 inch off the end, and can still pick up the food he was designed to eat.

Thank you, Denise, Cynthia, and Karen for enabling this bird his life!


----------



## Denisef (Jan 18, 2006)

Good news Karen is going to take the bird for me
Im dropping him off at her home this evening 
Id loved to have taken care of him and nursed him back to health but i simply dont have anywhere to put him!. plus he will be better off with someone who knows what they are doing

I really want to thank everyone here
im so glad I found this place
what would we do without the internet huh? 

Cynthia Im assuming youve already posted the antibiotics 
(with any luck youl read this before you do)
as i wont be needing them now 
shall i send them back to you?

take care
Denise x


----------



## Whitefeather (Sep 2, 2002)

Hello Denise & Welcome,
Many thanks for rescuing this pij. 
Thanks for sending the photos. Gotta love that 'growly' face.  

With Cynthia & Karen's assistance, your little patient should do well.  
Yes, indeed, please do give us an update.

Cindy


----------



## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

Hi Denise,

It would be great if you could post them on to Karen, I don't know what her current supplies are like.

I know that you have made the right decision in this case, Karen loves woodies and knows their little ways! 

Cynthia.


----------



## kittypaws (Sep 18, 2005)

*Hooray*

When I read Denise's post this morning ( 6.30am GMT) and saw Northamptonshire - I thought of Cynthia and then Karen as "Willow" from Northamptonshire also had a pigeon in trouble.I was all ready to post a thread to Denise saying that I am sure Cynthia would be in touch and just as I logged in Cynthia had posted.

Cynthia and Karen, what wonderful ladies you both are. He is an adorable Woodpigeon isn't he? Naughty old cat catching him. Woodies do tend to plod about looking for food and I have seen cats get close to them before but I am so glad that this will have a happy ending. 

Denise thank you for taking the time to find this wonderful website, for texting Karen and of course taking the pigeon over to hers. I hope she gives you a grand tour of her avairy when you get there.

Ah a story with a happy ending ( hopefully he recovers well)

Tania x


----------



## Karen 210773 (Mar 17, 2004)

Hi all, 

Well met Denise tonight, lovely lady and so pleased that she took the time to help this woody. Yes your all right, he's just so cute! His beak isn't broken although could of given it a bang? The beak is now shut and he seems fine to look at, I have checked over him briefly and can't see any wounds at all, didn't want to stress him as do feel he is a little tired. The only worrying thing is that he dont' have the get up and go (the fight) of a woody and seems very easy to handle without panic. His left wing seems to be slightly lower than the right, although couldn't feel any break, will give full examination tomorrow. His eye's tend to worry me a little cause not as bright and clear as they should be, but hoping tomorrow is another day. To save any stress I'm going to start him on the medication in the morning, although no sign of wounds better to be safe than sorry incase any scrates that the cat might of caused. 

Me and Denise had decided to keep him in the animal carrier (as he seems comfortable in there) and put the carrier inside the aviary itself. He is not in no draft cause I have the plastics up on that part of the avairy roof and sides. He can hear the others cooing, so hopefully this will relax him a little. We have also put in some food and water into the carrier.

Thank you Denise for donating the carrier, really will come in handy when woody has finished with it, good luck with your other birds Take care and I will keep you posted on his progress. You know if your ever in the area and want to nip in to visit your more than welcome. 

Thank you Cynthia for giving out my number, please continue to offer my support for any others. Catch you soon  xx


----------



## John_D (Jan 24, 2002)

Well done, UK 'mini network' 

Glad Karen can take him in. Woodies are somewhat slower than ferals, but are generally very wary and look around for possible danger all the time when feeding, so it could be that this fella has some kind of health problem anyway, which may have made him an easier target.

John


----------



## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

Hi Karen, all...


Does not look as if there is a broken Beak here, but the Blood may have come from punctures to his Nares possibly.

Too, do please check this Bird for possible Canker or Trichomoniasis, which I am sure you routinely would do anyway.

I can not tell if the dangley-bit on the end is dried coagulated Blood, or?

But certainly, a non-broken Beak is very, VERY good news in itself..!

Best wishes!

Good luck..!

What a handsome Pigeon...!


Phil
Las Vegas


----------



## LondonPigeon (May 10, 2005)

thank you for helping out the woodpigeon, he does look very angry in the pictures

im surpirsed that many people dont know what woodpigeons look like, I know they dont exist in North America, so that must be why.

It makes me appreciate those birds even more becuase they are more precious


----------



## Camrron (Dec 19, 2005)

Hi Denisef,

Just thought I would make a comment about the heating pad. I learned this only recently myself and fortunately just in time for my bird. You mentioned he was near a radiator and that is good. Is he able to move away from the heat if it is too high? Does the radiator maintain a constant warmth? Normal bird body temperatures are higher than those in humans so heating pads are ideal for an injured bird. They are very inexpensive and keep a good consistant warmth for them. If your bird is fluffed up, head tucked in low then he is probably cold. Use the low setting on the heating pad and allow your bird space to be able to sit away from it if he chooses. Sounds to me like you are doing a good job so far.

Cameron


----------



## Pikachu23739 (Jan 6, 2006)

Denisef said:


> Hello everyone,
> So glad i found this site
> I really need some sound advice.
> I was out in my car today when i saw a cat with a flapping pigeon in its mouth!!
> ...


*I hope it isn't hurt that bad hope it gets better..*


----------



## Karen 210773 (Mar 17, 2004)

Goodmorning all  I decided late last night about starting him on the Synulox which I did, he seems so much brighter today and now can see the problems he has. My mistake yes the beak has got a hair crack near the front of it going across the beak but just on the top of the beak think this is where all the blood came from before, its not a thick break and feel its mended itself. He is unable to eat as obviously is sore. He is very skinny although the eye's seem brighter now  His left wing is slightly lower than the right, I can't feel any fracture? So hoping possible brusing? He still wasn't out of his carrier this morning so I lifted him out and sat him on the floor with the others, he started to walk around trying to get out of the avairy which is a good sign. I'm going to be so gentle and try to feed him, although not going to crop feed unless emergency or really really have to. So will keep you all posted to his recovery.  Thanks Denise, this bird wouldn't be here at all without you! - Karen x


----------



## Karen 210773 (Mar 17, 2004)

Another update, whilst feeding him noticed that one eye is fine and the other eye (right) is slightly off. Hence on the pics that Denise sent in this post he look's 'Angry' but it's the left wing which is slightly dropped, so I have come up with the possible conclusion that he has had a good knock and possibly hit buy a car? A cat probably got him when he was down. Really hope that he is ok interally . I have moved him to the dove/cockatiel aviary because my pigeons wouldn't leave him/her alone and wanted to mate, so possibly thinking now that it's a female woody. My cockatiel/dove avairy is linked to the pigeon aviary and he can see all the other pigeons inside the shed with meshing separating both. He seems alot more comfortable here and has been out walking around, although still no effort to eat on his own. x


----------



## Karen 210773 (Mar 17, 2004)

I'm sorry!  LOL should of read all the posts before but only had little time yesterday so just scanned through generally, didn't notice that Denise said the beak was broken/cracked for definate , but did notice someone else mention it, sorry as stated in my last post that the beak isn't broken, which is true in one fact although it is cracked, so Denise is right I did look at him last night but to be honest she had cleaned him up so well didn't notice the hair line crack at the end. It's not very loose and hopefully should heal nicely! x Thank you to everyone who's posted here to for your support and kind words - Karen xx


----------



## christina11 (Jan 20, 2006)

that is such a beutifull pigeon i hade a pigeon that cracked her beek but after some weeks she was ok i put some algie on it and it realt works


----------



## Pigeonpal2002 (Jul 27, 2002)

Hi Karen, 

Perhaps the pigeon did have a smack into something and this is what caused the slight crack in the beak and the blood. He might have a concusion and will just need time to gather himself. Just thinking here but best of luck with this woodie


----------



## Denisef (Jan 18, 2006)

Hi Karen , it was lovely to meet you and see your averies
goodness youve a lot of birds to care for 
i take my hat off to you ,I realy do they must be a lot of hard work
you need a medal for all the wonderful work you do caring for these birdies 

I posted the antibiotics to you today, the ones Cynthia sent me, You should recieve them tomorrow or Monday .

So its a definate break in woodies beak? I knew i didnt imagine the dried blood
come to think of it you may be right about him being hit by a car or something, as he had no wet blood on him when i picked him up from the road
and that was seconds after the cat had him in its mouth, so i think he more than likely must have already been injured. 
Hope the little chap makes it, I cant get him out of my mind 

just an idea but maybe you could offer him soft foods like cooked corn peas rice. im just thinking of when my parrot lost the tip of her beak it was very sore, the Vet in bedford adviced giving soft foods only for a week No seeds or nuts at all!! she wasnt happy lol 
but makes sence if the beak is really sore.!

I remembered when i got home I left my blanket at your house lol
the one i had covering woodys carrier 
but dont worry you can keep it, 

keep us updated about woody wont you ill pop in everyday to see how he is getting on

take care
Denise x


----------



## Karen 210773 (Mar 17, 2004)

Hi Denise, 

lol yes have your blanket if and when you want to visit you can take it back along with the carrier as know they can be expensive to replace  Yes the beak has cracked although not broken totally which is good, I didn't notice last night cause beak looked fine and you cleaned it upo so well. 

I've had a long day with him making him a larger hole going into the shed so he can go in and out as he pleases, also been feeding him by opening his mouth and putting food in throughout the day, the last time I went out his crop seemed bigger so looks like he might be eating himself now? will know more tomorrow  I will keep an eye on him and make sure that he's eating enough in order to build his strength up, also giving him Calcuim suppliment. I think he might use using the carrier for the time being to sleep in although not been in it much at all today and sits in the shed in the corner on his block I have put in for him. tomorrow i'm going to build him a little perch low down so he can feel more at home. 

Your more than welcome to visit anytime you want. Just knock on the door, dont' have to ring. Take care for now and will keep you posted xx


----------



## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

Hi Karen,

As usual you have come up trumps! 

Good idea to put him in the other aviary. I don't know whether the feral pigeons can tell the sex of a wood pigeon, they always seem to try it on, even with stuffed animals. They soon get bored but a recently injured pigeon might find that sort of attention a nuisance.

I am pretty certain that Norwood had the same problem with one eye. He was caught by a cat, but when Jill examined him she found he already had a scab on his head. I have asked John to have a look for old pictures of him.

The scalped pigeon that had been hit by a car had his beak damaged but it repaired itself very quickly, so hopefully woodie will be able to eat completely on his own soon. 

Apparently wood pigeons are going hungry this year, the seed and acorn crops were poor, so that could account for his weight. But he could also have been grounded for a day or so before the cat caught him. Who knows, maybe the cat did him (or her) a favour by bringing him to Denise's attention.

Denise, thank you so much for rescuing the Woodie and being so quick about finding help for him. Woodies are adorable birds!

Cynthia


----------



## Whitefeather (Sep 2, 2002)

Many thanks for the update Karen.
I hope everything goes well.

Wonderful team work Denise, Cynthia & you displayed.  

Cindy


----------



## Denisef (Jan 18, 2006)

Karen just wondered if there is any update on Woody?
and did you get the antibiotics i forwared to you from Cynthia?

take care
Denise


----------



## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

Hi Denise,

I don't think that Karen visits this board all that often unless she has heard that there is a pigeon in need in her area.  

I spoke to her a couple of days ago (about a collared dove, another story) and she said that the woody is fine and reaching the end of his course of antibiotics.

She is going away for a couple of days at the week end (she has arranged cover for the birds) so it might be best to text her today or tomorrow for another update.


Cynthia


----------

