# string injury



## Aias (Nov 9, 2006)

can we make a string injury sticky? it seems like a common enough injury to merit that dont you think?

i caught an older adult feral with string wrapped his poor swollen feet and about to go tackle that problem right after this post. will post pictures and update later.


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

I often think that we're getting "sticky saturated". Perhaps what we need to do is convince Googull to consider making some further forum delineations in the Sick and Injured section to help with the indexing. Anyhow, there are some good posts and threads as to string injuries, Aias, but I'll have to tell you that it's more of a big-city pigeon problem. I've never actually even seen a bird around my house with a string injury although I've traveled and seen some bad looking feet in major cities like where you live.

Phil, Jazaroo and some others have posted stuff about it on here (individual cases as well as tools and techniques) but it's uncommon enough that we often generally just try to help people individually case by case. What, specifically, do you have in mind? It's possible that you could teach as much as ask.

Pidgey


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## Aias (Nov 9, 2006)

*i am not sure but*

i am not sure how to approach it but i think that it should be a sub-section within this very section. perhaps, 1) a post on the *tools of the trade*, eg, coagulants, tools; 2) *things to watch out* for,eg, bleeding and how to stop it; 3) *a how to* step by step with picture gallery.

i am not sure how often people do a search for such information considering i see people asking what to do quite frequently. i wouldnt have known what to do with this poor bird if i hadnt been curious enough to read about it previously. any way this are my two cents worth.

so this senior citizen had string wrapped around both his feet, i was able to remove the string on both feet without any major complications. one foot now looks completely healthy, but the other foot has a 20% chance of loosing a toe. i will post pics later when sabina gets home to yet another SURPRISE  as i couldnt hold him feet up and still photograph him.



Pidgey said:


> I often think that we're getting "sticky saturated". Perhaps what we need to do is convince Googull to consider making some further forum delineations in the Sick and Injured section to help with the indexing. Anyhow, there are some good posts and threads as to string injuries, Aias, but I'll have to tell you that it's more of a big-city pigeon problem. I've never actually even seen a bird around my house with a string injury although I've traveled and seen some bad looking feet in major cities like where you live.
> 
> Phil, Jazaroo and some others have posted stuff about it on here (individual cases as well as tools and techniques) but it's uncommon enough that we often generally just try to help people individually case by case. What, specifically, do you have in mind? It's possible that you could teach as much as ask.
> 
> Pidgey


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## Larry_Cologne (Jul 6, 2004)

Aias,

I am listing some threads that were posted concerning string-feet. I live in a big city and see a number of them, and so they interest me. I have dealt with a couple of them.

The threads may or may not be helpful to you. I found them by typing "string" in the search box, and search "Sick or Injured Pigeon Discussions" forum. You may be able to link to these quicker by doing the same thing.

I list these threads, because sometimes I, and I suspect others, do not always know what terms to use when describing a situation or when Googling or searching for answers. If you don't catch the pigeon today or tomorrow, you may find time (for example when it is too dark to go after the pigeon) to quickly skim through the threads for hints on how to catch the pigeon, or what meds you might need, or maybe you think of someone who can help you catch the pigeon. 

A lot of pigeons with string-tangled feet often have other problems going on, such as starvation accompanied by opportunistic diseases (coccidiosis, etc.), which often quickly become more important and urgent than the string-foot problem. That is why Pidgey and others often like to deal with new situations on an _ad hoc_ (here and now) basis. Sometimes you get to the root of a problem much quicker that way, and therefore to the answers. There are some real experts on these forums, wih lots of pertinent information, which you will not find anywhere else. 

Then there is the matter of a pigeon possibly having a mate and babies waiting.

============

help!! how the heck do i catch this guy... - Pigeon-Talk

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=17726&highlight=string

Mrs P - Caught!! - Pigeon-Talk

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=16969&highlight=string

Need a little help .... - Pigeon-Talk

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=16883&highlight=string

Found a Pigeon with two bad feet - Pigeon-Talk

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=16259&highlight=string

Injured pigeon on my balcony - Pigeon-Talk

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=15077&highlight=string

Another Stringfoot, Need Advice - Pigeon-Talk

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=15784&highlight=string


A 'Stringfoot' image tour, and... - Pigeon-Talk

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=14673&highlight=string


Bad Feet - can't catch him! - Pigeon-Talk

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=12014&highlight=string


Analgesics, Anaesthetics: Discussion Thread - Pigeon-Talk

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=14659&highlight=string


Horrific Foot Injury Due To Cotton - Pigeon-Talk

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=14286&highlight=string


thread removal - Pigeon-Talk

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=13973&highlight=string

foot fell off what to do now with stump - Pigeon-Talk

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=12922&highlight=string

String-Foot Bird some images of their adventure - Pigeon-Talk

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=12203&highlight=string

Pigeon with hurt foot - Pigeon-Talk

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=12033&highlight=string

String foot problem - Pigeon-Talk

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=11076&highlight=string

String Feet Birds...today's success - Pigeon-Talk

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=10274&highlight=string


EEEEEK!!!! Severed foot!!!! - Pigeon-Talk

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=10191&highlight=string

Need expert advice....Pigeon with severed foot - Pigeon-Talk

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=9435&highlight=string

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Hoping this may be of some use, and not get in the way.

Larry


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Larry,

Thank you for providing all these links, we really appreciate it.


Thank you all, on your thoughts about re-organizing our "sticky" dept, and I will ask Googull if it is even possible.


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## Aias (Nov 9, 2006)

*update*

introducing " abuelito ":
http://www.flickr.com/photos/100fires/tags/abuelito/

looking at his toe, sabina laughed in my face at my 20% chance of losing the toe appraisal. it now looks like that was an optimistic assessment.
he briefly escaped my grasp and he flew a few feet before i caught him but it looks like that little adventure opened up an old injury on his wing. it looks like one of his flying feathers broke badly and from his flapping opened up again. at least that is my working theory for now, any ideas?
also, sabina suspects canker, she thinks she saw some in his mouth and he is unusually patient when handled.

thanks for your post larry, it illustrates exactly what i would like to see changed. i know that there is a lot of experienced and knowledgeable people on this forum, but, who wants to peck around x number of links to figure out what to do when one could easily refer to a sticky that clearly sets out all that information?


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

I don't think most people even want to look for stickies--they just want someone to tell them what to do. If you're asking for resources for the experienced rehabber like what tools to have and where to get them, that's another story.

Aias, most pigeon populations stay around a certain number and yet each pair tries to raise several clutches per year. In racing pigeons, breeders often restrict them to four clutches or eight chicks per pair per year. So, in the wild where they don't have such restrictions, they tend to stay in balance with the food supply. This means, plain and simple, that an awful lot of them die of starvation as the initial cause in the broad sense but when you get one it's usually a complication that you have to treat.

Pidgey


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

By the way, Aias, I didn't realize that the picture that I was looking at wasn't Abuelito.


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

Aias, what has happened is that Abuelito has broken a blood feather which is fairly common. Get flour and put it on the wound. Better yet, if you can get pliers and place them at the end of the feather next to the body but not pinching his skin, get a firm grip and pull the feather straight out from the body. That usually stops the bleeding.


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## Aias (Nov 9, 2006)

*huh?*

what do you mean? didnt you click the link i posted? i was just going to ask you why you thought that abuelito wasnt looking all that well. i mean, i am sure he is sick, but by outward appearances how can one tell?

this is abuelito, just in case:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/100fires/tags/abuelito/

so does any one have any thoughts on his toe and bleeding feather?



Pidgey said:


> By the way, Aias, I didn't realize that the picture that I was looking at wasn't Abuelito.


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

Aias, check my earlier post about the bleeding feather. I can't help you with the foot because I have never rehabbed one with that problem. To me, he looks pretty good, bright eyed, clean and alert. Watch that feather tho.


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

As Maggie has posted, the blood is coming from a broken blood feather. You can either pull the feather completely out or apply a bit of pressure and cornstarch, flour, or sugar to the area until it stops bleeding.

The toe doesn't look too bad to me .. at least compared to many that I've seen and dealt with. Can you tell if there is still feeling in the part of the toe below where the string was? 

Terry


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Aias said:


> what do you mean? didnt you click the link i posted? i was just going to ask you why you thought that abuelito wasnt looking all that well. i mean, i am sure he is sick, but by outward appearances how can one tell?
> 
> this is abuelito, just in case:
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/100fires/tags/abuelito/


Well, Pio's picture was right there in the "album" beside it and for awhile I thought that was him. I finally figured it out. Is there a picture of Abuelito standing?

Pidgey


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## xxmoxiexx (Oct 2, 2006)

what kind of bird is duchess?? was it wild when you caught it??
did you take care of the string injury??


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## sabina (Mar 11, 2006)

Hi everybody,
I haven't posted in a long time! So let's see what I have to say...

The bleeding only lasted a couple seconds, so we haven't done anything as of yet, since it seems all the suggestions were directed towards stopping the bleeding. Do we still have to pull the feather out?

The feather wasn't bleeding when we got him yesterday. But today, after we finished cleaning his foot, he broke free and and perched himself on top of a curtain and flapped against the wall for a little while. Was that enough for him to break a feather you think?

Aias picked the name abuelito (grandpa) since he thought the pijie seemed very old. What do you think from the pics?

As for the foot...I laughed at Aias' 20% prediction only cause i was wondering how he came up with such a precise number! Given this is our first dealing with a string injury! I have no idea what that toe's chances are. It does seem there's some necrotic tissue there, and the toe does seem pretty discolored, a day after removing the string so....I don't really know. 

When we looked in the mouth/throat, there were a few small white spots. So i have to get on it and order the meds tonight. (I lost steam with that effort, whenever that was that I asked everyone's advice about it.) It does seem that he must be sick given how patient he is when we work on him (ie clean the foot, apply bacitracin). His poops seem normal though, well-formed, about raisin-sized. 

Pidgey--we can take a picture of him standing. He doesn't have a problem standing, but I haven't taken a close look at him while he was doing that. 

Thanks Larry for the search, that was nice of you.

Terry--the pijie doesn't really fuss when we mess with his foot period, so it'd be hard to tell if there's sensation in that part, I think.

Moxie--Sir Duchess is a helmet pigeon, and we found him outside our window. We've been told though that we was probably a pet that got loose or was let loose. 

Ok I better go order the meds now!

Sabina


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## Aias (Nov 9, 2006)

maggie sorry i missed your post, i think you posted while i was typing. so is a "blood feather" a particular type of feather? really? i thought it was just a broken primary. we will try to pull out the feather tomorrow, but as an older adult is there any chance of him growing a new one?

pidgey i see now how you meandered into pio's pictures pio is not looking so scraggly now but he is still kind of a runt even though he is disease-free.

xxmoxiexx i got all the string from both feet yesterday, but one toe is keeping us in suspense. how is your string injury survivor doing? and how come he doesnt have a name?


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Aias,

A "blood feather" is a still-growing feather so when you break them, they bleed. When a feather stops growing, the blood and circulation inside will stop and dry up.

About your idea of a string-injury thread--why don't you assemble what you think to be a basic (or expanded, your choice) outline for such a thread and post it. We've certainly got enough material to piece one together.

Pidgey


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## Aias (Nov 9, 2006)

and how may i ask did you learn that? i swear some of you, probably all of you go to some secret pigeon university!

i will start assembling such information, even though, you know, i am just a lowly fledgling.



Pidgey said:


> Aias,
> 
> A "blood feather" is a still-growing feather so when you break them, they bleed. When a feather stops growing, the blood and circulation inside will stop and dry up.
> 
> ...


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Oh, you stepped in it this time, buddy!



Aias said:


> and how may i ask did you learn that? *i swear some of you, probably all of you go to some secret pigeon university*!



This forum IS:

PU

Pigeon University.

Right here... yep.

Pidgey
Professor Emeritus of the P.U. Pigeon Poo Department
Tenured


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

mr squeaks said:


> As my first official act in "stomping" out silliness on the forum (see my post in Lady Tarheel's, "Thanks Pigeonpal2002" - her salute to Brad, former Moderator), Pidgey has, unfortunately, become my first STOMPEE!
> 
> Pidgey is full of it! Do not listen to him!


He just told me you'd get in on this one!!! LOL
We were talking about you in the chat room...............


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

Now, I see where you guys are. the BS again...............LOL 
Just kidding.................


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## Aias (Nov 9, 2006)

oh my god what have i done?!


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

*End Of Fun Here Folks ..*

This IS the Sick and Injured section of Pigeon-Talk .. let's try and let it be that way folks. Soon, I'm going to have to be a real Moderator.

Terry


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## sabina (Mar 11, 2006)

Um HELLO peoples, there's a PIGEON here! Back to Abuelo (or maybe Abuela, Aias now thinks it's a girl)...I mean, ok I did guffaw a few times reading the PU posts, so can't say I didn't enjoy them  And it's true, this bird is not in any serious danger, as far as we can tell. But now...back to the bird at hand. 

Any thoughts on toe prognosis? Age of bird? We haven't seen this pijie eating. He/she makes a mess of the seeds, but don't know how much is getting in. Aias said he can feel the breastbone. Should we be feeding by hand?

Sabina


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## Aias (Nov 9, 2006)

ha ha you guys got in trouble!  

i think now that we have discovered the chat function within these forums, i think that would be the best place joke around with each other. i am not personally offended or angered by the joking around but i do have an interest in streamlining information.

someone asked us to post a photo of abuelito/a standing, havent yet done it but i can tell you that when i captured him/her she was limping bad, like someone with bad corns. i have observed her standing normally and she is now walking normally as well, we will tackle the feather removal later after we do some horrendous house cleaning.


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## Feather (Dec 8, 2005)

I am glad to hear that abuelito/a is walking o.k. now. You probably found him before he had been bound for any length of time. What doesn't sound good is that you can feel his breast bone and he is not eating.

I hope that someone is on soon that can guide you through this. 

Good Luck with Your little patient,
Feather


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## sabina (Mar 11, 2006)

*It's a girl!*

Sir Duchess has been flying into the back room where Abuela is staying to do some serious courting! And when I peeked in to see him do his dance on top of Abuela's cage, the pijie was eating away! So maybe the courting is good for her?!


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## Victor (Dec 18, 2004)

sabina said:


> Um HELLO peoples, there's a PIGEON here! Back to Abuelo (or maybe Abuela, Aias now thinks it's a girl)...I mean, ok I did guffaw a few times reading the PU posts, so can't say I didn't enjoy them  And it's true, this bird is not in any serious danger, as far as we can tell. But now...back to the bird at hand.
> 
> Any thoughts on toe prognosis? Age of bird? We haven't seen this pijie eating. He/she makes a mess of the seeds, but don't know how much is getting in. Aias said he can feel the breastbone. Should we be feeding by hand?
> 
> Sabina


I went back and looked at the pictures and just read the thread and Abuleito (interesting name for a young pigeon). If he/she seems to be walking fine now, I would just keep an eye on it. The exercise that you provide him will do him well. Judging from the pictures you provide him with plenty of flight/walk time and very important...sunshine. 

Some pigeons are very finicky eaters and many members will agree with me on this too. I have 6 pet pigeons and not one of them share the eating habits. My former racer Paris just loves the Canada peas found in the pigeon mix, and most of the others ignore the. My Rosco refuses to be a pigeon and will attack the parakeet seed and the if he HAS to later in the day, some of the pigeon food.Try some unsalted raw sunflower seeds found at most super marts. A small bag about 98 cents but they just love the stuff. It is a good fattener upper but give them sparingly, not as a diet like mine think.

Abuelito could use some added calories. If you have to feed him then do it. 

As far as the sex, as it gets older through the coming weeks/months, the iridescent colors around the neck will be more colorful and vibrant looking if you put a mirror in front of it. it will "lose its mind!" 

Now Professor Pidgey will be able to offer you a more detailed medical explanation of sexing a pigeon if you like and ask....I am sure he will be willing to further advise.

Ahh, I see you found out she is an "abuelita"...I posted after your up-date.


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## sabina (Mar 11, 2006)

Victor, I think you were looking at the pictures of Pio (small scraggly gray pigeon). Abuelita (very dark-colored adult pigeon with irridescent neck feathers) has been with us only 2 days, doesn't get any flight time or exercise since we've been keeping her relatively quarantined in a separate (closet with a window) room in a cat carrier. (Our other 2 pigeons have their own cages in the living room and fly around all day.) 

Aias thinks this pigeon is old, based on how the ceres looks mostly, hence the name. I have no idea about the age. Clearly not a youngster though.


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## feralpigeon (Feb 14, 2005)

Think you'll find some good information on string foot injuries by searching
for Cyro51 in the PT search engine. Here's a link to her Webshots album with
lots of other good information:

http://community.webshots.com/user/cyro51

You can get Bach's Rescue Cream at a health food store, which will soften
the thread and area before moving in to remove the thread. A topical antibiotic
oinment/cream is frequently enough, although sometimes concurrent oral
administration of an antibiotic is also necessary. 

fp


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## jazaroo (Jan 1, 2006)

Hi Sabina,

This bird's situation is very similar to one I helped a while back, that Larry was kind enough to provide a link for "Another Stringfoot, Need Advice" http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=15784&highlight=string

It seems you got to help this one a little sooner, so the toe does not appear quite as damaged. Like yours, after the string came of she was walking and using her foot quite well within a few days, and was released back in about a week (a quick update, the toe did eventually completely fall off and I still see her, from time to time, and is doing excellent with one missing toe on that foot).

After getting the string off and making sure there is no infection going on, the toe is pretty much going to do what is going to do. What I mean by this is, either there is or there isn't enough blood flow through to the toe to keep it viable and continue to heal. If not it will die and fall off, much as the bird I helped toe did. Massages with a cream like Bach's Rescue Cream can help matters a great deal, but will only do so much if the damage present is beyond a certain point. If you are happy the way the bird is now using the foot and there are no other health issues that need addressed, then I think the bird would be a candidate for release.

However, a couple of more considerations would be, you mentioned that her/his weight is down, most likely from a reduced mobility to forage, but I think at this point should be eating well, if the bird feels secure. The one I had above ate like a truck driver while she was with me. You say you are not sure how well the bird is eating, one way to tell is, what goes in must come out, how do the droppings look and how many?

I reread the post, and am not sure how this bird was captured . It was said the bird was caught, does this mean trapped? Otherwise, a stringfoot bird that is easily caught, without trapping, most defiantly may have other health issues going on.

Good luck with this bird,

Ron


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## sabina (Mar 11, 2006)

Hi Ron,
Aias lured the pijie with seeds and caught her. She is malnourished, given the breastbone is pretty prominent. The droppings are well-formed with a white cap, but maybe some dark green in there. Less in number than normal, approx 20 a day? We're thinking we'll take her in to the vet for a fecal analysis, so we can get her in prime shape before we release her. She is more alert/curious and struggles more today than yesterday. I did see her eating pretty energetically today, so I think she's starting to eat better now. This is her third day with us. 

fp--we picked up some tea tree oil and some calendula/hypericum cream, didn't get the Bach's. You think that's a lot better than what we got?

Thanks,
Sabina


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## jazaroo (Jan 1, 2006)

Well Sabina, the droppings sound like they are fine to me, but it wouldn't hurt to have a vet have a look at her. It really would be best if it were an avian vet, so you get experienced advice. How does her throat and mouth are look?

It does take a few days for them to adjust, some quicker than others, depending on where and what type of cage they are kept in. Maybe she is just now feeling more comfortable, hence the increase in food intake and being a little more spirited. It would be nice if we could get an exact weight on her to determine just how far from a normal weight range she is.

To me it sounds as if she is coming along, will be putting on some weight in short order and be a ready for release before too long, (again getting an accurate idea of her weight would be great to help determine this).

All the best,

Ron


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## sabina (Mar 11, 2006)

Ron--actually I was way off with the dropping estimate. Aias just cleaned 20 from the cage, and he had just cleaned it maybe 5-6 hours ago. But they're kind of tiny. Her weight is somewhere between 250-275g (we have to buy a more accurate scale!).
We have a good vet, who is experienced with birds and pigeons. I thought I saw some white spots when I first looked in her mouth with the penlight, but last time I looked, I didn't see anything. 
Sabina


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## Aias (Nov 9, 2006)

jazaroo thanks for posting. actually, one on one i wouldnt have been able to catch her but i use the other flock members to crowd her as a distraction, and i feed them very close to my feet so i increase my chances tremendously. before i developed this strategy my success rate was pretty abysmal regardless of my pretty decent reflexes.


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## Victor (Dec 18, 2004)

sabina said:


> Victor, I think you were looking at the pictures of Pio (small scraggly gray pigeon). Abuelita (very dark-colored adult pigeon with irridescent neck feathers) has been with us only 2 days, doesn't get any flight time or exercise since we've been keeping her relatively quarantined in a separate (closet with a window) room in a cat carrier. (Our other 2 pigeons have their own cages in the living room and fly around all day.)


I see that now. Sorry for the error. I am on vacation this week from my primary job, and have been spending time fine tuning my pigeon coop and doing some heavy fall clean up after taking down a cluster of trees again late summer. I try to pop in to see what is going on, and missed some things in the thread.Never enough hours in a day...or night!


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## feralpigeon (Feb 14, 2005)

sabina said:


> fp--we picked up some tea tree oil and some calendula/hypericum cream, didn't get the Bach's. You think that's a lot better than what we got?
> 
> Thanks,
> Sabina


Hi Sabina,

Not necessarily, I was responding to the inquiry about foot injuries and thought
Cynthia has had some good posts on the topic and good successes. A fellow
member in this area also uses Cynthia's suggestions and has spectacular
success with string foot injuries. 

This doesn't mean that other products would be better/worse, the concept
of initiating a preliminary/supportive treatment is perhaps significant here.
Choosing the 'zen' product, or the one with the most optimal results are 
obviously the desired route. But we all have what we have on hand, and 
do our best. That discussion is sometimes a luxury in the moment.

fp


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## Aias (Nov 9, 2006)

oh i almost forgot. we removed the broken blood feather, it turns out she had two, one on each wing the poor thing. i think sabina who did the pulling suffered more than the pigeon.

also, i think the toe will stay, the swelling is going down and the color is looking better.


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## jazaroo (Jan 1, 2006)

Hi Aias and Sabina,

Well, her appetite is increasing, the colour in her injured foot is improving, her droppings look to be well formed and there does not appear to be any canker growths. This is all good.

I guess if it was me I would be planning on keeping her around another week, I would be massaging her foot 2-3 three times a day with the cream you have and monitoring her weight closely. She is under weight and it would be nice to see her put on say +30 grams while she is with you. I would be using pre-shelled and unsalted sunflower seeds to help with this.

How well does she fly? Do you have a room to test her present abilities? When you first noticed her with the flock, was she flying well with them before you caught her?

As I said before, it wouldn't hurt to have your vet have a look at her before release, but it sounds to me at this point she is going to recover just fine.

All the best,

Ron


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## sabina (Mar 11, 2006)

fp--I read Cynthia's webpage on string injuries, and looked at her webshots, definitely some helpful information.Thanks for the suggestions. 

Ron--she seems to fly fine. We've just seen what happens when she escapes from us, she ends up landing against a wall or window and flapping. This morning, when Aias opened her cage, she took him by surprise and flew right out. Anyway, I don't want her to injure herself further so it seems better that she convalesces in the cage for now?

We're concerned we haven't seen her eating recently, so we're going to hand-feed some seeds, corn and peas. 

I'm not too concerned about the toe. We massaged some cream this morning. I did notice that the leg on that side is swollen though. So maybe she needs some oral antibiotics is what I'm thinking. Hopefully, Aias will be able to take her to the vet in the next couple days. 

Victor--so many threads, so little time! No worries  

Sabina


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## jazaroo (Jan 1, 2006)

Hi Sabina,

I just wanted to make sure her flying abilities where in good order.

Here is a link to an excellent YouTube video posted by one of our members, cyro51, on how to hand feed a bird, it may be helpful to you.

Do try some of the pre-shelled and unsalted sunflower seeds, they do really like these. If you can keep an accurate tracking of her weight, it will help a great deal to monitor her progress.

Please keep us updated.

All the best,

Ron


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## sabina (Mar 11, 2006)

Hi Ron, 

We don't have any sunflower seeds. And I think we were told to only use the black sunflower seeds? We have pigeon mix, so we took out some of the dried peas and big seeds from there. We have safflower seeds. And peas and corn. 

I don't see the Youtube link, but I think we're ok with the hand-feeding. Thanks!

Sabina


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## jazaroo (Jan 1, 2006)

Hi Sabina,

Sorry about that, here you go, http://youtube.com/watch?v=uU1SO0ZJoow

You can get a small bag of pre-shelled & unsalted sunflower seeds at almost any health food store for just a few dollars, and many other stores now days in fact. As I said, they really do love these and I find when given to supplement a regular pigeon/dove mix really help to add weight to a bird quickly. I am a little concerned that you mentioned she is not eating as you would like again, she really should be feeding well, as the string injury was fairly minor as they go, perhaps the vet will be better able to shed light on things. 

For me, the most reliable ways to monitor food intake is monitoring their droppings and weight. It is so important to monitor their weight when there are any health issues going on. With monitoring their weight is is important you do it the same time each day. I do it first thing in the morning, before they really have had a good chance to feed and this is also after they have eliminated through the night, by their droppings, most of their last evening's food intake, this will help give a better representation of true weight.

All the best,

Ron


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

Sabina, I'm glad you were able to pull out the blood feathers. Takes some muscle doesn't it?

I agree with Ron, wholeheartedly, about weighing the bird first thing in the am. That is the only good way to monitor his weight.


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## Aias (Nov 9, 2006)

*vet check*

abuelita went to the vet today, minimal worms thanks to her daily garlic pill and very slight coccidiosis (sp.?). she does have yeast though, and she is now on nyastatin for seven days. if all goes well tubby (weighs 320 grams) will rejoin her flock next wednesday.


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## Reti (Jul 20, 2003)

Sounds like a healthy pij.
Great job.

Reti


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## jazaroo (Jan 1, 2006)

Hi Aias & Sabina,

This sounds like a much better weight. Glad you got her checked out by the vet and things are going to be fine with her. You guys did a good job.

All the best,

Ron


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

Aias, terrific report. Weight sounds wonderful. Thanks for all you and Sabina have done to make Abuelita well.


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## feralpigeon (Feb 14, 2005)

Good work, Alias and Sabina! Tubby sounds like one happy and robust pij in 
your care.

fp


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