# Does canker kill my pigeon?



## sefideh (Dec 22, 2013)

Hi, i'm not a pigeon racer, but it has been like 1 year that i'm feeding a pigeon that comes near my window everyday.

It's a white oriental roller.

It has been some days that i'm seeing he cant swallow correctly, and there are some yellow pieces on his tongue.

It's definitely a canker from what i found on internet because he has all the symptoms.

I wanted to know if he will die or something or its common between pigeons?

Thanks


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

*Yes, it needs to be treated asap. Also, the bird may be starving if he is not able to eat.

Catch the bird and try to feed it a liquid baby bird formula for now, and please get spartrix tablets and/or metrodonizole asap.*


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## sefideh (Dec 22, 2013)

Skyeking said:


> *Yes, it needs to be treated asap. Also, the bird may be starving if he is not able to eat.
> 
> Catch the bird and try to feed it a liquid baby bird formula for now, and please get spartrix tablets and/or metrodonizole asap.*


Hi, thanks for your answer.

I'm not so familiar with pigeons, so i have some questions:

I've heard that if i give those drugs to the pigeon he wont be able to eat anymore? so i have to feed him manually with a syringe? As i said i'm not so familiar with pigeons so i'm not able to do those kind of stuff... so is there a way to cure him (or another drug) without doing all those hard things after/before? 

and one more thing, is the problem contagious to human?

Thanks


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

It is highly unlikely that you or any human could be infected by the canker that this pigeon has. Canker is trichomoniasis. As long as you are careful about hygiene, you should be perfectly safe.

To be blunt .. the pigeon WILL die and will die horribly if you don't get it started on canker medication. If the bird is still able to eat on its own then it may be able to get enough nutrition until the medication kicks in, but it would be best to at least give this bird supplemental feedings by syringe.

If you don't feel you are able to give the level of care needed, please try to find a local bird rescue to assist you or reach out to local pigeon fanciers .. Belgium is kind of one of the pigeon capitols of the world. 

Thank you for your concern for the bird, but please now do what needs to be done to save the bird.

Terry


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## sefideh (Dec 22, 2013)

Hi, again thanks for your answers


I wanted to cure him by medics but suddenly one day he came with no feather under his beak at his right side. As the pigeon comes near my window just at the evening for about 20-30 minutes per day, i thought that he might be already under treatment by his owner or someone else... (he even has shackles with number on his legg) so if i give him medics he will get double dose and die...

So can you confirm those pics are symptoms of canker or an operation by someone on him?




















and this is just a pic that showes yellow things on his tongue










thanks


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

*YES....it is most definitely canker, PLEASE catch this bird, and get proper treatment. The odds of survival for this bird are growing smaller as each day passes.

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/f20/1...s-incl2cnd-step-post-your-location-38776.html *


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## sefideh (Dec 22, 2013)

Hi,

I have bought tricho plus powder for him.

I'm going to put it on a bowl that he always drink from. he will probably drink it once a day for 5 days.

Thanks for your helps


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## hong kong pigeons (Sep 30, 2013)

Skyeking said:


> *Yes, it needs to be treated asap. Also, the bird may be starving if he is not able to eat.
> 
> Catch the bird and try to feed it a liquid baby bird formula for now, and please get spartrix tablets and/or metrodonizole asap.*


are those 2 medicines liquid or pills? if pills, can they be ground and dissolved into water?


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

the bird should not be loose and try to treat it too, he can have other sources of water to drink. get a medication only for canker and keep the bird up in a cozy cage untill treatment is done and it is gone and he can eat normally.


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## sefideh (Dec 22, 2013)

In my case it was powder, and i just dissolved it in water and gave him to drink everyday for about 5-6 days..

symptoms are completely disappeared and the bird is healthy and active like before.

I didn't hold him in any cage or something. He just came everyday front of my window, i feed him a bit then i prepared his water in a mug and putted next to him, then as he had canker and one of it's symptoms is being thirsty, he immediately start drinking it.


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

sefideh said:


> In my case it was powder, and i just dissolved it in water and gave him to drink everyday for about 5-6 days..
> 
> symptoms are completely disappeared and the bird is healthy and active like before.
> 
> I didn't hold him in any cage or something. He just came everyday front of my window, i feed him a bit then i prepared his water in a mug and putted next to him, then as he had canker and one of it's symptoms is being thirsty, he immediately start drinking it.


*Make sure to give the medication exactly for the length of time on instructions. Sometimes it requires a bit longer depends on how long this bird has had canker.*


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## AndreiS (Jul 28, 2013)

I have a pigeon with a canker swelling in the neck that despite injections and oral administrations with metronidazole, continued to grow. The bird eats dificultly.

Anybody knows what else I can do?


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## atete (May 18, 2012)

AndreiS said:


> I have a pigeon with a canker swelling in the neck that despite injections and oral administrations with metronidazole, continued to grow. The bird eats dificultly.
> 
> Anybody knows what else I can do?


Try ronidazole. I had a bird like this, too. It was feral. I caught it, treated with metronidazole with canker, it was OK, I let it go. Then it returned, even with the worse canker. Again, metronidazole for 11 days, a happy bird. The third time it came about 2 weeks later. I ordered ronidazole on-line, it was very expensive for me, before, I simply bought metronidazole in human pharmacies, and cut the pills into the smaller doses. 5 days with ronidazole in the water, this bird is healthy and well for about 5 months now. It grew very fat, also, with all these "vacations" at my place, now it's a huge bird, like a little hen, it manages to find a lot of food on its own and is quite happy. You won't believe that it the same scrawny little starving pigeon.
Also, your pigeon can have some other infection, besides canker, that is why it is not getting better.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

The bird should be confined while being treated, and it's impossible to know for sure how much of the med he is getting when you treat in the water.


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## AndreiS (Jul 28, 2013)

atete said:


> Try ronidazole. I had a bird like this, too. It was feral. I caught it, treated with metronidazole with canker, it was OK, I let it go. Then it returned, even with the worse canker. Again, metronidazole for 11 days, a happy bird. The third time it came about 2 weeks later. I ordered ronidazole on-line, it was very expensive for me, before, I simply bought metronidazole in human pharmacies, and cut the pills into the smaller doses. 5 days with ronidazole in the water, this bird is healthy and well for about 5 months now. It grew very fat, also, with all these "vacations" at my place, now it's a huge bird, like a little hen, it manages to find a lot of food on its own and is quite happy. You won't believe that it the same scrawny little starving pigeon.
> Also, your pigeon can have some other infection, besides canker, that is why it is not getting better.


I couldn't find ronidazole in Romania and to command from another country is too expensive.

That bird anyway is well now, I will release in spring.


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## pollygoh2002 (Dec 31, 2020)

sefideh said:


> Hi, thanks for your answer.
> 
> I'm not so familiar with pigeons, so i have some questions:
> 
> ...


Hi,
I have just saved 3-4 pigeons from canker and know a little bit about it now. At first I couldn't understand what to do. Now I know. I treated a flock of 65-70 wild pigeons, assuming canker would be present in all the pigeons. There is no more canker in the flock.

This is what you need to do (urgently):
1) Add Ronidazole 1/2 teaspoon per litre to his drinking water. If he drinks less than 1 litre in the morning work it out proportionally. The water will be a pinkish colour. Do this in the morning. Ronidazole can be difficult to get and is usually available at the veterinarians. But there are other medicines which also work on canker such as Flagyl, Spartrex and others.
2) Buy a bottle of apple cider vinegar (ACV) and add 5ml to 1 litre, or in proportion to what your bird drinks in the afternoon. Apple cider vinegar will turn the water pH to 4-5 which will also control the canker. This will not harm your pigeon. It contains vitamins which will help your pigeon.
3) Feed him/her baby bird formula or you can give him/her Weet Bix mixed to a semi-watery paste with warm water. My pigeons like it. I gave this twice a day.

One pigeon (Scruffy) who suffered from canker, and I thought he was going to die, has now fully recovered.

I hope this information helps you and your bird recovers soon. Do not delay treatment or bird can die.


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## Miss Metta (Nov 10, 2020)

pollygoh2002 said:


> Hi Polly
> where did you get the Ronidazole? From my understanding you need a vet Rx for it. Is this what you did? I'm in Aus too. Thanks
> Donna
> 
> ...


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