Found a pigeon.. not sure whats' wrong with it

[vegas]

Last week I found my cat with a pigeon in it's mouth .. I scared him and the pigeon ran into a bush in our backyard. Fast forward to this week and my son finds a pigeon in our front yard..Then he runs into a bush. It looks exactly like the pigeon my cat had so I'm pretty sure it's the same one. The pigeon can run but it has very little balance. I caught him and put him in a bird cage in our bathroom. I'd like to help him to get him recooperated so he can fly again but know nothing about birds. I read online to gauze the wing to his side.. the right look broken because it's at a different level then the left one. The bird did not like it and broke right throught he gauze so we've just left him in the cage and are giving him food and water. I thought he ate all his food but it looks like he just knocked it over. I was concerned about something else being wrong with him because he seems to fall forward almost to wear he's laying on his head. I was worried about his neck but today I went in to look at him and his neck is up and he's just sitting in the cage. I guess I should also mention that when I tried to bandage him up last night, he extended both wings out and tried flapping them but wouldn't have been able to fly. Any idea what's wrong with it? We're moving in about 5 weeks and won't be able to take him with us so I need to figure out what to do with him.

[Pidgey]

Well, first off, where are you, because we might have somebody near you who can help. By any chance, are you in Vegas?

Pidgey

[Pidgey]

...as in, Las Vegas, Nevada?

[vegas]

Yes, I'm in Henderson. Just outside Las Vegas.

[Pidgey]

Well, we've got another new member in Henderson who has taken birds to Phil in Vegas very recently. It's very difficult to say per your description so far what's wrong with your bird. I can tell you that he might be weak to the point of virtually passing out, sick with something or have been hurt pretty badly. Sometimes it just requires a look. Phil can do that. Let me see if I can alert him to this and y'all can get in touch. If you know how to use the PM (Private Message) system, I can give you his phone number and you can give him a call.

Pidgey

[vegas]

Do you know of any rescue places in the area or someone who would take him? I am currently pregnant and am starting to worry about any possible disease the little guy might have that could hurt the baby. I have a call into my doctor to find out if I can keep the bird in the house but if she says no, I will have to get rid of it and need to find something to do with it.

[Pidgey]

Tell you what we can do right now, though--you can check the bird to see if he's emaciated by feeling the breast muscles. Normally, they're filled out pretty well (think of Arnold Schwarzeneggar or Dolly Parton) and you can't feel the keel (breastbone) very well. If, on the other hand, the keel feels like a knifeblade running down the middle of the chest, the bird might be in pretty bad shape.

Another thing to do is hold the bird and open his beak with your fingers to look all around inside the mouth. You're looking for anything that looks white or like buttons of cheddar cheese.

And yet another thing to do is look at the poops and describe them: how much material is there (1/4 teaspoon, 1/2 teaspoon...) and what it looks like: fairly dry and brown with some white; dark green blob in the middle of some white; diarrhea with white chalky paste... you get the idea.

Pidgey

[Pidgey]

It's extremely rare that they have a disease that you can get. It's actually far more likely that they can get something from you, so be careful to wash your hands before handling him. Since their body temperatures are so high (about 107), the same basic germs tend to have to be different strains in us versus them.

Pidgey

[flitsnowzoom]

Hi Vegas,
Thanks for taking this pigeon in and welcome to P-T. As far as catching something from this bird that might be transferred across the placenta to your baby, please don't worry and please don't release the bird yet. Pigeons do not carry avian flu, if that is your worry.
There are a couple of members out your way so hang loose and I'm sure someone will get back to you pretty soon. I don't have the expertise to help you like others can, but I appreciate your helping this bird out.
Cats carry some pretty significant bacteria on their teeth which may have caused an infection in this bird so that may be causing the problem for this bird.
For now, just make sure the bird is in a safe quiet area and has continued access to fresh water and some bird seed.
Thanks.

[Pidgey]

One of the things that he could have gotten from your cat (or you) would be Pasteurella multocida. That's a common bacteria found in cats' (dogs, us) gingival tissue (the gums) and saliva that can cause "fowl cholera" (Pasteurellosis) which is lethal to most birds in as fast as 12 hours. Pigeons are literally the toughest bird there is and their immune systems can drag a normally fatal disease out for quite awhile fighting it, longer than most by a long shot. But some of the things we carry can get them if they get a large enough dose at one shot. That said, it really is best for you to wash your hands before opening their beaks to look inside (and after, of course, but that's more for your emotional comfort than genuine need--a human bite is the dirtiest bite on the planet and a rat's is second).

Pidgey

[vegas]

Husbands not home right now so I can't do the beak check but his dropping are the green type you described.. as for the breastbone I don't seem to feel anything but that was with a quick check because he's a lot more alert today and tried to peck me when I checked.. He was also extending his wings and starting to flap so i wonder if he's actually able to fly now.. maybe i should check?

[vegas]

maybe it's his leg.. sometime he can sit up fine holding his neck up but when he tries to move, sometimes he falls forward onto his head.

[pdpbison]

Hi Vegas,


Pidgey left a message for me about your Bird.


I have sent you a message through Pigeon-talk which has my 'phone number.


Happy to accept the Pigeon, and to take over from here.


Best wishes,

Phil
Las Vegas

[Pidgey]

Got any idea how much he weighs? If you compare his weight to an 8 ounce styrofoam cup of water? You can feel the joints of the wings and the legs for any swellings. There is a virus that they can get (you're completely safe from that one, too) called "PMV" that can affect them neurologically for awhile. They can do all kinds of weird things (torticollis--twisting then neck and head upside down in the extreme) with that one but the symptoms tend to start out slowly.

Usually, once they get used to the new environment and learn that they're not in danger, they will relax and get down to the serious business of trying to heal. If you've got food and water for them (warmth & safety) they usually start in on it pretty soon. The kind of food that they like to eat is wild bird seed. Water needs to be kept in something small and over a half-inch deep.

Pidgey

[pdpbison]

Hi everyone,

'Vegas' and her husband met me something around half-way, which was STILL a long drive to be sure! And was very very nice of them to do when the timing for them was hardly ideal.

I was worried by my sense of this Bird needing to get some attentions a.s.a.p., so...they were very gracious to take time out to get it done now instead of waiting to tomorrow.

Looks like a young Adult, smallish, and he is 'peeping' his head off all the way home, once I sort of introduced myself better and started bragging up how good the chow is here.

So, I will hydrate him first, and as I seem to be feeling a gassy AND empty Crop ( on him I mean, ) , we will do the ACV-Rehydration formula for a little while, and then move on to some thin 'soups' later to-night.

He'd been Cat-Caught and has only a couple Tail Feathers left, with some scabs on his tail area and likely on his back also. Which escape-from-Cat thing appearently happenned Sunday or Monday maybe, and these small punctures are not fresh, but I need to look more later to evaluate some more and they are of course hard to find.

Legs are almost going out, and one leg is weak but both Feet grip decently and nothing seems broken.

Wings are nice and seem fine. BIG Wings for such a smallish Pigeon.

Looks like he'd been well-enough-nourished, then suffered privations and mauling...and has been starving...

So, off to get some rehydration into him now...and I will report back later sometime.

He has a really great attitude, which makes me happy of course.

Best wishes,

Phil
Las Vegas