Help! (old?) pigeon with injured wing..what do I do?

[pearlykitty]

I found a pigeon in front of my steps. I think it fell off of my roof. .. it looks really wet, and old.. what should I do? I want to take it in so that it can be safe in our house, but my mother says only if it has a chance and if it doesn't suddenly die overnight, because we wouldn't know what to do with the body if it did die. I've attached a photo? is there anything I can do to help it? or would it be useless anyway? please help! thanks

[Pidgey]

Well, it's got a chance... can you put it in a box and bring it in so that it can get warm?

Pidgey

[Pidgey]

By the way, where (basically--no need to go into specifics) are you? I ask because we may have a member in your area that could take the bird.

Pidgey

[Pidgey]

I can't tell from the picture about the wing--can you see and describe an injury or wound?

Pidgey

[Reti]

Poor baby. Please bring him in and let him warm up. Offer him some food and water.
Even if he wouldn't make it through the night, it is still better for him to pass in a warm safe place, than being eaten by a predator.
In case he doesn't make it you can put him in a bag and drop him off at any vet for cremation. At least this is how it works here in Maimi, but I would guess it should be everywhere like this. It is free of any cost as long as it is not a pet.

Reti

[pearlykitty]

thanks for replying so soon! I live in San Francisco .I've taken him in.. he's not bleeding or anything, but he looks like a really bald bird. I put him in an old rabbit cage with some newspapers and some towels and some water... he smells like gasoline/ has a strange odor. could it be possible that that's why he's wet? if so, how do I clean him? As for food, is it okay for him to eat rice or bread?

[Pidgey]

I almost thought that he looked like he'd gotten oil on him and that would really mess with his ability to fly. You might try wiping some of that stuff on a cloth or something else and seeing if it will burn with a match.

Pidgey

[Pidgey]

If you know the PM system, I could give you the phone number of someone there in your area (Oakland).

Pidgey

[Pidgey]

Anyhow, about cleaning him, you could use dish soap and mix it up in some very warm water (95-100 degrees F) and give him a bath. After that, you'd probably need to keep him warm while drying with a blow dryer set on high. If you've got a lamp that you can get down pretty close to him, that might also work.

Pidgey

[Pidgey]

Seeing as how he's a San Francisco bird, he's probably used to eating just about anything. Let me ask you--since your name here is "pearlykitty", does that mean you've got a cat and, if so, does that mean you've got dry cat food there?

Pidgey

[pearlykitty]

Thanks for helping me! I used a paper towel, to wipe him a little bit. it looks like he's covered in some sort of a brownish liquied. As for giving him a bath, I'm not too sure if he could handle it. looks like he has some open wounds and sores. =( .. And food, I can't buy any bird seed right now, but would bread or rice be okay? I'm going to call the SPCA tomorrow to see if they can help him. yes, I have a cat and some dry cat food.

[Pidgey]

I guarantee you that the SPCA will just put him to sleep. Anyhow, somebody has come online that is in your area that hopefully might be able to either take the bird, help you with the bird or find somebody closer to you to take the bird. fp's a nice person and there's nothing to be scared of.

Pidgey

[pearlykitty]

that would totally be awesome! how do I contact this person? and should I feed the pigeon cat food?

[Pidgey]

I'm really thinking that he got caught in some oil somehow. As long as you used a very gentle soap or shampoo (Baby shampoo?), it would work. Also, you might try using a lot of absorbent stuff like rags and whatnot to let the stuff, whatever it is, kinda' soak out of the bird.

Pidgey

[Pidgey]

If the bird's got an appetite and will eat cat food, that'd be pretty good. You can bust it up into smaller pieces and give that a shot. Just out of curiosity, does he feel like his keel (it's the breastbone--runs down the middle of the chest) feel very prominent like it's sticking out like a knifeblade?

I already sent fp a PM to check in on this thread so we'll see about that.

Pidgey