Pigeon covered in tar

[Lin Hansen]

Reti,

Good luck and best wishes to you in helping this poor bird have a successful recovery. It sounds like a very slow and grueling process to try to remove the tar without hurting him. You and your husband are doing a great job.

Linda

[Camrron]

I was really glad to hear you cut away some of the feathers Reti. Especially knowing you were feeling reluctant to go to that step. After I read Brads mention though about absorbing petroleum base products through the skin I became convinced that it was the best strategy. Tough situations like hers call for extreme measures I think.

That poor little half naked bird will likely make it now though with all your care. (maybe keep her away from the mirror and hopefully she won't realize what happened).

Cameron

[Reti]

Thank you, Lin and Cameron.
I think the was the quickest and best solution for him. At least he is rid of most of the gunk. I also clipped her wings, cause the injured one doesn't look good. Might be even broken.
He has one tail feather left.
Good thing, he is eating, drinking and pooping nicely.

No mirror for him for a while, don't want him to get a complex. He really looks funny.

Reti

[TerriB]

Originally Posted by Reti

...I cut her feathers very short, very close to the skin, so most of the tar is removed as it was mostly at the tips of the feathers...
Reti

That was a great idea! You removed the toxic substance but let her retain as much of her heat regulating feathers as possible. Sure beats knitting her tiny little sweaters to keep warm! Looking forward to pictures when you get them developed.

[feralpigeon]

Saw Brad's update on the activated charcoal, and wanted to add to that. From what I read on the various sites, it would be true that systemic absorbtion is a major concern and can't be addressed w/activated charcoal through the GI system. But another concern that is addressed by using it would be the natural
inclination of birds to try to clean the gunk off through preening. That's why some of the rehabbers will use it along with the efforts to get the oil off the feathers with the Dawn baths and multiple rinses.

They also don't recommend cutting or pulling the feathers, but , these are agencies that develop policies based on the volumes of birds that they handle and the goal of being able to release many of the birds as soon as possible. I'm sure that part of the logic in not cutting feathers to give immediate relief is the idea that they don't want to have birds waiting there for their feathers to grow in. Space,volume, and resources are probably huge issues for them. Seems like the agencies in general are more restricted than an individual, policy wise, and as individuals, we are able to make other choices based on being able to provide more individualized solutions and care for a bird in crisis. This gives us alot more flexibility with our choices. Tar Baby 2 is lucky to have you for his rehabber and I'm sure you'll have a close eye on him through out his recuperation process.

The issue that Ron raises on the Activated Charcoal and the concurrent use of Baytril is an interesting one. I was only able to find links that put the Activated Charcoal in with clays used as binders for toxins. Of course, the issue with the Baytril and grit would be the calcium, but none the less, either clay or Activated Charcoal and their binding capabilities w/the concurrent use of antibiotics is an interesting issue and I wish there were more available on that topic.

fp

[Lady Tarheel]

Reti, do you think, when you have the time you could compile what you've done with tarbaby 2 and make it into a sticky? I think it would be helpful.

Maggie

[Reti]

Thak you TerriB, Maggie and fp.

I couldn't think of any contraindication as to cutting the feathers, well she might get a little chilly at times, but the temp in our home is 80F and she just won't sit on the heating pad. She did the first day, now she is moving around a lot and prefers to sit in a basket I gave her.
Other than that, I don't really care if she has to stay for months here. I don't even know if she will be releasable cause of her wing, but we'll see.

The only reason I thought twice about giving the charcoal is because of the Cipro I am giving her, I will need to ask my vet about that.

Maggie, yes I can make a sticky about tar babies.

Today she is doing much better. I took her out to a window and she enjoyed sitting in the sun and having her pics taken. She is still a baby and very sweet and tame so far. She had to stand on my hand at the window, guess she felt safer knowing I am holding her.

Reti

[Trees Gray]

I'm glad she is doing better today. Thank you for all your supportive care of this needy young bird.

You should consider getting her on the DHLA eventually, also.

[Reti]

Originally Posted by Trees Gray

I'm glad she is doing better today. Thank you for all your supportive care of this needy young bird.

You should consider getting her on the DHLA eventually, also.

She's on it. Neem oil too. I add them to the formula which I feed her in the evening.
Also Arnica for the wing injury.
Garlic, ACV, probiotics.
She gets all the good stuff.

Reti

[pdpbison]

Hi Reti,


Wow...so far so good then...!

I am back from Portland now...

Just to recap a little, 'Goof Off' would be a definite No-No since it is a mixture of solvents and would poison the Bird instantly by skin absorbtion and it's immediate fumes as well...

Massaging Canola Oil or Olive Oil, warmed of course first, into one section at a time, to let it work into the Tar, prolly would be good, but I would not try doing it to the whole Bird all at once, but to maybe a third of his feathers in any one go...followed by warm 'Dawn' baths.

Clipping the Feathers of course is a straightforward enough solution too!

With all these washings, I would consider to glisten his Seeds with some nice Olive Oil which as a component for his diet, will nurture his skin in it's ways, to keep it from being dry...

When low-wage and usually quite crude people are employed ( and almost no one else is so employed for these jobs, ) to apply and spread the Tar for 'Hot-Mopped' roofs, I would not be surprised if they would knock a weak or grounded Pigeon into the Tar puddles they are spreading with their Tar Brooms...just for their idea of amusement.

What is most amazeing to me here with this, is that the Bird somehow got away, and someone found him...instead of burning to death, and or becomeing glued to the roof in some corner or other deeper area, or, maybe they just knocked him clear off at some point to avoid a lump under the felt...

Otherwise, as far as Hot Mop kinds of Tar situtions, there is almost no way a Bird could get into this kind of trouble with lots of tar on them. Active people wielding tarry Brooms are never other than close to the liquid Tar, and no Bird able to fly would stay near that kind of activity and commotion.

...sigh...

Once cooled to ambient temperatures, the Hot-type Tar is for all intents and purposes an inert material not able to impart any meaningful levels of toxins to the Bird, or to anyone... if is IS/WAS 'Hot Mop' Tar, verses 'Cold Process' types that are liquid or semi-liquid at ambient or room temperatures...

Good luck with him!

Sounds like he is over the hump now...!

Amazing adventures our Pigeon buddies sometimes have...


Phil
Las Vegas

[jazaroo]

Fp,

My thoughts were that Cipro reaches maximum serum concentration, at least in humans, 1-2 hours after oral dosing. The activated charcoal or Toxiban, works by absorbing toxins/poisons from the GI tract and is not absorbed into the birds system. So I did/do not think that by giving them say 6 hours apart that they would not conflict. Perhaps others have thoughts or better information, but that's my current line of thinking.

Ron

[Lady Tarheel]

Phil, great to have you back on board. Hope you had a great trip to Portland.

Maggie

[Camrron]

Originally Posted by Lady Tarheel

Phil, great to have you back on board. Hope you had a great trip to Portland.

Maggie

And I will second that. How was your trip? I will keep an eye on baby Winters thread to see how she is doing now that you are back. You were missed!

Cameron

[feralpigeon]

Originally Posted by pdpbison

Hi Reti,


When low-wage and usually quite crude people are employed ( and almost no one else is so employed for these jobs, ) to apply and spread the Tar for 'Hot-Mopped' roofs, I would not be surprised if they would knock a weak or grounded Pigeon into the Tar puddles they are spreading with their Tar Brooms...just for their idea of amusement.

What is most amazeing to me here with this, is that the Bird somehow got away, and someone found him...instead of burning to death, and or becomeing glued to the roof in some corner or other deeper area, or, maybe they just knocked him clear off at some point to avoid a lump under the felt...

Otherwise, as far as Hot Mop kinds of Tar situtions, there is almost no way a Bird could get into this kind of trouble with lots of tar on them. Active people wielding tarry Brooms are never other than close to the liquid Tar, and no Bird able to fly would stay near that kind of activity and commotion.


Phil
Las Vegas

The wet/dry patching materials remain moist at air temperature for some time to come. It's highly unlikely a pij could survive an immediate dunk in the hot-mop mix. The skin would burn.

fp

[Camrron]

Have to agree. The hot mix is a torch-on job. I have done it. Getting any on any bare skin would bring on the worst burns imaginable. The goop on Reti's bird can only have been the semi-liquid cold-prep roof patch in my mind. Meaning that it was deliberately applied to the bird as no animal would roll around in the stuff even on their worst day. The liquid stuff too is not inert as it remains in a semi-plastic emulsion format. It would be very toxic if consumed by the bird in the process of preening although I will have to research what the emulsifier actually is.

Cameron