Canker in 'tame' feral pij?!

[mollymurphy]

Hi everybody.

I keep my horses on a farm which farms corn, maize, barley, etc. and there are always loads of collard doves, wood pigeons and stock doves stealing it all! Up until today, i've never seen a feral pigeon there. He appeared out of nowhere, stood right next to my horse. I threw him a bit of bread, and he ran to it like he'd never been fed! But he never actually ate any of it - just pecked at it. Me and my sister thought this was odd, so walked over to him and picked him up - he seems to have no fear. We put him in a stable to see if he could fly, and he can. If you look at the attached pics (sorry for the bluryness!), you'll see that his beak is out of line. And if you look really closely, you'll see something in his mouth/throat. I've heard of canker, but never actually SEEN it. Any advice?
He fell asleep in the car on the way home, and is now asleep in our dining room. Is that a bad sign?
His crop is really empty. We've got loads of pigeon food, but when i put a dried pea in his mouth, he wouldn't swallow it and i didnt want to force him because of this 'blockage' that he seems to have. I've got chick crumbs too. What do you think i should do?
I'm able to take him to the vets tomorrow if you think they can treat the suspected canker.

Thanks very much.

Louise.

[Reti]

The pics are a bit blurry and I can't see too much of what is going on in his mouth.
But there is a great chance he has canker and that is probably why he is not eating, he might have an obstruction further down his throat and is not able to swallow.
He needs medications asap.
Until you take him to the vet and get the meds give him just water with a syringe. For the beginning you can add a little salt (just a tiny bit) and a little sugar into his water. Don't force any food into him. If you have glucose that would also work to keep him going until tomorrow.
It will take a few day until he will be able to eat again, so I would suggest to buy some baby bird formula also and feed it to him with a syringe, one drop at a time.

Thank you for picking up this poor little bird.

Reti

[TAWhatley]

Could very well be canker. I also noticed some "bumps" near the eye .. if that's what they are, the bird could have avian pox too.

If the problem is canker (trichomoniasis), the vet should be able to give you Metronidazole for it.

Terry

[cyro51]

Hi Louise,

The medications available for canker in the UK are Spartrix (Carnidazole) and Flagyl (Metronidazole).

You can get Spartrix without a prescription. I prefer to treat them with both at the same time.

Unfortunately Canker won't clear on its own, it will grow until it blocks the trachea or the esophagus and it can also erode through the esophagus, so it is important to start treatment as soon as possible.

Cynthia

[pdpbison]

Hi Louise,


As above posts mention, if this IS 'Canker' it has likely blocked his esophagus as far as solid food being able, for now, to pass...

So, see an Avian Vet a.s.a.p. anc consider this an emergency for the Bird's survival.

Now, too, if he will drink, you may allow him his medicine if it is available in a form one adds top their water, and if compatible with being given at the same times as food and water...

Nuititionally, yyou may make him some quite nutritious liquids useing "Nutrical" and some brand of usual 'Baby Bird Powder' formula mix, and make the meal fairly soupy, or, with experiment, see to what consistancy he can drink it.

He is certainly starved and deeply malnourished at this point.

His flying of course is a good sign, and they will fly sometimes almost unnto their last, even though by then they aeigh little more than some crumpled paper.

But you will need some definitive diagnossis as to what is going on in the Beak and mouth and throat...

Other secondary opportunistic bacteria or viruses can take advantage of the Bird's diminished resources to effect their own symptoms and mischiefs...but of course, primarily for now, it will be very important for the Bird to be given nourishments for him to survive at all.

So...immediately, see if you can get some 'Nutrical' or it's UK equivelent ( it is a brown goo in a tube which is butrients and pre-digested enzymes for Kittens, Puppies and so on, and good for Birds also in cases of urgency) and some powdered, finely ypowdered Baby Bird formula powder, and make him some 'soups' he can drink...

And get him to someone who can diagnose if this is Canker and from whom to obtain the requisite water-compatible medications...

Likely he will also require concurrent administrations of some antibitic or other to address the secondary infections or problems...

Good luck...!


Keep him WARM in some way, as with an electric Heating Pad...and free from drafts or noises or distractions...


Phil
Las Vegas

[AZWhitefeather]

Hello Louise,

Many thanks for helping this most unfortunate baby.

Please check this thread as it describes, step by step, how to immediately care for an ill or injured bird.
http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=9457

Please let us know how things are coming along.

Cindy

[mollymurphy]

Well i took the pigeon to the vets at 10am today. They said he had advanced coccidiosis AND canker. They didn't stock the treatment and claimed that they didn't know anywhere that did, but they said they could order it in at a cost of at least £30, which i would have to pay! They said he was emaciated, far too quiet and the treatment probably wouldnt work. When i asked what they thought i should do, they said "put him to sleep". They suspected he'd come from a flock of infected birds, and that he was highly contageous. I had a little think and decided to have him put to sleep.
I then went on to a country mill down the road from the vets to buy horse feed. They sold treatment for both coccidiosis and canker at a total cost of £22!!! I'm so upset. If only i'd gone to the mill first.

What is it with vets? They're supposed to care for animals, but they're only interested if there's money involved! When i rang them at 9am today, the 1st thing they asked was "is it a pet pigeon?" Then, "are you going to keep it? Because if you are, you'll have to pay for treatment"!!!

Well i've learnt my lesson for if there's a next time - dont go to vets. I'll just get advice from everyone off here, and go to the mill for treatment!

Thank you all for your help anyway. It was greatly appreciated.

Louise. X

[Reti]

I am so sorry for the sad experience you had with the vets. And I am sorry the poor baby had to be PTS.
Some vets are quick to euthanize pigeons, unfortunately.
Glad you found a source for treatments in case you will need it again.

Reti

[Trees Gray]

I'm so sorry to hear about your experience with the vet and that the bird was euthanized.

Normally we do try to treat with the preferred medications, but if this was ADVANCED STAGE CANKER then sometimes the crop is compromised so badly with canker that the bird may not have been able to survive anyway.

[AZWhitefeather]

Hello Louise,
Mycondolences on the passing of your little patient.

Realizing there are some vets who are a bit too quick to euthanize pigeons, it's quite possible this little guy was beyond repair whether the medication was available or not.
Just the other day I found a youngster (about 3 weeks old) running about our backyard. I picked him up & put him in a cage. I went to get a towel to place on my lap while I examined him & upon my return noticed his throat was bulging. Sure enough his throat was nearly closed with canker. I was able to administer a dissolved Spartrix via an eye dropper, got him on a heating pad & let him get settled in.
He passed away during the night. We just never know.

Cindy

[cyro51]

Hi Louise,

I should have mentioned that I get all my pigeon supplies from the corn stores, I just didn't think for a moment that the vet would not have treatment for such common ailments in stock!

As the others have said there is no telling whether the canker was so far advanced that the pigeon would not have stood a chance, but the vet's comment that the pigeon came from an infected flock and was highly contageous sounds a bit nonsensical to me. I went through the same experience when I first came across a pigeon with canker, the vet said that she didn't see the point of trying to save the life of a feral pigeon when there were people trying to get rid of them then insisted that even if the pigeon was a valuable racer she would recommend euthanasia. I had to believe her and let the pigeon be PTS. Fortunately my current vet values all life so I know that if he recommended euthanasia then itwould be the right course.

The packs that you can buy at the mill would treat 20 pigeons for canker and 30 for cocci, which is why they are a bit pricey. If you would like to e-mail me your address I will send you enough for a single treatment so that you have something to hand if you come across another bird in the same condition. Collared doves and wood pigeons are very susceptible to canker.

Cynthia