Baby woodpigeon

[Em]

Hello Everyone,

I have cats and a pigeon, but the cats are scared of the pigeon and leave her alone.
I went out to my shed, and one of the cats had a baby woodpigeon in its mouth, this bird was flapping against the cat, so I had to act.

After removing the cat, I went to pick up this pigeon with a towel. I am used to this sort of thing in spring, and though I do not like it when I find attacked birds, I understand that usually, the is absolutly nothing I can do as they usually die of shock.

Ususally at this stage their heads will loll, their eyes will close and they slip unconcious and eventually die. But this little one was completly different, It held its little head completly upright, and its eyes were fully open.
There was a pool of blood on the floor and I checked it for injuries, there was a nasty one under its wing.
But, surprised at how alert it was, I decided to give it the chance, I put it in an Amtrack box with some sawdust and hay, but grew concerned that the cats wuld be sniffing around it.

So I closed off the lower section of the cage and put the box in there, I put the box on its side, just incase there was the slight chance that it improved and wanted to shuffle out, and left.

This morning I went to check if it had died (which I suspected) but it hadn't and it walked around a bit, I picked it up to check its wound, and it struggled against me.

But there is a downside, my hen had gotten in to this enclosure and pecked all the skin off its head,

Should I attempt to heal its injuries?
Or is it pointless to try?

Though even with the new head and old wing injury, it was still well enough to shuffle around with its head held up high.

Em
x

[dano7]

If it has the energy it has a chance if you help. At a minimum you could provide a secure place, food and water and let the bird heal itself. This place needs to be peaceful so the bird doesn't struggle and open that wound. A quiet room in your home is ideal, but quarantine the woodpigeon from your pigeon.

But you can do better than that and I hope you are willing and able to do so. The bird definitely does need a round of antibiotics since the saliva from a cat is highly toxic to birds. Baytril is commonly used but many other choices may fit your local, and there are members of this forum in England with expertise to offer you.

If the bird is a baby it needs to be hand fed for a few days.

The missing feathers are not a showstopper unless there is injury to the tissue.

You should check to see if the wings have any breaks by gently feeling the leading edge of the wing from the shoulder out.

A best solution would be to get the bird to an avian vet immediately if are able. We thank you for any efforts you make for this bird. Please provide more details about the age and condition.

[Reti]

Hi Em,
please consider to take the little guy to a vet or rehaber if possible It does need antibiotics and taken care of the wounds.
I would also suggest for now to take him inside you home, to a warm place away from cats and other animals that would scare him.
Give him some food and water and see if he eats/drinks.
There are many members with lots of experience in this group. Hopefully some one will reply to your post soon.
Reti

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[Nooti]

Hi Em
where in England are you? i'm in the UK too. Can I help at all? sorry, i have an injury at the moment and it is agonising to type so cannot say much at present.

[Trees Gray]

[quote]Originally posted by Em:


After removing the cat, I went to pick up this pigeon with a towel. I am used to this sort of thing in spring, and though I do not like it when I find attacked birds, I understand that usually, the is absolutly nothing I can do as they usually die of shock.
Ususally at this stage their heads will loll, their eyes will close and they slip unconcious and eventually die.


Please don't assume that they will die from the above signs, there is still alot that can be done, time is of the essence. This is what I have learned from rehabbers. They know exactly what to do, they have seen all the signs and they take action. Yes, these are bad signs, but I have seen pigeons in the worse cases be brought back to life.

Please contact Helen or another rehabber in your area a.s.a.p. about this pigeon and any future cases you have. You will have many more survivors.

...and in any worse case scenario,if the bird is dying, please bring the bird in and put it in a warm quiet place in a box, filled with warm paper towels, and let it die in peace...


Treesa

[cyro51]

Hi Em,

I took in a collared dove with very bad injuries yesterday. The original rescuer had expected it to die so she had left it in a basket. Like yours it survived and it is recovering and on antibiotics.

They need warmth, quiet and antibiotics. You will also have to dip its beak in water and make certain that it is drinking.

I think that Helen is near you, I live in Norwich and have sent injured pigeons across the country for her to help me!

I have e-mailed you privately.

Cynthia