Please help injured and weak pigeon

[stella]

I have a fence around my yard, and my neighbor put up a concrete wall right next to it - there is about a 4 inch space between the two. Today I went to let my dog out and saw a wing sticking up from between the wall and fence. There was a pigeon wedged there, upside down, hanging from a broken wing. We brought it in, I splinted the wing, helped it drink water w/vitamins (he was very thirsty), and hand fed it some seeds. There are no cuts or abrasions. I felt around for more breaks, but everything feels like my other birds feel.

There are no places here that take pigeons and all have told me to "let it be" and "let it die".

I am heartbroken for this bird. I am doing all I know how to do (info from reading threads here) but I don't think he's going to make it. He's very limp; the only time he briefly picked his head up was when I splinted him. His eyes are wide open. His feet are dirty with a bit of poop but I don't want to traumatize him more than he already is - I'm thinking clean feet can wait - is that okay?? I have him propped up with soft towels, in such a way that I can move the wet paper from under him when he poops (it's like water, and it's a lot) without jostling him. He's been here for 8 hours and seems to get weaker and weaker.

I really need advice to help heal this baby, or at least make his passing comfortable.

Also, this will never happen again. After work tomorrow I am going to get wood and block off that space so no bird or other animal will ever fall down in there again.

[KIPPY]

usually when i find an injured or sick bird i put a towel on a heating pad (low) and put the pij on the towel and let him rest. i use pedialyte instead of water.
not a pro here this is just from past experience.
someone should be on shortly with more info.

[AZWhitefeather]

Hello Glamorosie,
What a sad event. I'm so glad you spotted this poor pij.

I would suggest placing a towel lined heating pad (set on low) or hot water bottle under him or placing him under a low wattage lamp. Their body temperature drops rapidly when something like this happens & it must be brought back to normal, preferably before giving anything by mouth.
Place him in a dark, warm, quite area away from family or animal traffic.

Once the body temperature has stablized, he needs to be hydrated.
Offering a 'hydration solution' (water with a bit of salt & sugar added) rather than plain water is best as it contains electrolytes which will give him 'boost'.

Others will be by to offer thier suggestions. In the meantime I hope you & your little patient have a restful night.

Please update us of any changes.

Cindy

[stella]

Thank you for your responses. He made it through the night, but is still laying flat with his eyes open. His breathing seems normal but I thought he would sleep by now. He hasn't stood up yet. Is this shock?

I forgot to mention in my first post that this poor baby was stuck in the direct blazing sun. When I brought him in he was so hot I didn't warm him right away, but I used a heating pad later in the evening. For future reference, should I have warmed him right away even though he felt hot?

I will get Pedialyte today - I'm kicking myself for not thinking of salt/sugar.

Is there anything I should be doing to alleviate pain? I cannot get a prescription from any vet, but I don't want to do anything over the counter without advice from the experts here.

I am completely out of my league with this injury - please say a prayer for this bird.

[AZWhitefeather]

Hi Glamorosie,
I'm so glad the pij made it through the night.

I forgot to mention in my first post that this poor baby was stuck in the direct blazing sun. When I brought him in he was so hot I didn't warm him right away, but I used a heating pad later in the evening. For future reference, should I have warmed him right away even though he felt hot?
Most likely the poor pij sustained heat exhaustion or possibly heat stroke. In this situation, I'm not sure & will check with my rehabber. In a general situation she says to apply heat to an ill or injured bird.

I will get Pedialyte today - I'm kicking myself for not thinking of salt/sugar.
Please don't be hard on yourself. That's the beauty of this site. We are able to share our experiences & knowledge. I always thought when someone said a pigeon needs fluids, it meant plain 'water'. I learned that's not the case in every situation.

Please keep us posted.

Cindy

[stella]

Thank you Cindy, I look forward to hearing what your rehabber says regarding heat stroke. His head is off to the side and he can't hold it straight at all. I have gently re-positioned his blankets but it seems bad.

I am so mad at myself. I have tried to imagine every possible situation and pigeon proof my house and yard, and just never even thought about that space - it's sort of a little alley off the side of my yard and I've never seen any birds there. My heart sank when I saw that wing sticking out and I'm sick about it.

[AZWhitefeather]

I look forward to hearing what your rehabber says regarding heat stroke.
Hi Glamorosie,

Here is what Nancy emailed me:
I think it would depend on the bird's body weight. If he was a healthy bird that was hanging upside down for several hours in the heat and his body felt hot, I'd bring him inside and put him in an aquarium in my semi-air conditioned bird room and give him fluids...or see if he'll drink LRS or Pedialyte. Or water if nothing else is available.
Let him rest and stabilize and then see how much damage this ordeal cost him. If the bird is emaciated when rescued, I'd give him some time to get his body temp down (again...if the body feel really hot, let him cool down) and let him drink if you don't know how to give sub Q fluids. So I wouldn't put the bird on heat right away if his body felt really hot; you'd have to evaluate his condition after he has time to rest...maybe a half hour or so. In a case like this, getting fluids into the bird is the top priority.
Nancy

Cindy

[stella]

Thank you - I will work on this and update later today.

[Trees Gray]

Hi there,

Thank you for taking care of this bird, and also fixing the "death trap" You are a kind and responsible person.

If the Pedyalite doesn't work, as the bird may have been there a while, you can try this product. Cinchona 30X. It is easy to use and can be obtained from the health food store.It is a homeopathic remedy. This is for severe dehydration, it will put moisture back in the tissues, and rehydrate the birds system.Please feel free to e-mail me if you want.

My rehabber and I have used it successfully when Pedialyte didn't work.

Also make sure the bird gets pro-biotics.

Treesa

[stella]

I am sad to report that "Sam" passed away last night. We are going to have a funeral today and bury him in our flower bed.

Thank you all for your help.

[AZWhitefeather]

I'm so sorry Glamorosie. Unfortunately, the damage that occured became irreversible, given the events that took place.

As hard as it is, I try to look to the positive when one of our fine feathered friends meets an early demise. In this particular case, you were able to offer sweet Sam as much comfort as possible, he was not alone at the time of his death & you spotted a potential death trap for other birds & were able to correct the situation.

Bless you for everything you did for Sam.

Cindy

[Reti]

I am so sorry to read poor little Sam didn't make it.
At least he spend his last hours in loving hands.

Reti

[stella]

Thank you Reti, I appreciate your kind words.