Gold finch with salmonellosis

[Birdmom4ever]

I'm hoping one of you with rehab experience (Terry?) can give me some advice. Two days ago I managed to catch a female lesser gold finch suffering from what I'm pretty sure is salmonellosis. There was an article in our newspaper a couple months back saying the disease was going around the pine siskin population. The siskins have moved on but the gold finches are still here.

I decided to treat the little hen myself, as I the last couple birds I took to the Wildlife Center didn't fare well. The staff tries hard and they help a lot critters, but their resources are limited. It's also a 40 minute drive, I didn't have time that day and the car ride is added stress for a sick bird.

I injected a unit or two of Baytril in the hen's breast muscle with an insulin syringe and put her in a clean spare cage set on a heating pad on low, with food and water available to her. By evening she was up from the bottom of the cage and sitting on the top perch. She is eating and drinking well, pooping a lot, and no longer has the fluffed-up appearance of a sick bird. But she is dragging one wing slightly and I don't think she's flying well. She can move the wing and flit from perch to perch, but it's droopy.

Two questions: one, how long should I keep her on Baytril? At this point I'm putting it in her water (I have that type as well as the injectable) because I don't want to give her more shots. When my vets prescribe it, it's usually for at least 14 days.

Second: do you think the wing is sore because she has the joint form of salmonellosis and do you think it will resolve once she recovers from the infection? It doesn't appear to be injured, but I don't know for certain. I can take her to the vet if I must, but I'm trying to minimize shock and stress to her in addition to the expense. There is also the touchy matter of her being a wild bird and it technically being illegal for me to have her. My goal of course is to release her, but I don't want to set her free until I'm sure she is well and can fly normally.

Thanks,
Cathy

[TAWhatley]

Hi Cathy,

My vet also recommends a longer course of antibiotics for birds and will usually suggest 10 to 14 days .. sometimes longer depending on what the problem is.

I suppose it's quite possible that the wing problem is due to a boil or infection in the joint. The boils on the pigeon that I treated eventually went away with the exception of a bit of loose skin where the large boil on the wing had stretched it so much.

I would be a little concerned whether the bird will get enough of the Baytril from the water, but I also know how difficult it is to have to handle such a small and easily stressed little bird to administer meds by hand.

I think I would give it a couple of days to see if the meds improve the wing situation before taking the bird to the vet.

Terry

[Birdmom4ever]

Thanks, Terry, that was my thinking, too. I didn't want to keep giving her injections every day--it's terribly stressful, plus I've heard that Baytril can cause problems at the injection site. I'll keep her on the oral for two weeks and hopefully the wing will be better by then. I couldn't tell if it was actually swollen at the joint, but she's definitely favoring it. I'm encouraged to hear the pigeons you had with the joint form of the disease recovered.

[Birdmom4ever]

Terry, did your salmonella-afflicted pigeons recover full flight abilities? My breeder friend (he raises pigeons and various species of finches) looked at her yesterday and he doesn't think she will ever regain full use of her wing.

The good news is that the goldfinch, whom I named Sonja, is otherwise doing very well. She's eating like crazy and her droppings look healthy. She seems to be growing accustomed to living close to humans and I'm getting used to hearing the mournful little goldfinch call inside the house instead of outside. I have her where she can hear our cage birds and when I'm sure she's no longer contagious I'll move her to the bird room so she can see them, too. I feel sad that I may not be able to release her. But if she isn't 100%, a predator will make a quick meal of her. If I were to take her to the Wildlife Center I'm pretty sure they would euthanize her because she can't fly.

[TAWhatley]

Originally Posted by Birdmom4ever

Terry, did your salmonella-afflicted pigeons recover full flight abilities?

Hard to say as it was a Hungarian Giant .. I don't think Big Bertha II could have gotten airborne even before the paratyphoid.

Hopefully another member will know the answer.

I hope all will be well for the little finch.

Terry

[Birdmom4ever]

Sonja the goldfinch has now been with us for 13 days and she appears in excellent health except that her wing has not improved at all. I'm afraid my friend was right and it won't get better. But she is eating very well and she seems to be getting used to living in close proximity to humans. Her favorite treat is a certain local thistle, all the better when it's covered with aphids, which she eats with great relish. During the day I put her cage in the "bird room," where our other cage birds live. She seems to enjoy calling back and forth to our male canaries. In the evening I return her to the bedroom and cover the cage so she won't be bothered by TV and people.

[TAWhatley]

Thanks for the update BirdMom .. sounds like Sonja will be a permanent member of the family. It's wonderful that you were able to help her and that she has adjusted well to life with a human family.

Terry

[JGregg]

I'm glad that you're able to give your little Goldfinch a permanent home.

I don't agree with the school of thought that a unreleasable creature (native of otherwise) should be put down. I think they should be found homes.

[Birdmom4ever]

Thank you, JGregg. That's how I feel, too. Goldfinches, according to a friend of mine who has raised and kept various species of birds for years, are easily tamed. After all, they are similar to canaries, which have been kept as cage birds for hundreds of years. The ancestors of all our domestic animals were once wild creatures, and I do not think it's morally wrong for us to have tamed them; quite the contrary.

I well understand the reason for our laws against keeping native species. Some species have had their wild populations decimated as a result of the pet trade. However, that's not the case with goldfinches and this bird is a special case because she would die in the wild. When humans decide that a creature is better off dead than living in captivity with a disability, I find that incredibly arrogant. Who are we to say that a little bird would rather be dead than alive in a cage? I'm sure it's frustrating to Sonja that she can't fly. But she seems pretty content to have fresh water and food brought to her on a daily basis, and a safe, predator-free place to sleep.

[feralpigeon]

Originally Posted by Birdmom4ever

When humans decide that a creature is better off dead than living in captivity with a disability, I find that incredibly arrogant. Who are we to say that a little bird would rather be dead than alive in a cage? .

A non-denominational Amen!