Sorry Little Woodie

[solly]

A lady brought me a young woodie on Saturday that she had had for a week and thought it had flown into a window where she worked.The little poop she was doing was dark dark green and the urates were bright green as well.Anyway i started on baytril cos she was very weak and light and put some drops on for inside and outside bugs.Then sunday had the shopck of my life she had loads of big creepy pigeon flies on her.I was grabbing them(about 10-12) with a bag over my hand and battering them but there was little white round baby ones and i panicked and absoloutely covered her with powder. she seemed to be a bit happier and walked around a bit but was still weak and put her wing down sometimes to stop herself falling.She still wasn't eating and last night brought up the peas etc i had given her.Then she brought up the polyaid and eggfood i had given her.I gave her a worming tablet thinking that the drops hadn't worked on the flies so she might have worms.Then i went out to get some more polyaid.When i came back she was in the corner of the box and i could see she was dying.i held her in a tshirt and she was like convulsing and her head curled under and thick yellow stuff came out of her mouth and she died.I think i killed her and i'm so sorry.

[cyro51]

Hi Paula,

I don't think you killed her, she was ill when you got her. It is relatively easy to diagnose and treat common diseases such as canker and PMV - and to treat injuries - but most of us just don't have the diagnostic tools to diagnose and effectively treat other illnesses. All we can do is try our best to guess the cause of the illness and to use the right medication.

Whenever a pigeon in my care dies I am convinced that it was as a result of something that I did or failed to do. When that happens I remind myself of the number of people that die in hospital, despite all the technology, knowledge and expertise that they have. You did your best for the woodie, but it was ill and you had no way of determining what had made it ill. I am eternally grateful to people like you that are prepared to try to save a pigeo's life.

Cynthia

[TAWhatley]

What a sad outcome, Paula. Thank you so much for helping this pigeon it its time of need.

Terry