Help Sought in South Hampshire UK

[TonyG]

Hi

I rescued a wood pigeon from a neighbours cat. The wood pigeon appears to be a fledgeling, not yet able to fly. It has full feathers, eyes are still grey and beak is just starting to turn yellow but is mainly pink. There are no visible signs of injury and I have checked the wings and given it a body inspection.

I have kept an eye out for the parent birds but have not seen any in close proximity to where the bird was rescued. I was reluctant to leave it to fend for itself on the chance that the parents would come for it.

The bird is now in a reasonably sized cage, one I usually use for transporting my parrot, in a warm room.

I have provided the pigeon with water, with a little sugar in to provide an electrolyte solution and energy (I hope this was the right thing to do).

I also put a variety of seeds and nuts on the floor of the cage in the hope that the bird was capable of feeding. It does appear to have been drinking but has not been feeding and is beginning to appear weak and somewhat listless.

I have since tried feeding it a mixture of bread and milk from a syringe directly into the beak and it has taken some of it but I am unsure how much I should give it and how often.

I am currently somewhat concerned about the birds health and have been searching for information/resuce centres that may be able to proivide better care. Failing that I may have to find a vet to euthanise it humanely but that is a last resort and something I would like to avoid as I'd like to see the bird returned to the wild.

If anybody is logged in who can provide an advice as a matter of urgency it would be greatly appreciated.

[Feefo]

John_D from Worthing is closest to you, he will be posting in a minute...do you happen to have any amoycillin in the house?

Cynthia

[John_D]

Hi

If the bird has been drinking that is good. Dehydration is a danger otherwise.

I would not give him anything with milk, their systems cannot digest dairy products properly, so what is sometimes used is porridge just made with the oats and water, warmed up of course.

Some alternatives are

Frozen peas and sweetcorn, thawd in hot water for about 20 minutes.
SMall balls of moistened "yesterday's" wholemeal bread
Small pices of moistened dog biscuit

Any of the above would have to be fed by hand. If I hand feed a pigeon I roll a towel or similar round the bird to keep it still (though this one sounds unable to put up much of a struggle), gently open the beak with a thumb and forefinger, push a food item into the beak and back towards the right hand side of the mouth (e, the bird's right hand side) for it to swallow.

Any bird caught by a cat is in danger of infection and it is always best to give an antibiotic, even if there is no obvious wound, since the contents of the saliva itself can be toxic. Most people, obviously, are not going to have Synulox (the one we would use) on hand, and it can only be obtained through a vet.

I don't personally know any vets in your area, but it may be worth trying Companion Care, located in Pets At Home stores - there is one in Portsmouth are and one in Fareham, though I don't know what their specific policy is with wild birds. I know the one in Rustington has a 'bird vet' and we (Cynthia and I) have a good vet in the Norwich branch. May vary from one branch to another.

An alternative could be to take the bird to Brent Lodge Bird & Wildlife Trust. We had a lady on Friday who took a pigeon (probably caught by an animal) there yesterday. This link will give you their contact number and where they are - it's south of Chichester near Sidlesham.

http://www.brentlodge.org/index.php?link=8

John

[TonyG]

Thanks for the replies, unfortunately the bird dies a few minutes ago. I think it may have had some injuries from the cat or have been in shock. It was listing badly to one side and became unable to stand. Then it began flapping wildly and passed away. .

The decline was very rapid and sudden.

A very frustrating and sad end to my weekend.

[Feefo]

I am so sorry to hear that Tony. We have so many rescued pigeons that are only slightly hurt by a cat that I tend to forget that their very sharp teeth can cause a lot of damage, and concentrate on the danger of septicemia.

Thank you for rescuing the little one and for trying to help him.

Cynthia

[John_D]

Sorry to read that, Tony

It may have had a puncture wound somewhere and infection set in. It may have been sick already, enabling it to be caught by the cat. Also, woodpigeons are very high-strung, and can indeed die from shock.

Thanks for trying - there have been so many woodpigeons and doves found this year, it is heartening to have people like you about who care enough to try.

John