Vital steps to saving a bird's life

[AZWhitefeather]

A while back I attended a class presented by our local 'veteran' state & federally licensed wildlife rehabber.
The class focused on raising & rehabilitating doves & pigeons.
There was a section in the handout that outlined the initial steps that should be taken when caring for an ill or injured pigeon which I would like to share with the group.

GETTING STARTED

FACTS YOU SHOULD KNOW AND UNDERSTAND

Absolutely the most important basic factors to save a bird's life

HEAT:
* The bird must gradually be warmed to normal body temperature & be responsive (able to swallow). It is not unusual for a baby bird presented for rehabilitation to be very cold.
* Unless there is a critical situation (e.g., severe bleeding), all birds should be covered & placed on a heat source (e.g. heating pad set on low or low wattage lamp) for at least 20-30 minutes to bring the body temperature back to normal & allow the bird to stabilize in a quite, dark & warm area.
* Give the bird a quick cursory examination & then while the bird is warming, take the opportunity to warm the Lactated Ringers (Please see note below regarding the International Rehydration Solution) & prepare any other items you may need to care for the bird.

A COLD BIRD SHOULD NEVER BE GIVEN FLUIDS OR FOOD, PERIOD!

HYDRATION:
* Fluids should be given after, & ONLY AFTER, the bird has been warmed, examined for any injuries & a determination has been made as to the severity of his dehydration.

Degrees of dehydration:
* A well hydrated bird will be very alert, have elastic skin, moist, plump membrane inside the mouth & well formed, moist feces.

* A moderately dehydrated bird will be less than fully alert, have dry, flakey skin, dull eyes, non-formed feces, & sticky membrane in the mouth.

* A severely dehydrated bird will be lethargic (slow to respond) or unconscious,, the skin will 'tent' when slightly pinched, have sunken eyes, dry or absent feces & dry membrane in the mouth.

* Depending on the cause & percentage of dehydration, reversing this condition can take up to 24 hours.

* If the bird is alert, he may be re-hydrated orally (by mouth) by either using an eye dropper & putting drops along his beak every few minutes, or be may be gavaged (tubed). (These are the two safest & easiest methods for beginning rehabbers.) Please see ** below.

* If the bird is not swallowing on his own or fully alert, then he must be given fluids under the skin (sub-q method). Do not use the International Rehydration Solution for sub-q administration.
Be certain you learn how to do this before you try it for the first time as all birds have extensive air sacs throughout their body that should not be punctured. Also, a needle placed incorrectly may paralyze the legs. Please see *** below.

"These two comments are of my own opinion":
** For the 'real' beginner, I think the eyedropper is by far the safest method of hydrating a bird.
*** If a bird is at the point of needing fluids via sub-q, it's best to seek out a qualified rehabber or vet immediately.

FLUIDS
* All fluids should be warmed, or, at room temperature.
* If the bird is older & able to drink on his own, let him do so.
* Do not use plain water for hydration unless nothing else is available.
* An electrolyte solution is recommended such as Lactated Ringers (Please see note below regarding the International Rehydration Solution).
* Do not use Gatorade or other sport drinks which may contain sucrose or a sugar substitute.

Note: International Rehydration Solution may be used for oral (by mouth) administration only as a substitute for Lactacted Ringers.
Ingredients: Half liter (a little over a quart) of water (preferably filtered), half tsp. of salt & a half TBSP. sugar. Stir all ingredients until dissolved. Administer lukewarm.

* Don't over hydrate. You can 'drown' the bird if you get carried away. This usually happens when using the 'sub-q' method or tube feeding fluids.

The bird should start to respond to fluids as the body gets back to normal. Observation of the bird is VERY important. He should be more alert, moving around, eyes shiny & have a moist, healthy dropping. Be sure to always check the vent & surrounding area to be certain elimination is in no way being obstructed. If the vent becomes impacted or otherwise obstructed, the bird can die.

The above steps MUST be followed. The cells of the body simply do not work properly when dehydrated. Absolutely no digestive processes can take place if the gut CAN"T work. Absorption will not take place, food sits in the gut, undigested, & will eventually kill the bird.

I'm hoping this post will help those who are not familiar with these life saving steps.

Cindy

[cyro51]

Thank you, Cindy, that is really helpful and I will print it out and keep it avialable because despite everything the first thing I have to do when I take in a severely ill bird is try to subdue my panic and remember what I should do first.

The warning not to use plain water for hydration is interesting, I read somewhere else that plain water can sometimes do more harm than good.

You referred to "my" hydration solution as an alternative to Lactated Ringers. I can't take the credit for that solution (it is the International Rehydration Solution). This is for oral administration only and the recipe is :

Half a litre of water (preferably filtered)
Half a teaspoonful salt
Half a tablespoonful sugar or glucose

Stir until salt and sugar are dissolved and administer lukewarm.

Cynthia

[maryco]

Thank you both for the very helpful information

[Geranyl]

Out of curiosity, where is a subQ injection commonly given in pigeons? I've given many subQ to mice in the lab, but they have moveable elastic skin that you just tent up and give a bolus of fluids into.

[Reti]

Cindy,
thank you for the information.
This is very helpful.

Reti

[AZWhitefeather]

You referred to "my" hydration solution as an alternative to Lactated Ringers. I can't take the credit for that solution (it is the International Rehydration Solution). This is for oral administration only
Hi Cynthia,
I guess I related it to being 'your' solution as you were the one who introduced it here.
At least I had never seen it posted previously.

I will edit my post to include the given name for the solution, the ingredients as well as a warning that it is only to be given orally.

Cindy

[TAWhatley]

Hi Geranyl .. good question!

Probably the easiest place to give a bird sub-q fluids is in the area where the upper leg joins the body. There is a "flap" of skin on the underside of the leg that allows for fairly easy administration of fluids.

Here is an additional link that reiterates the great information Cindy has provided and the content was largely taken from a book the rehabber Cindy works with helped to write:

http://host158.ipowerweb.com/~little...xwildlife.html

Terry

[TerriB]

Originally Posted by AZWhitefeather

...all birds have extensive air sacs throughout their body that should not be punctured. Also, a needle placed incorrectly may paralyze the legs.

Cindy

Lots of great information - thanks for sharing! Easy to ready indications of the different levels of dehydration.

I didn't know about the air sacs. I didn't know about that when I was giving them antibiotic shots. Does anyone know of a site showing general locations of the air sacs?

[TAWhatley]

Hi Terri,

THESE ARE NECROPSY PHOTOS AND NOT FOR EVERYONE!!!
LOOK AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION!

You need to click on all the "sub" links also:

http://courses.drew.edu/FA2001/biol-...espiratory.htm


Terry

[TerriB]

Thank you! Exactly what I was looking for! My vet's directions for safe shots was to find the top and bottom of the sternum, then go to either side of the sternum into the breast muscle. This was using a short needle for Baytril, and he did not recommend injection for any extended period, I believe due to the possibility of abcesses.

[pigeonmania]

Great information!!! Thank you!!

[pigeonmania]

Originally Posted by TAWhatley

Hi Terri,

THESE ARE NECROPSY PHOTOS AND NOT FOR EVERYONE!!!
LOOK AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION!

You need to click on all the "sub" links also:

http://courses.drew.edu/FA2001/biol-...espiratory.htm


Terry

Love the photos!! Very interesting!!

[Jerry]

I have, personally, had better luck using the flap of skin at the back (nape) of the neck for the sub-q shots. Somehow it seems access is better and the bird can be subdued with a towel in an upright position. Just be sure that, as with all shots, that the angle is not too low or you will end up with the injection inthe skin instead of under it. Extreme care should be used when giving all injections that they are not too deep to keep from having nerve damage.

[dodo]

Very interesting. If we draw an analogy to the mechanical world of engines, the pigeon is a "4 stroke" animal and all the rest of us are "2 stroke". Amazing