Bloody Droppings in a Recently Rescued Pigeon

[PigeonLoVr1456]

Yesterday I was outside a restaurant when I saw a little pigeon running around. He has most of his feathers, but still has the yellow "hair" sticking out.

He was just sitting on the ground, even though it seemed as if he could fly. So we tried tossing him up in the air, but he landed on the roof and stayed there all night.

Today we went back and he was on the ground again, just roosting, not trying to be with the flock.

So we grabbed him and brought him home with the intention of waiting until he was strong enough to fly and taking him back where we found him.

I just now saw a good amount of blood in his droppings, and he is acting very lathargic.

I am VERY concerned because I also own 3 parrots and I don't want them to catch anything. I really want to help this bird, and I would like to know what bloody droppings could be a sign of in a young bird. Can this virus be transmitted through the air to my other birds? I hope not, I would die.

Thank you for your help
Tessa

[Pigeonpal2002]

Hi Tessa,

The blood in the droppings is not a good sign. It could be a result of internal injuries, salmonella (bacterial infection), a heavy worm infestation or something else. I don't think it's viral related though. Please try to keep this bird warm and quiet. Make sure you offer water to this bird. It's a good idea to keep the pigeon away from your parrots yes...another room altogether. I'm not trying to alarm you but it's just routine practice to keep unknown birds away from other known healthy birds. Please wash your hands thoroughly before and after handling the pigeon. This bird sounds like it needs more help than you might be able to offer because of the blood in the stools. Do you have a vet you could take the bird to? Are you willing to do this? Another option is to call around and find a wildlife rehab centre in your area that is friendly towards pigeons. You'd have to call first and hint around though because some of the centres will not take pigeons or will euthanize them. I wish you luck and hopefully this bird will survive the night.

Let us know what happens,

[Feefo]

Hi Birdlover,

Thank you for rescuing the pigeon.

Try to get her to a vet but if you can't get the droppings tested or get a diagnosis quickly then I would be inclined to treat the pigeon with an appertex for cocci and then 2 days later with a wormer. A lot of rescuers use these two treatments + spartrix as a protocol on admission for all pigeons so I don't think this would do any harm.

One of my aviary pigeons had bloody droppings a couple of weeks ago, despite a visit to the vet there was no diagnosis so I did the appertex/ wormer thing and on the vet's instruction gave baytril for a week. The pigeon recovered.

Can you let us know whether there are other symptoms? Other than the blood what are the droppings like? (colour, consistency, odour) , colour of inside of mouth, whether she is drinking excessively, whether her keel is very sharp, does she still have an appetite?

As Brad said, keep her warm and hydrated and be wary of who you hand her over to!

Cynthia

[pigeonmama]

Isn't sad when we have to be wary of who we approach when we need assistance to help a sick animal of any kind, and especially when it's a pigeon. I don't understand why so many people, even animal rescue/rehab people see pigeons as " disposable things" instead of living, loving little lives, who deserve the same respect and care as those creatures that are seen as endangered or non disposable.
Daryl

[AZWhitefeather]

Hi Tessa,
Thank you so much for taking in this sweet baby.
How are things going this morning?

I would only like to add, regarding warmth: If possible, I would suggest placing a towel lined heating pad, set on low, under the baby. This will help greatly in maintaining a normal body temperature. If you don't have a heating pad, a hot water bottle will do as well as a low wattage lamp placed over the pij.

Please keep us posted.

Cindy

[PigeonLoVr1456]

First, let me thank you for your time and all your helpful replies.

Well, I have been monitoring her stool all last night and today. She hasn't had a bloody dropping since. Now it is just the greenish color it normally turns when they need to eat more.

She has been eating very well, but I haven't seen her drink yet. I was at school all day so she may have drank while I was gone. She is very active, walking around, eating, and flying. But she does like to sit with her feathers all fluffed a lot.

The droppings do have a foul odor, is this normal? She does have all her feathers, except a couple on the under side of her wing. I suspect she is a runt because she is pretty small considering she has all her feathers. I am going to take a picture and post it soon.

Her eyes also aren't the bright orange most pigeons are. Hopefully this isn't a sign of sickness.

I am willing to take her to the vet if you guys think she is showing signs of a deadly illness. I have tomorrow off so I will do it then.

Thank you again!
Tessa

[TAWhatley]

Hi Tessa,

It sounds like this young pigeon has improved in the short time you have had it. The sitting fluffed up is not a particularly good sign, but I suspect this bird was in pretty bad condition when you rescued it.

I think I would assess the condition of the bird again in the morning and then decide whether to take it to the vet or not. If it hasn't shown further improvement by morning, then the vet is probably the best plan of action. The bird may need to be treated for parasites and/or other conditions that only a fecal test and thorough exam are going to find.

Please keep us posted.

Terry

[Pigeonpal2002]

Hi Tessa,

That is a somewhat positive update then today...thanks. The malodourous droppings are not normal. They are a sign of one of a few things; canker, coccidosis or a bacterial infection of the gut. Can you look inside the birds mouth for cheesy, yellowish deposits? This would be canker. The other things you won't be able to see because they are infections of the gut. It's a good sign that it seems more alert and eating well. I'm sure the bird is drinking as well as long as there is water available. It seems that you are fairly knowledgable about birds and might have an avian vet. It would be wonderful if you could take this bird to your vet for a stool culture and they can diagnos the problem. If you do, you may want to tell them it's a pet of yours instead of a wild bird, just to save on the hassels. Thanks again for the update and for helping this bird.

[PigeonLoVr1456]

Okay, I can't check the mouth for canker right now because she is sleeping and I don't want to give her a heart attack =). I am going to assess her condition in the morning, and will probably take her to a avain vet I have gone to in the past.

The problem is that my parents don't want me to keep this bird as a pet, only rehabilitate it and let it free. I feel horrible because I found it in a bad spot, where people can easily get the birds. There are droppings all around the entrance to the restaurant, so I suspect the owners would be upset if I let her go back. And they might even try their own methods to get the birds down which would be really bad.

I am in a dilemma, I want to keep her, but I also want her to be free. Its so hard to find a good place to release them without hawks and evil people. Maybe someone here might have a suggestion for what I should do.

So I am going to attempt to post a picture of the young pigeon.

Thanks again,
Tessa

[Pigeonpal2002]

Hi Tessa,

Thanks for the picture of the pigeon. I ran out of time earlier but I meant to tell you that the eye colour of this bird just indicates that he/she is a young one. They will change colour to the red/orange upon maturation. In regards to you keeping the bird, well I guess that is up to you and your family. One thing at a time though and one step at a time. The important thing now is that this pigeon can get some help and/or medicine to make him better and then we can work on solutions to the other problems.

Keep us updated,

[Feefo]

It would be a good idea to weigh the little one and keep track of whether she is gaining or losing weight.

The fact that she is eating and not drinking excessively is good.

She is a sweet little thing.

Cynthia

[PigeonLoVr1456]

Well...

This morning it seems the baby finally discovered where her water was, and she has been drinking a LOT since. So I think it is canker. I called the vet and for a check up and fecal test it is close to $80....without the medicine.

Would it be okay for me to just buy canker medicine and give it to her since I am pretty sure that is the problem? I have a pigeons book and they said you could treat it with aminotrothiazole and dimetridazone.

Where can I buy these medicines? At a feed store perhaps? I went to PetCo and they didn't have anything for this type of sickness.

If it is critical I take her to the vet I will, but if I can treat her myself I might go that route.

I didn't see anything out of the ordinary in her mouth, but i've only seen it once because she won't let me open it.

As I write this, she is sitting next to her water bowl drinking little amounts at a time. Oh and now she's eating too.

Thank You!
Tessa

[TAWhatley]

Hi Tessa,

Your local feed stores may carry pigeon medication as may a specialty type of bird store. The meds can also be purchased on-line from any of the pigeon supply houses. A good one on the West Coast is JEDDS in Anaheim, CA (http://www.jedds.com).

The bird should probably be treated for canker, coccidia, e.coli, and worms. There are individual products for all these things as well as some multi-purpose products (3 in 1, 4 in1, 5 in 1).

If it looks like you can't get what you need locally or on-line in time, please post back here, and I'll overnight you some meds. Another possibility is to try and locate a local pigeon fancier and see if you can purchase a small quantity of the needed meds from him/her.

Terry

[PigeonLoVr1456]

This morning the baby was drinking a lot, but now she isn't drinking as much, so perhaps the reason she drank so much this morning is because she had just found the water.

Anyhow, I still want to medicate her to be sure there aren't any deadly diseases making her ill.

We checked her mouth, and it seems normal.

I find it a little odd that she hasn't tried to fly at all since i've had her, but she obviously is old enough to fly.

Terry you are so kind to offer the meds!!! I know of a pigeon club in town, and I am going to call tomorrow to ask a lady from the club if she has meds I could buy from her. If I can't get any from her, I will let you know ASAP!!! Thank you so much for offering!!!

Talk to you soon!
Tessa

[Pigeonpal2002]

Thanks for the update Tessa,

I'm happy to hear the bird is still hanging in there. You're doing a great job of helping this young pigeon. Have you noticed any changes at all in the behaviour of the bird? Does it seem more active now or the same? Relunctance to fly is a sign of illness, what, we don't really know for sure yet. And you're right, that bird looks capable of flight at this age. Best to just keep it warm and calm though now.


Thanks again for the update,