Coughing or sneezing???

[MP]

Hello,

I have noticed my pijie has started to, its either sneezing or coughing I'm
not quite sure, sometimes. I'm concerned because I have no idea what this
could be... I have checked her mouth and it looks clear and I think the color looks normal (pink) any ideas?

Thank you!
Mary

[Birdmom4ever]

An occasional cough or sneeze is normal and nothing to worry about, but lots of sneezing and/or coughing usually means illness. Here are some questions to help you determine whether or not your pigeon is sick:

1. Is your pigeon sitting still a lot with her feathers fluffed up?

2. This is very important--how does the cere (the fleshy area at the base of the beak) look? In a healthy pigeon, it looks white and powdery. In a sick one, the cere soaks up mucous from the sinuses and becomes discolored, turning greenish or brownish.

3. Does your pigeon have any nasal discharge?

4. Are your pigeon's eyes watery?

Respiratory infections are far more serious in birds than in mammals. If she's sneezing a lot but doesn't have any of the above symptoms, it's possible that something else is causing irritation and making her cough. We have a pigeon hen that appeared healthy when we got her except that she coughed and sneezed a lot. We took her to the vet and it turned out she had an aspergillus (fungal) infection, for which we are still treating her. Another possibility is crop worms, which can cause irritation and make a pigeon cough.

Would it be possible to have your pigeon checked by an avian vet? Again, if she's just sneezing occasionally with no other symptoms, she's probably okay. Watch her closely and keep her from damp and drafts.

[MP]

Thank you for your response. She doesn't cough often and I haven't noticed of the above symptoms at the moment. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find an avian vet that treats pigeon. I found an avian vet in NYC and had bad experience. If she had crop worm, how would this be treated? I had brought her droppings for testing because I noticed a strong odor at times. The office left me a message stating that they found some bacteria and that it was normal in birds. I received some meds from someone on this board and I hadn't noticed the odor again until recently. I am going to head down to the vets office today to get the name of the bacteria found(not sure if this may have anything to do with the coughing/sneezing).

Thank you for your help!
Mary

[Birdmom4ever]

If she isn't coughing and sneezing a lot and doesn't have other symptoms, she is probably okay. What meds do you have? My standard practice with any new pigeon is to treat them, sequentially, with Global's Multi-Mix and Global's Respiratory Plus. The first medication treats canker, coccidiosis and worms; the second contains broad-spectrum antibiotics and addresses respiratory and other infections. If your vet can give you more information, that would be best. Perhaps he will suggest something. Not all bacteria is bad though; there are normal, "good" gut bacteria in all animals. That might be what your vet meant when he said it was normal.

I would recommend treating for canker, cocci and worms, though. Nearly all pigeons are infected with canker and coccidiosis; it's generally considered impossible to completely get rid of those organism, though you can reduce them to levels where they aren't causing harm. If you don't already have some (or a similar medication) you can get Multi-Mix at http://globalpigeon.com/

[MP]

Thank you for your advice. I just logged on to the website and placed an order for the Global multi-mix.

Thank you again!
Mary

[Larry_Cologne]

Our handraised Pidgiepoo often slept on a pillow set in a tray on the corner of our bed. At least seven or eight times over the last six months he would preen himself (in the dark) and start sneezing (3-4 times in a row, every minute or two).

Since I and my wife handled him (and he liked to sit on her shoulder supervising her cooking ansd dishwashing) I suspected that the sneezing might be caused by some irritant (such as pepper or dishwashing detergent).

So, there were a number of times when he suddenly made a 3 or 4 a.m. trip to the kitchen, where I would get some warm water and a clean washcloth and give him a wipe-down. (I usually avoided washing under the wings, since we didnīt handle him there). Once or twice I gave him a gentle warm half minute shower. This usually did the trick. (Once he kept sneezing for a few minutes afterwards, but then went to sleep).

Last October I purchased some anti-sneezing medicine (made in Belgium, purchased in Germany) consisting of peppermint oil and "chinoel" (chinese oil?), whatever that is. I administered it to him in his water for 5 or 6 days. I suppose it helped him.

[MP]

Thank you for the tip. I will consider purchasing the oil if the coughing/sneezing becomes more frequent. Right now it happens occasionally and its one or two sneezes at most at a time, but I will pay closer attention to the area when she sneezes to see what may be causing it.

thank you again for your reply!