Found an injured pigeon

[doctor_beat]

Hi everyone, I hope you can help me help a pigeon!

I found an injured pigeon today and brought it home. I thought at irst it was a broken leg, but upon closer inspection, it's actually thread looped tightly around his foot.
The thread had become tangled so tight that he has lost a claw, I don't know the correct name for it, but it's the back claw.
He has another claw that has been damaged by the thread, it has got a very deep groove where the thread has cut into it. The claw doesn't look 'dead' and I'm hoping that it received sufficient circulation to keep it alive, but unfortunately it has become twisted backwards, presumably due to damage to the tendons and muscles.

I have managed to remove all the thread and there doesn't seem to be any signs of infection. The bird is clearly experiencing some pain, as it is reluctant to put weight on it. It is coping by either using one of it's wings to partly take the weight when sitting or stands on one leg.
I don't think the pain is debilitating or that the little guy is suffering unduly, as it only seems to bother him when he uses his bad foot.

I found him just outside my workplace, and a security guard told me that the pigeon had been there since he started work at 4am, which means it was at least 14 hours. He was sitting in his own faeces, which I took to be a bad sign.
Someon had already called the RSPCA but they wouldn't do anything because pigeons are 'vermin'

I have him in a cardboard box (plenty of airholes) I have fed him on the only appropriate things I could find at short notice, which turned out to be canned peas, breakfast cereal and a cereal/ nut bar. I have supplied a shallow container of fresh water too.
Unfortunately, I haven't seen him eat or drink as he's in a box, but it's quite possible that he has.

He is in very good condition apart from his foot, plumage is very healthy looking, and he is bright and alert.

I need a bit of guidance as I'm not familiar with bird husbandry, so I'll give a list of questions:

1. What do I feed him? Is what I have provided ok as a temporary measure?

2. How long should I keep him? Shall I wait until he can walk better, or is it best to keep him for as short a time as possible?

3. What is the best way to release him when the time comes? Would it be ok to put him in a box on my balcony (second floor) and let him find his own way?

4. Anything else I should be aware of?

Thanks for reading, and for any replies. This pigeon is a fine specimen and doesn't deserve to die from something as trivial as a bit of thread.

[Pidgey]

Well, the fact that he was standing around for a long time is probably more a sign of other problems unseen at the moment. First question would be where basically are you in case we've got somebody nearby?

Pidgey

[doctor_beat]

Sorry, I forgot to mention that this pigeon is a full grown adult.
He seems to be reasonably young and although injured seems otherwise perfectly healthy.

I don't know what to specifically look for in birds, but his eyes are bright and clear with no discharge, his feathers are in good shape and clean and he seems plump and well nourished. His uninjured foot looks fine, his beak is smooth and shiny and he is alert and paying attention to his surroundings.
He has pooped and to my eye looks like normal healthy bird poop.

[flitsnowzoom]

Welcome to Pigeon-Talk, Dr. Beat
Thank you for taking in this hurt little one. I'm guessing you're in the UK? We have several members there, but none are on - line right now.

Pigeons can easily eat a wild bird seed mix, love sunflower and safflower seeds, and enjoy peas and corn -- all au naturel no seasonings. Please provide water in a nice deep dish (1-1/2 to 2 inches deep).

I can't help much beyond that, but there are lots of knowledgeable folks who will see your post and give you some better information.

Oh, yes, people here love "poop" so describe at length, wax lyrical, whatever. It's a real clue as to what the bird's been through and what its health is.
We also love pictures, so post 'em if you have 'em
Welcome.

[Pidgey]

You should read this one next:

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=9457

Frankly, they're very good at hiding illnesses and can still be flying within minutes to a few hours of dying so there's reason to worry. Not for yourself, mind you, but for the bird.

Pidgey

[doctor_beat]

Originally Posted by Pidgey

Well, the fact that he was standing around for a long time is probably more a sign of other problems unseen at the moment. First question would be where basically are you in case we've got somebody nearby?

Pidgey

Wow! Thanks for your swift reply.
Well I think that his immobility is due to pain from the foot. The girl who called the RSPCA said that when they disturbed the pigeon, it flew off but then returned to the same spot.
When I approached him to collect him, he limped away and was pecking the ground like they normally do when searching for food.

I am in Birmingham in the UK

[Pidgey]

Already contacting folks in the UK. It's kinda' late there, though, huh? If you can get some supplemental heat on the bird, it might help--just don't burn the house down doing it.

Given your name on here, you're not a doctor or have any medications, do you?

Pidgey

[doctor_beat]

Ok, I'll pick up some bird seed in the morning then.
His water is about 1 1/2 inches deep, as I thought I'd make it deep enough for him to get his entire beak into if he wanted.

I am aware of the diagnostic nature of poop because I keep snakes. Snake poop and bird poop are very similar
His poop was normal bird stuff, white urates and black stools. The stools seem normal for a bird, not too runny, not dry or hard.

[doctor_beat]

Originally Posted by Pidgey

You should read this one next:

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=9457

Frankly, they're very good at hiding illnesses and can still be flying within minutes to a few hours of dying so there's reason to worry. Not for yourself, mind you, but for the bird.

Pidgey

Thanks for that link, it's very useful.
His body temperature is good, because when I was handling him to remove the thread he felt nice and warm to the touch (hotter than my hands by quite a lot)
As I have snakes, I have a perfect heat source- a heat mat.
I'll pop it under the box to make sure.

He's not displaying symptoms of dehydration, and he has plenty of water.
I live in the city centre so I see loads of pigeons, and he's behaving normally apart from not wanting to put his foot down, so hopefully he's ok.

He's in a cardboard box small enough to make him feel secure but large enough for him to be comfortable, and I have put it in a place with low foot trafic.

I'm not a real doctor by the way, it's just a nickname cos my surname is 'Beat'.......

[Pidgey]

It's not uncommon to see some feet that have had really bad "string injuries" where the bird is still flying plenty and fighting like a pig at the trough with the other birds when feeding is in progress. The behavior that you're describing more often than not signals that the bird has some deeper issue. Sometimes they can get a systemic infection from a foot injury and those can be fatal if it's the right germ. You don't see it that often but it's something to try and get taken care of swiftly when you see one starting to go downhill. Normally in a case like this, we'd try to get some Clavamox in the bird as a preventative. Clavamox is a mixture of Amoxicillin and Clavulanic Acid. We'd usually have suspected a tangle with a predator in which the bird got a small wound that had some Pasteurella in it but there are other things that can have similar symptoms.

Pidgey

[pigeonperson]

What you did was an act of kindness that will remain with you for the rest of your life. Thank you for that.

1. What do I feed him? Is what I have provided ok as a temporary measure?

Try and buy a bag of wild bird seed. These birds are seed eaters and for the length of time you have him, that will be sufficient.
I would bring him inside. There is nothing you can catch and if there is no cat at home, it's a lot safer. Also, he needs light to be able to see the food and water so keeping him in a dark box is not the best thing to do. I don't know how shallow the water container is but it can be a couple of inches deep without having to worry about that.


2. How long should I keep him? Shall I wait until he can walk better, or is it best to keep him for as short a time as possible?

It all depends on how he heals. The pain level usually goes down within 7 days but there are exceptions. For instance, if a toe is in the process of dying, it will pain him as long as there are live nerves. Sometimes, it saves the bird a lot of pain and possible infection to take him over to a vet in order to have the offending toe(s) amputated properly. If the toe is dying, amputation substantially cuts the healing time down. Don't try to do it yourself or you're liable to wind up with bleeding that will be very difficult to stop.

One of the worst after affects of a string injury is that a toe or toes can curl from the damage to ligaments and tendons. It will remain that way unless the toes are splinted straight. If you have that situation, try to use a few layers of tape to keep them straight. If the rear toe is involved, you can tape the toe to the leg to straighten it out. If it doesn't work, amputation at the mid joint is needed because the pain of walking on it's toes would be equivalent of you're walking on cement on your knuckles. Also, the toe nail would eventually grow into the bottom of the foot causing infection and death so as you can see, this is not an easy problem to resolve.

It's difficult to tell you if there is infection or not. Sometimes, the infection isn't readily seen. Birds tend to encapsulate infection inside so we don't see it all the time. At least wash out the wounds with tepid water and Ivory soap (only). Uninfected injuries are best left to heal dry.

If he is eating, you will see droppings. If he's been starving, droppings will be liquid in the beginning and then will turn more solid within a few days. If he's not eating, there is something else the matter with him.



3. What is the best way to release him when the time comes? Would it be ok to put him in a box on my balcony (second floor) and let him find his own way?

If you release him where you found him, he'll take it the rest of the way.

4. Anything else I should be aware of?

He could have any number of low level illnesses but those are their illnesses, not anything you would have to worry about for yourself. Watch those droppings. If they remain green and liquid after 7 days, he's got a problem.

[Pidgey]

You see, usually if they're going to stand around nursing a painful foot with nothing else wrong with them, it's not going to be in a place where a human or a predator could get to them. And it's virtually never going to be the same place for 14 hours straight except at night in the dark. So, we're worried. Hopefully, one of the UK folks will get with you although it's midnight there.

Pidgey

[doctor_beat]

Thanks so much for your advice.
You're right, the claw is curled up from the damage. It's not curled up underneath his foot, but out to the side so if it does survive it shouldn't trouble him.
I'm quite hopeful about the claw because it seems that the thread was cutting into the widest part where the toe joins the foot so it looks like it may have had received a sufficient blood supply to keep it alive.

There are no signs of tissue necrosis, discolouration or sloughing.

The thing that you mentioned about stools is interesting. The stool is liquid (urates) and solid (faeces) but i guess the solid parts aren't dry pellets. How liquid does the stool have to be to indicate starvation? The urates are pure white and the faeces are very dark brown, almost black, no green.

[Pidgey]

Try to relate the sizes of the urates and the solids to something for reference. Coins would work for our UK members but I'm not sure what sizes your coins are. Or you could imagine measuring with a syringe, like "one cc" or something like that. You can smear the solids to be sure of the color. Sometimes, something that looks very dark is really a dark green under the right light.

Pidgey

[doctor_beat]

Originally Posted by Pidgey

You see, usually if they're going to stand around nursing a painful foot with nothing else wrong with them, it's not going to be in a place where a human or a predator could get to them. And it's virtually never going to be the same place for 14 hours straight except at night in the dark. So, we're worried. Hopefully, one of the UK folks will get with you although it's midnight there.

Pidgey

Yes, that does make sense. I hope the little guy's ok
Well even if he does die, at least I can console myself that I tried. If I hadn't taken him home, I'm positive he'd be dead by now.

Hopefully someone from my area will respond and help him out.
Thanks for your help guys, I'm off to bed...