I'm thinking about throwing in the towel

[Msfreebird]

Originally Posted by naturegirl

In response to rehabbing Pigeons and Sparrows and Starlings here in Michigan you can do them no problem, there are extreme very few vets they will LOOK at a pigeon because to them they are not worth it. I think of pigeons as extremely sweet loving birds and will always raise them as they are my babies. I have 3 pet pigeons in my house and my oldest girl is 15 years old.

All the more reason for YOU to continue trying to help these little guys.
I'm so sorry he didn't make it. I've had a few like that. Wormed and they still had worms, bloody stools, yellow liquid. I had one bird on 4 different meds last year and wormed a number of times with different wormers, and every time I wormed her, she passed MORE worms. This went on for 4 months! Believe me, I know exactly how you feel. But you can't give up.
You can only do the best you can, and come HERE for help.

[naturegirl]

Thank you Sky Tx : ) Even the other Pigeon people won't talk to you in town if it is a feral, not even any advice. The one vet I called yesterday wouldn't look at her for anything less than $129.00 walking thru the door. Seriously makes me sick when a bird vet won't look at a pigeon cause in their eyes they are useless birds. Too me they are worthless vets and won't give them any buisness ever again. Sorry but I can't afford that as my husbands job is on the edge. I refuse to make her richer so she can drive her Mercedes and help make her car payment. Thanks everyone for your help and advice. I appreciate it.

Sincerely

Cindy

[Reti]

I am so sorry he didn't make it. Been there so many times and each time it hurts the same.
The more people hate them the more I love them and there is nothing I wouldn't do for a pij. They are so precious and sweet.

Reti

[maryjane]

Cindy, I'm so sorry he didn't make it. It's such a loss every time one passes away. At least he was with you and safe and taken care of.

[TAWhatley]

Let's not forget e.coli .. And, don't quit, Cindy. It gets tough, but the birds don't have anyone but you to help them. I am getting so very many doves that are terminal when they arrive due to canker. They are already filled up internally, starving to death, and gasping for air because it's already grown over the opening to the trachea. These are terribly sad cases, and I'm trying with each and every one, but the outcomes have not been good .. waiting for the one that came in last night to finally pass on as I know it is beyond saving.

Terry

[plamenh]

Sorry for the baby, Cindy.
I can fully understand your feelings. As all people dealing with sick birds, sometimes we win, sometimes we lose. Unfortunately there is a life on the stake and as you realized yourself, Vets, animal shelters etc. rarely help pigeons and doves. If there were no people like you and others on this forum their chances are not even slimmer, they are equal to zero.

[altgirl35]

ah damn, poor baby, i'm sorry he didn't make it, i had one this year that i fought to save for over a month and he didn't make it, broke my heart.
i think sometimes they were not meant to live because they had something wrong with them they were born with and the parents knew it and that's why they rejected them and they end up in our hands.
we don't have that instinct that tells us that and we try to do everything and they live a little longer but in the end we just delayed the inevitable.
i'm sorry the vets in your area feel that way, i'm blessed with a vet who understands they are all important and deserve a chance, and if i'm willing to put in the effort he is also, he can't do everything for free, like tests, scripts and x-rays, but he does alot and gives me everything at his costs, and visits are free.
it took me a long time to finally find him, it was a huge struggle to get help for years and i would spend hours on the road several times a week to get them to wildlife clinics were i feel sometimes they don't get as much of a chance as they do with an in home rehabber but they have vets and experience.
it would even be a struggle to get a local vet to look at them to see if it was worth the 3hr round trip drive with my healthy baby birds in the front seat and pulling over for feedings.
all i can say is keep checking around and call, tell them what you do and if they would be willing to help on occasion, promise you won't bother them with every little thing.
my vet is not an avian vet but he will be just as smart as one when i'm done with him, lol, he teaches me and i teach him.
sometimes we get birds we don't know the answer to and i will transfer them to the wildlife clinics, but i know the "invasive" species don't get the same treatment so when it comes to them i don't transfer them and just do the best i can and call the more experienced rehabbers across the country for advice.
it also made a huge difference to be permitted, it opened up a wealth of information.

[Feefo]

I am so sorry that the little one didn't make it, Cindy, you both put up such a good fight.

There are so many things that can kill a pigeon and we are only skimming the surface when we treat for cocci, canker and worms. They also only come into a rescuers care when whatever is wrong with them has started to do a lot of damage. We have all been in the situation where we get increasingly desperate as the pigeon fails to respond to treatment...but vets go through the same thing over and over again with dogs and cats, animals that so much more is known about. Even they can't diagnose and treat effectively and timeously every time. I had a very specialised vet sobbing in my arms, swearing to take up a different career because she could no longer take the pain, after my beloved dog died under her care.

Praziquantel is effective against tapeworms. Moxidectin Plus has this (but not Moxidectin without the plus). I have recommended wormers that were advertised as being effective against tapeworm only to find that they were febendazole...the advertiser apologised when challenged but I wonder how often that kind of misadvertising happens.

In view of the cost of fecal floats etc I was wondering whether you could invest in a microscope, that would enable you to identify or eliminate canker, cocci, worms , giardia and yeast. In the UK we can get a complete kit suitable for pigeon keepers for £129, I would imangine that they can also be obtained second hand.

Please keep up the good work. Think of all the birds that would have died without your help.

Cynthia

[ante bozanich]

Hi Cindy, I've followed this thread and know how you feel. Yes, every time it's just as difficult. I think it even gets tougher because all of our losses, nonhuman and human, build up in us and each new loss brings the old wounds back. What helps me is to think about this internal anguish as being just feelings and I've been trying to separate myself from it so to be able to go on and to function.

[spirit wings]

you need to look around for an avian vet, get established with one in case you need them in the future to run fecals and get meds quick.

[naturegirl]

I have called every single vet around here within a 100 mile radius and no one wants anything to do with pigeons and alot of vets around here don't want to do discount work. I had a wonderful vet I worked with for years but she moved on to teach and no longer does the wildlife calls. So I guess I just maqy have to buy a microscope and start learning what to watch for and treating for any future cases that come up... any good sights to learn more about things to look for under a microscope and what things may look like magnified? Going to the River of Time re-enactment of the civil war. Wait all year for this and it may get my mind off my little pijjie.

Cindy

[spirit wings]

it is hard to believe there is not an avain vet within 100 miles of you, the pigeons can be called doves and they can be considerd your pet, not a feral wild pigeon...wink wink...

[naturegirl]

The vets know the difference between a pigeon and a dove, the avian vets specialize in parrots and they don't want totreat pigeons

[spirit wings]

A pigeon is a rock dove, pigeons are a domestic breed when they are in the care of a human...they are a pet then. that is what you need to say.....my pet rock dove needs a fecal done....get it.

[missmadison]

Well done to you Cindy for all your hard work. I just went through a similar experience with trying to save a newly hatched society finch (the size of a jelly bean!) so I know how you're feeling at the moment. I fed him every hour and even a few times through the night for 4 days. It's hard not to feel disheartened when they don't make it, but its worth it for the ones that DO make it. I work at a wildlife rehab hospital (in MN) and we take pigeons (we take all birds, except raptors which go to the raptor center nearby). In fact, one of our vets said that pigeons are her favorite...so there is at least one rehabber that favors pigeons!