Juliet is ill :(

[Dezirrae]

Well today Juliet (our white ringneck dove) was being awfully quiet - and slowly during the day has become more and more lethargic and puffy

I have a 1 pm appt with my vet tomorrow but am wondering if anyone has any suggestions of what I could do (if anything) to make her more comfortable this evening.

Her symptoms, besides the lethargy and puffiness:

• watery poops with tinged (beige?) urates (looks yellow coming out of her butt, but only looks beige when it lands on a white paper towel)
• Haven't actually seen her eat today - but I have seen her drink. I added ACV (fresh bottle - just bought yesterday) as soon as I noticed the odd behavior.
• She & Noel have eggs at the moment (infertile of course) - she shows no interest in sitting on them.
• Very few vocalizations all day
• no mucus/oozing from nose, mouth, or eyes
• no signs of canker in the mouth - no odor
• every now & then she'll puff up a little extra (as if she's trying to push out a large poop - but nothing comes out).

Finally this evening I felt her crop and compared it to Noel's - Juliet's is much much harder, but I can't really say whether or not I feel individual seeds/bumps or just one slightly large object.

I asked the vet about applesauce and he said only if it's something she already eats - he didn't want me to introduce any new foods at this time.

Oh - and he did say if things look worse in the morning to just bring her right down and she would be seen right away.

So I guess I'm interested in people's opinions (I suspect crop stasis - though I know it's not very common in 8 yr old ring neck doves) regarding a diagnosis. And is the anything at all that I can do to make her more comfortable until the vet sees her tomorrow.

Thanks (in advance!)

[Pidgey]

Well, they don't just up and get crop stasis for no reason--that's just a symptom. Get some heat on her if possible.

Pidgey

[Dezirrae]

Thanks Pidgey - I was thinking about the heat - I'll get her set up with a heating pad on low wrapped in a towel.

The whole thing is rather odd - she was just her fine usual perky, noisey self yesterday.

This is a pretty good hospital where I go - hopefully they'll be able to do alot of the testing on sight.

[TAWhatley]

Sorry to learn of this, Dez! Ditto on the heat, and don't let her become dehydrated.

Terry

PS: Well, did you look at her vent area to be sure it isn't "clogged"?

[Dezirrae]

Thanks Terry. How do I tell if a dove is dehydrated? I know how to tell with a cat, but just realized I've not idea how to tell with a bird

While I didn't go poking vent I did look at it very close and it appears to look just like Noel's -- and no soiling of the feathers around the vent either.

[Pidgey]

Birds are pretty good at masking things like that and can go down amazingly fast sometimes.

Pidgey

[maryjane]

I hope Juliet feels better very soon, Dez, and you're able to find out what's wrong and get it treated. I'll be thinking of her.

[Jay3]

I hope it isn't anything serious.

[Birdmom4ever]

I don't have anything useful to add (I would have said provide heat, just as the others did) but I'm so sorry she's sick. I hope your vet can figure out what the problem is and that Juliet will recover quickly. I have a real soft spot in my heart for RN doves; we have 10 of them and 8 of the 10 are rescues.

[TAWhatley]

Dez,

Gently dip her beak in a water container and see if she drinks. If not, then dip a finger in the water and run your finger around the edge of her beak. It's kinda the same with a bird as with dogs and cats .. it's just harder to find a spot to "pinch" some skin to see if it stays tented .. try on the back of the neck and in the flap of skin where the leg attaches to the body.

Terry

[EgypSwiftLady]

Dez I'm so sorry to read Juliet isn't feeling well I too like Birdmom4ever have a soft spot for RN's and I know how much Juliet means to you.

Raven and I are sending healing thoughts and big hugs to you and Juliet.

Please keep us updated about her vet visit.

[Dezirrae]

Thanks everyone for your thoughts & well wishes - I'll definitly let everyone know how the vet visit goes.

She's about the same this morning. Went over to the food bowl, but I when I was watching her she just sat there - puffed. So I don't know if she actually ate anything. She is doing some stretches (I think someone referred to it as "yoga" once ). And I've heard some soft "beeps" which is more than I heard yesterday.

Looking forward to 1 pm getting here!

[Maggie-NC]

Dez, just want you to know I am thinking of you and Juliet and hope for a quick recovery.

[BradleyGarden]

Dez -
I do hope that Juliet gets well soon. There is nothing, of course, that I can add regarding suggestions to help her, but I want you to know that I'm thinking of you and her and hope the vet visit provides an answer to what is wrong. I will be very anxious to hear how you do.

[jenfer]

Dez, do you think it could be egg-related? The reason I ask is because of the watery poops you mentioned plus the straining.

One of my pigeons developed crop stasis last week. Her crop was visibly distended, and when I went to palpate it, water started coming out of her beak. I rushed her to the vet in a panic; turned out it was because she had a large egg waiting in the shell gland (causing everything to back up). She laid the egg later that night and by the next morning looked herself again!

Hope things go well for Juliet.

Jennifer