Lump on baby pigeons neck

[livingdeadgirl]

Hi, I've joined this forum to get some advice on a baby pigeon I have taken in. I found him 2 weeks ago in the middle of the road with a bashed up eye and several shallow cuts round his face. I think he was around 3 weeks old (which makes him about 5 weeks now) and had fallen out of his nest.
I have been feeding him eggfood, blended and watered down, with a syringe. In the last few days he has started taking bits of pigeon mix seed and sweetcorn. Also a bit of bread dipped in eggfood to encourage him to eat alone, I know bread isn't very nutritional.
Anyway, he has developed a strange lump on the side of his neck up to just under his ear entrance. It looks like swelling, but it doesn't seem to be causing him any pain. He's eating well and well in himself, but I'm concerned.
Any ideas what it could be? Thanks for your help.
Clare

[pdpbison]

Hi Clare,


Images? ( showing the 'lump' )

Also images of his poops/urates?


Phil
Lv

[livingdeadgirl]

I've just changed his paper and thrown it away so I have no dropping pictures at present, but as far as I can tell they are normal. I have a pic of the lump however. He's a tad scruffy as he was hard to feed in the first week!

[Feefo]

Can you let us know where you are? It might be useful if someone experienced in pigeons could examine him and if you could tell us your rough location we might know of someone.

In the meantime, can you have a good look inside his mouth, just to ensure that it is clean and pink, with no growths inside.

[pdpbison]

Hi Clare,


Well, he is certainly a happy and lovely little Pigeon.


I can not see anything though, as far as any 'lump'.


Maybe you can describe it some more, size, consistency, location, and or try again with more of a close up image of it?


Also, images of poops/urates, soon as some are made.


Phil
Lv

[livingdeadgirl]

Thankyou. :-) I will get some more pictures in the morning and upload them. I would do it now but he's sleeping and I'd feel really mean waking him up! The lump itself sort of fills the space where the bottom definition of the head should be and the body. I'll take pics of both sides to show the difference. It's as if the side of his neck is swollen, I suppose like the human equivalent of swollen glands. He lets me touch it and it feels much the same as the rest of his neck. Like I say it doesn't seem to be bothering him, but it looks odd and I want some reassurance that he's ok! :-)

[pdpbison]

Hi Clare,



Well, as feefo mentions, please see if you can arrange him under some good lighting, and look into his Throat, opening his Beak of course, to do so.

Should be merely happy 'pink' tissue, but, he might have some 'cheezy' or yellows tan color material in there.

Usually, such a lump will be from either 'Canker' ( a localized Trichomona infection), or, an abcess.


So, see what you can tell by looking well into his Throat...have someone halp hold him if need be, to do so.


Phil
Lv

[livingdeadgirl]

I'm in Blackburn, Lancashire. I've checked his mouth earlier and it is clean and pink, no growths. :-)

[Feefo]

You could ask Laura Steele at Springfield Vets' 144 Redlam BB2 1UW to have a look at it. Her telephone number is 01254 54654. She is very experienced with pigeons as she used to work with Helen who used to run Wild-life-line. Or I could get in touch with Helen and ask her if she would have a look at it, but I am not certain when she is at home and available.

We think so highly of Helen and Laura that we have driven all the way from Norfolk for their help with a pigeon.

[livingdeadgirl]

Ok, I rang to try and speak to Laura Steele but she won't be in until Wednesday. Not wanting to leave it that long I took him to a Myerscough vet. She says it could potentially be a damaged gullet. :-( I'm not sure how this could have happened as he hasn't eaten anything hard and we don't put the syringe down his throat. She has given me antibiotics to administer twice daily and if he's not better in a week I have to take him back. I'm really hoping it's something else as I don't want to lose him. :-( Does anyone else have any experience of this sort of thing?

[Dobato]

Could you tell us what antibiotic was prescribed and at what dose, plus was any mention made of canker/trichomoniasis?

Karyn

[livingdeadgirl]

The antibiotic is Baytril. The vet checked the little guys throat and it was all clear, so no canker wasn't mentioned.

[livingdeadgirl]

Meant to say it is 0.1mil twice a day.

[pdpbison]

Hi Clare,


Images of the poops/urates?


Close ups of the 'lump'?



If an abcess, it could be Bacterial.


If Canker, localized from maybe some small abrasion or something - a weed Seed with a shapr pointy end - having poked the esophagus enough for a Trichomonal infection to get in, then of course, it is Trichomonal/Canker.


What sort of consistency does the lump seem to have over the course of a day?


Does it remain the same consistency? Or, does it seem to be harder or softer sometimes?


Is there anything different about the skin covering the lump, than the skin elsewhere?



Phil
Lv

[livingdeadgirl]

It remains the same consistency all day. The skin covering it sometimes looks a bit redder than the rest of his skin. It's not an abcess as the vet stuck a needle in it to try and withdraw fluid, all that happened was that he bled a little. I will get some pictures now.