Pigeon Hit by BB

[LTalavera]

last night i stepped outside of my house and saw a bird fall from the light pole, it seemed that someone had hit it with a bb gun, he was was laying on his back with one of his wings flapping, i picked him up and took a look at the injury, it seemed that the bb hit it in the breast and came out the other side, i cleaned up both wounds with iodine and put him in a shoe box covered in cloths to keep him warm,this morning i went to check on him and he's still alive and when i took him out to clean the box he lifts his right wing, but his left has no movement,what kind of healing are they capable of? and how do i know if the damage is permanent? i tried to feed him some small seeds that i took from my parakeet and put a little container with water but he doesnt seem to want any, what shoud i go about doing at this point?

[Reti]

Well, he might be still in shock and if that is the case he won't eat. I wouldn't worry about that right now.
Is there any active bleeding?
Where exactly are the wounds? Could you post a pic of the bird?
Keeping him warm and quiet is most important now. You can apply some antibiotic cream on the wounds after cleaning them with saline, twice a day.
If you have Pedialyte see if he wants to drink. He needs to be hydrated asap.
Let us know if he is drinking.


Reti

[LTalavera]

there doesnt seem to be any active bleeding,unfortunately i dont have a camera but the wounds are right under the wing where it meets the breast, i see that you are in miami, perhaps i can bring it to you, so you can guide me

[Reti]

Oh, you're in Miami?
I should have thought, people just love to use their BB's on birds here.

Sure you can bring him to me to take a look and I can give you also some Silvadene and antibiotics, which he might need since he has an open wound.

My phone # 305-374-3525

Reti

[Reti]

Talked to LT. I will see the bird tomorrow.
So far s/he sounds fine, eating a bit and drinking, just won't move the one wing.
We will know more tomorrow.

Reti

[Birdmom4ever]

Thank you, LT for helping this poor pigeon. Reti, please let us know how he is.

[little bird]

Check the bird closely, Reti. I would think a bb hitting the bird in the breast would not travel THROUGH the bird's body...... he might have been hit with more than one bb unless it was a graze of the breast that went on to damage the wing. BTW the cheap bbs are lead....doubt if anyone shooting pigeons is going to pay premium price for copper bbs

[Larry_Cologne]

Yes Reti, let us know. Thanks, LT, for helping this pigeon.

As a kid, I shot a few birds (sparrows) with BB-gun. Had two BB-guns, sequentially. Sufficient education didn't come with ownership. Dad said don't shoot at other people, you might hit them in the eye. Shot a brother in the leg (he had jeans on) with some small caliche gravel. Thought it was funny to see him hop up and down. Kids don't think about pain and suffering and misery of others, unfortunately. A short step away, young people, many still kids, join the military while envisioning glamour and glory.

Larry

[Reti]

I will take a good look. I had no idea BB pellets are made of lead.
But if it went through then it won't be inside anymore, right? Oh, you mean there could be more than one pellet, I see.
TL mentioned there is a smaller entry wound and a bigger exit wound.
Guess we'll see tomorrow.

Larry I can't imagine you using a BB gun for fun. I guess kids can do stupid things. I used to catch flies and suffocate them in a closed glass jar. Pretty stupid, I didn't think flies can suffer.

Reti

[maryjane]

I hope the pigeon does well. I have Mr. Nelson, who came from the shelter and had been shot with a bb gun. He had already healed when I got him and had massive scar tissue built up where it exited, underneath the wing. After a few years he actually began flying again and can fly up to the highest perches now. For a long time he just hopped from perch to perch until he was where he wanted to be.

I can't imagine any of us using a bb gun to purposely hurt an animal. Unfortunately, it does seem true that a lot of children don't see animals as things that feel pain. I used to fish a lot, catch and release, believing (as was easy to do, and a cop-out I see now) that what "they" say is true, and fish don't have feeling in their lips. The last time I was fishing (about four years ago) one swallowed the lure and died. I realized suddenly that here I was, with an animal rescue that included everything from fish to pigeons, and killing a fish who was otherwise minding his own business. I completely lost my taste for fishing. And when I was younger I loved animals but had no regard for bugs, spiders, mice, etc. Now I am lucky to see that every critter is in its own right to live its life.

Of course, this is only my own personal experience and I'm not trying to put down anyone who does fish or anything. Just trying to say I understand how you can have one set of beliefs and then things can change as time goes on.

[Reti]

This is a lovely little dove, with two symmetrical wounds in the chest, on the right and on the left.
I washed the wounds and took a close look. The one on the right seems more like a scrape and doesn't go deep actually it looks almost healed, might have been aloder wounds, who knows.
The one on the left has a deep hole. I cleaned it out and removed some feathers from inside the hole. It seems like it goes into the wing joint that is why he is not moving the joint. And most likely the bullet is inside.
This bird is way too tame, didn't flinch while examining or cleaning, that is not good.
I gave him an injection with EDTA for lead poisoning and showed LT how to do it and also gave him Baytril, silvadene to continue at home.
Now we would need an xray to see what's going on. My current vet doesn't just do xrays.
I will try to talk to the rehabber in Palm Beach see if they could do it there for free or a small fee and then take it from there.
My main concern is that the bird is way too calm and sort of sleepy.

Reti

[Trees Gray]

Hi Reti,

Thank you for helping the bird and for the update. I certainly hope this bird can be saved.

[John_D]

Well done, Reti. At least with the good fortune of you being able to examine and render help to this dove, he has some chance. WIthout you and LT he would have none.

John

[Reti]

Thank you Treesa and John. LT is doing the best he can and is taking great care of her. He can also call me anytime if things get worse. I emailed the rehabber in Palm Beach, hopefully they can take an xray and then we have a better picture of what's going on.

Reti

[LTalavera]

hello, everyone, i want to thank Reti and everyone here that has helped me. The dove seems to be feeling a little better ,i gave her a second dose of antibiotics and she seems to be a bit more fussy when i try and hold her, and thanks to Reti thats a good sign,ive never been in this situation before and its proven to be quite an emotional one,i look at its helpless little eyes and it breaks my heart at the pain she might be in.Once again thankyou Reti and everyones support, i will keep you guys updated