Pigeon Hit by car

[LV426]

So I was driving home from work last night and I saw this pigeon flapping on the side of the highway and of course I swerve over and pull over and grab my shirt from my gym bag and run back to see if I can get this bird without getting us both killed. The first time he flew but only a couple of feet before slamming back into the concrete barrier and I was able to fling my shirt over him/her? and grabbed him up.

So now I have a pigeon in my lap. So I get him home and of course it was cold and rainy so I set him up in the hospital cage I use for various rodents that my cat brings home alive and let him warm up. I mean I figured if he died at least he would die in a nice warm place rather than in the cold and rain on the highway. He made it through the night so today I got a chance to access his injuries. I had made some calls today while I was at work but the vets were quoting $500-$1000 depending on the injuries and to be honest I could barely pay for my rent this month and the bird rescues I called refused to take a pigeon and said they would just euthanize him.

Well I know pigeons are tough little birds so I figured I would at least see what I could do.

So the skin was torn across the breast on one side and muscle was exposed but there wasn't any torn muscle except around the crop area, from what I could see. The biggest problem that I could visibly access is that there was a hole torn in his crop on the side of the injury.


So I get out my supplies and I scrubbed down the injury area with surgical scrub betadine and flushed the debris and seeds from his crop. I was able to pull the edges of the torn area of the crop and sealed it with surgical glue. (saw this type of repair on another site on the web).Then I took what skin I could and pulled that over the wound as much as possible and sealed that with the surgical glue as well. There's still some muscle tissue exposed so I just covered it in neosporin and wrapped sterile gauze around the bird to keep the area clean.

So Mr. Bird is awake and alert and seems to realize that I'm not trying to eat him. I had bird antibiotics, doxycyline on hand so I mixed that into his water and he drank a small bowl of water. I checked the wound and there was no leaking from the crop area.

Now there could be some other injuries and the bird does have difficulty in standing but that could be because of muscle bruises in the chest area. The legs themselves don't seem to be broken and the feet can grasp.

So I've set him up to be as comfortable as possible. I'd like the little guy to pull through but who knows. Anyway if anyone has any other suggestions that would be cool.

[altgirl35]

wow good job! only advice would be keep going for a whole round of anti biotics.
if you can pick up a little nolvasan, dilute it with water and put it in a squeeze bottle, you can flush the area twice a day, it really helps speed up healing and kills bacteria without being drying like betadine.
limit his mobility if you suspect fractures that are not obvious

[AZWhitefeather]

In the event there is a fellow member, rehabber or affordable vet near you that could possibly assist, could you give us your general location?

Cindy

[yopigeonguy]

Hi,
Looks like that is one very lucky and happy pigeon! Thank you so much for helping this helpless creature you will be thanked. Make sure he is warm and that he is eating well. You can put some defrosted peas and corn for him to eat. If he is not eating just open his mouth and plop about ten peas and corn one by one. If he has trouble swallowing it, you can rub his throat gently to help him swallow. Can you post some pics so we can see his condition?

Thanks again for helping him!!!

[Msfreebird]

Hi LV426, Sounds like you did a real nice job. Like Altgirl said, do a full round of antibiotics. And watch that it doesn't abscess.
For open wounds on poultry (that can't be stitched), the vet I work for uses a paste made up of equal amounts of honey and sugar.
I'm sure he's pretty sore from the trauma, which could account for his being unstable on his feet.
Good job, keep us posted please

[Jaye]

Yes well - amazing job so far ! Childrens Advil or Childrens Motrin (not lnfant formula - Childrens formula) could be used as an anti-inflammatory-painkiller (.02cc per 100g of pigeon assume a weight of 250g for the bird- 2x day) Better still is Medacam but l dunno if that is available to you. lf so - 1.5 mg per ml suspension - doses .06 cc 2x per day for avg. pigeon size. Medacam (aka meloxicam) has an advantage being it won't make the pigeon drowsy & is a stronger painkiller.....but l have seen avian vets prescribe the Childrens lbupropen as well. Also concerns about eating if there's an injured crop

[Mindy]

LV426 I think you have done a great job and thank you for trying to save this pigeon. Lets hope he can pull through. If he can't at least he was warm and cared for.

Jaye, I love reading all your posts, I learn so much. min

[LV426]

I'm in Kent, Washington.

Well so far I haven't offered any food just water. The glue seems to have held because his crop is no longer leaking water when he drinks. I'm more concerned about fluids for now and since he drinks on his own I'm happy. He's had another dose of antibiotics in his water today and seems to be doing better. He's holding himself more upright and trying to move around more. I was worried that he might do some damage so I wrapped him in a soft towel to keep him as still as possible but still able to reach the water bowl.

His eyes are bright and clear and he's alert. So here's just hoping that he will bounce back on his own.

[LokotaLoft]

your doing a great job , Im keeping my fingers crossed for you and your little friend ,good luck and good healing

[Jaye]

Agreed - can't ask for much better care than you are providing. Just wondering aloud if Doxycyclne is the most appropriate antibiotic in this instance - any thoughts from the Forum Also any members in WA ?

[Msfreebird]

Originally Posted by Jaye

Agreed - can't ask for much better care than you are providing. Just wondering aloud if Doxycyclne is the most appropriate antibiotic in this instance - any thoughts from the Forum Also any members in WA ?

I was told clavamox was the choice for cuts and wounds.

[altgirl35]

i think doxy is better than nothing, wounds don't always get infected, if it was an animal bite it would be a different story.
i prefer baytril myself
if you can us tell us the mg/ml of doxy and the weight of the piji we can figure out the dosage, for birds it's 25mg/kg 2xday

[Jaye]

LV, I am in SF...if you'd like, I can send you some Clavamox or Cipro (= Baytril); either of which might be more appropriate....it'd only take a day or two to get there...until then, keep with the Doxy; I agree, it is certainly better than nothing. PM me with your mailing info if you like.

[Msfreebird]

Clavamox, Dose- up to 125 mgs TID orally up to 3 weeks.
Used to treat severe or deep puncture wounds, and helps greatly in preventing the spread of necrotic tissue.
This drug has a much broader spectrum than Baytril and therefore will treat a much greater range of ailments.

Baytril, Effective against small surface wounds containing aerobic bacteria, oral E.coli and salmonella (paratyphoid) and some respiratory infections involving the bronchial tubes.
It is ineffective against anaerobic bacteria and should NOT be used for any gut bacterial problems or deep puncture wounds which involve anaerobic's.

I'm looking up Doxy - I'll get back to ya

[Msfreebird]

Doxycycline doesn't mention anything about being used for wounds.
If using doxy, you do have to remove calcium containing grit. Calcium will bind the drug and decrease absorption.

I think clavamox would be best if you can get some.