Possible PMV

[emf324]

I just rescued a pigeon today who seems to be doing better since I have nestled him in a cardboard box with a towel; he has eaten some bread but hasn't touched a water dish I set out for him. I don't want to drown him or scare him, so I haven't forced the water on him - in a few hours, I will try with an eyedropper. I think he has PMV -- all the symptoms are there, except my coworkers are telling me he has a broken neck. The pictures and videos I have seen of pigeons with PMV don't show them twisting their neck almost 180, but this is what my little guy is doing...he has never made a complete revolution, but it is scarily (and creepily) close. Other than a few twitches, his body seems to be fine. Do you think he has a fractured or broken neck? Or is twisting around that much a normal symptom of PMV?

[Feefo]

Or is twisting around that much a normal symptom of PMV?

Yes, that it why they refer to it as "star gazing", that is not a symptom of a broken neck. It is also a symptom of paratyphoid, but paratyphoid/ salmonellosis and PMV don't share all the same symptoms. For instance, in paratyphoid there can be smelly poops whereas in PMV the poops are very watery so that they literally look like pale green water, or there will be a solid bit, often in the sahpe of a worm, with water splashed around it. Paratyphoid also can cause the leg and wing joints to swell, this isn't seen in PMV.

So - what other symptoms does he have?

Put water in a deep but narrow dish, so that if his neck twists he won't accidentally drown. Dip his beak in it gently, without covering his nostrils, so he knows where it is. If you use an eye dropper, then drop it in the very front of his lower beak, that reduces the risk of aspiration.

I am not certain what sources of information you have used, this is a link to written and video details:

http://pij-n-angels.forumotion.net/p...s-pmv-t151.htm

Instead of bread, give him seeds in a deep dish, that way he is more likely to be able to pick them up.

If he doesn't eat or drink on his own, soak puppy biscuits in water, squeeze them out a bit so that they are damp but not dripping, open his beak and push the biscuit gently to the back of his throat. Alternatively, use defrosted peas and corn.

Cynthia