sick aussie pigeon possible canker.

[Noisy_minor]

Hey guys I havnt posted on here for quite awhile for those of you that dont remember me im from queensland australia and originally stumbled accross this forum by accident. Anyway Ive found a sick pigeon under my car. im not sure what species he is ive only seen them around a few times before but hes definetly not a domestic or feral pigeon.

I belive he has canker from what ive read on here. he has one eye wide open, and the other is sealed over with a mucus like crust, his beak is slimy on the inside and has a terrible odor. i can see some yellow inside his mouth, but overall the inside of his mouth looks dry. ive got the bird inside a carboard box lined with an old shirt. his feathers are all ruffled up, and feels thin when i pick him up.

ive tried cleaning his eye and beak with a saline solution when i wiped his beak with the cotton bud the bud went brown very quickly. his eye looks slightly better now ive cleaned it a little but i dont think his eye is the main issue at the moment.

i am just wondering if the medications for canker are the same here in australia and just thought i should post some info here before i go out looking for it. any help would be greatly appreciated cheers.

[Noisy_minor]

I just used the cotton bud to wipe the inside of his mouth, and i wiped away alot of yellowish brown pussy stuff, that stinks. His tonge is a yellowish colour too. looks like he went to the toilet while i was typing this message, was all white no brown stool at all

[Pidgey]

Starving to death. Is he trying to eat at all? Do you have or can you get any canker medications like Metronidazole (Flagyl--also used in humans)?

Pidgey

[Noisy_minor]

Thanks Pidgey i rang the vet looking for medications, and she asked to see the bird. When we got down there, it turned out he was a native bronzewing pigeon.

The vet said a friend of hers is an avian carer and she would pass the bird onto her. As much as i would have loved to bring him back im glad he is in the hands of some one more experienced.

Cheers

[Pidgey]

Oh, that's probably a very good thing--it sounds like a serious case!

Pidgey

[Charis]

I'm glad you found a vet to work with you.

[LUCKYT]

I do not know about Australia, but in the U.S. you must have a permit for native species, glad the bird is being taken care of. Dave

[Noisy_minor]

Yeah you do need a permit for almost all native species. im just glad we found him and he didnt die miserably under a car or get taken by a cat. hopfully he will get better. is canker a hard disease to get rid of????

[Birdmom4ever]

I'm so glad you were able to help this poor pigeon. In answer to your question, canker is readily treatable but can be tough to overcome in an advanced case. I hope this pigeon makes it. Will you be able to get updates on his condition?

[Noisy_minor]

unfortunetly i didnt get a number for the carer. i hope he makes a full recovery, but either way everything happens for a reason. if he does pass away, at least he wasnt alone, and cold hiding under the car.

[Charis]

Could you get the number and also give us that of the vet?

[Bella_F]

Hi Noisy Minor, I'm, from queensland too! I'm sorry to hear about the bronzewing pigeon getting sick, but it sounds like its in good hands now due to your kindness! Yay for you!

The wildlife carers in our state are called `wildcare', and the person who coodinates all the bird-care & rehab is amazing. I feel that your pigeon will now be in the best of hands now.