Sick White Wing Dove

[Rachel25]

I have an injured white wing dove, a juvenile. Upon examination he appears to have an old injury to his chest which is scabbed over and very hard. He has a very swollen ankle joint on one leg and some swelling to his other foot. He also has a swollen wing joint. The swellings feel very warm to the touch. Could this be the result of bacterial infection? and if so does anyone think a course of Clavamox would help? I thought his poop might look green but it is a dark and white shade.

[spirit wings]

could be Salmonellosis, here is a link to one product.
http://www.foyspigeonsupplies.com/catalog/2311.html

[plamenh]

Please post some pictures. Salmonella is possibility, but it can be more than one thing.
Clavamox may help, so you can start her, but if situation doesn't improve, be prepared to switch to something else.
Salmonella
Clinical signs:
Acute form (mainly affects young pigeons):
Enteritis with pulpy, mucoid, greenish droppings; once organs (liver, kidneys, spleen)
have become infected, there is growth retardation, emaciation and (in isolated cases)
death. Embryos infected with salmonellae frequently die in ovo or during the first few
days of life.
Chronic form (mainly affects adult pigeons):
Inflammation causes a thickening of the joints, especially the elbow joint, wing or leg
lameness, disorders of balance and torsion of the neck.
Treatment:
Upon appearance of the symptoms described, treatment with chloramphenicol-N should
be started immediately. In some cases it is necessary to change the treatment (e.g. to
ampicillin-t) when the results of the bacteriological examination and antibiogram become
available.
Other antibiotics:
Kanamycin: Dosage: .01 mgl to one gram of body weight intramuscularly twice daily.
Gentamycin: Dosage: .01 mg to one gram of body weight intramuscularly once daily or
25 mg. to 120 ml of drinking water orally.
Trimethoprim/Sulfamethoxazole Suspension: Dosage .002 ml to one gram of body
weight orally twice daily.
Sodium Sulfachiorpridazine Powder: Dosage ¼ tsp to 120 ml drinking water

[Feefo]

Hi Rachel,

I think this one might benefit from a veterinary examination.

Are the swollen joints soft or hard? Are they hot to the touch or cool? Are they clean?

My instinct when I see an old scab is to think necrotic plug and pull it, but that is because the first plug that I pulled proved to be as big as half my thumb, the result of a tracking abscess. I also found a dove that had a ruptured crop that scabbed over, the plug had to be pulled and seed that had leaked between the crop and the skin had to be removed.

What are the edges of the scab like?

Cynthia

[Rachel25]

The swollen joints are firm and feel pretty warm to the touch.

The scab on the chest is dried out and very hard. I thought about trying to remove it but was scared it would start bleeding. I wondered if the bird had been attacked and the injury got infected and sealed over causing the infection to move around the body??

Do you think I should try to get the scab off in case it is infected underneath

[plamenh]

Please consider Vet as an option. You don't know what is under scab. If you cause damage and extensive bleeding or wound needs stitching it may kill bird.
If you don’t have this option (Vet) then I would try to clean and soften the area with warm chamomile tea and antibiotic ointment. Wash with tea, place compress on top, keep it for some time, dry and apply ointment.

[Rachel25]

Sadly I cannot afford to get this bird to a vet right now and my wildlife rehab center is not being any help. I put the bird on a course of Clavamox which did nothing at all, I cleaned the old wound and found no nasty stuff that needed to be drained. The joints are all as swollen as ever (the ankle is grossly swollen, very tight) and I noticed have a yellowish tinge. The joints still feel hot. He can limp around but is pretty miserable. I am feeding him exact because I'm not sure he wants to eat right now.

So what would everybody suggest now - could this be Salmonella? I don't want to give up on him.

Please help

[Rachel25]

Here are the pictures. The ankle is the worst and it is getting worse, it appears to be travelling up the leg.

[Rachel25]

here is another....

[TAWhatley]

I think Salmonellosis is a real good possibility. Can you get the bird on Baytril or a generic (enrofloxacin)? I have two pigeons here now that came from my buddy in La Habra that both have very swollen lower legs and feet. I'm pretty sure it is not due to injury but due to salmonellosis. I'll try to post some pictures of the ones I have.

Terry

[plamenh]

Get some Arnica pills and Tea tree oil. 1 pill a day Arnica and swab swellings with TT oil. Supportive care and lot of fluids will do the trick. You can't release her ever though and keep her far from other birds for at least 3~4 months.
If you can get Doxycicline it may help.

[TAWhatley]

Originally Posted by plamenh

Get some Arnica pills and Tea tree oil. 1 pill a day Arnica and swab swellings with TT oil. Supportive care and lot of fluids will do the trick. You can't release her ever though and keep her far from other birds for at least 3~4 months.
If you can get Doxycicline it may help.

Do you think the condition is due to salmonella? I kinda get the tea tree oil and Arnica but don't have a clue about the Doxy .. fill me in, please. Not sure also about the fluids (though that might be a given depending on the condition of the bird) and the non-release .. are you thinking the bird is a carrier of something that can't be cured? I really appreciate the time and effort and advice you give us here .. sorry to be perhaps a bit slow in the brain category tonight .. have had my share of cases today and I'm about done for. I thank you for all your excellent help here!

Terry

[plamenh]

It is Salmonella. For some reason smaller doves do not have the same symptoms like pigeons or at least appears that course of disease is slightly different.
Arnica and TT oil are to relieve swelling and pain (worked excellent in my case).
Fluid therapy is to keep toxins on check in the body.
Tetracycline is recommended treatment in this case and I prefer Doxy from this group, as it is safer for the bird.
I use presently combination of Sulphadimethazine, Chloramphenicol and Furazolidone, but I doubt that this is widely available.
I saw that Chevita switched to Chloramhenicol too so I would highly recommend their chloramphenicol-N product if available in USA/UK.

[TAWhatley]

Originally Posted by plamenh

It is Salmonella. For some reason smaller doves do not have the same symptoms like pigeons or at least appears that course of disease is slightly different.
Arnica and TT oil are to relieve swelling and pain (worked excellent in my case).
Fluid therapy is to keep toxins on check in the body.
Tetracycline is recommended treatment in this case and I prefer Doxy from this group, as it is safer for the bird.
I use presently combination of Sulphadimethazine, Chloramphenicol and Furazolidone, but I doubt that this is widely available.
I saw that Chevita switched to Chloramhenicol too so I would highly recommend their chloramphenicol-N product if available in USA/UK.

Thanks for the info .. much appreciated!

Terry

[Rachel25]

I would not mix it with anything.
Please note that some AB will not work on salmonella.
22nd October 2009 04:15 PM


What do you mean by AB? Antibitotics?

I worked out the dosage but it is not going well because the dove is sicking it back up along with the exact it was fed earlier.

I am feeling really disheartened. How long do you think it could be before the swelling starts to go down? (that is if the baytril actually has any effect)

Is there any kind of antibiotic that I can get online without a prescription?