Rescued Pigeon Making Gulping/puking sounds

[M4AX]

Rescued domesticated pigeon found on road have had him for about a week now, he hasn't been much active he can't fly, it seems like his wings are cut. We had to force feed him the first few days but he's eating by himself now.

But now he has started to make very weird noises gulping/puking and cooing noises at night and I'm starting to get concerned

He has also been plucking his feathers and dandruffing a lot we are worried he might have parasites or fleas, we thought about supplementing him with 2 drops 15mg. of selamectin/stronghold but are unsure about side effects

This is our first pigeon I have been researching as much as possible but there is still a lot of questions unanswered as there is very little if not any pigeon doctors in my country. As for location we live in Vestfold in Norway (CEST time)

Hope somebody can get back to us as soon as possible.

[Marina B]

Any other symptoms? Drinking plenty of water, watery droppings, losing feathers on breast area, making rotating movements as if adjusting the crop? You can check with a flashlight deep down the throat for any yellowish growths. She might have canker which is quite common in pigeons. Easily treatable with metronidazole.

[M4AX]

I'm not sure how much he's drinking but he's definetly peeing. There isn't any visible feather loss on the breast area. As for he's movement I haven't really analyzed how he walks. I will make sure to check his throat, If he does have a canker I can't get my hands on metronidazole until monday, do small cankers go away by themselves? If he doesn't seem to have a canker is it safe to use selamectin on him? And can he still have a canker even if it isn't visible when checking the throat and should we still treat him regardless? And is metronidazole safe to use on the pigeon?

He's most likely a fancy pigeon and that might also be why he's not flying that good.
And his poop now has a little green tint to it.

[M4AX]

UPDATE: We tried to check his throat we couldn't really check deep down the throat, but from what we could see he looks fine. So my mom decided to give him selamectin (for birds) just in case he has fleas or parasites. But I'm still not 100% sure if he has a canker or not but if so we can't really do anything about it till monday.

[Marina B]

Metronidazole is perfect safe to use on pigeons. Canker won't go away by itself and will eventually kill a bird. Is the droppings very liquid? In a healthy pigeon the droppings are brown and firm with a white dot on top. Canker does not always show up in the throatarea. If you think he is not eating enough, then you need to handfeed him. Keep an eye on him over the weekend and get the metronidazole on Monday. For an adult pigeon the treatment will be 50 mg once daily for 7-10 days. Let us know how he is doing.

[Ladygrey]

Sour crop can cause regurgitattion. His immunity is probably low and has a yeast infection. I would treat him for canker as it is common and sometimes you can not see it, then treat for sour crop.

What are you feeding him and can you post a picture.

If his wings have been cut then yes, he would t be able to fly well.

[M4AX]

FOOD:


PIGEON:


POOP:


He has a hard time eating the big seeds and peas. I'm not completely sure what is best to feed a pigeon that is sick, if there is anything I should give him instead I would like to know.

[Ladygrey]

Awe, he’s cute.
I would take out the sunflowers with shells, they do eat them, but the shells may not be getting digested well. If you can introduce a grit for birds he can consume that as needed. The grit works in the gizzard as their teeth, because birds don’t have teeth.

I would add more dried peas , lentils, and pop corn instead of whole regular corn.. basically get a wild bird mix with only shelled sunflower.. add the rest.

Get chick grit for baby chickens and offer that in a croc he can’t dump over.

Calcium supplement for his water.

His stool look ok to me. Make sure his drinking water is deep enough for him to suck water.. they suck water, not dip and tilt like other birds.. you can show him the water by dipping his beak in it.. even if it seems mean.. he will understand where it is . His white part of his poop looks low, so he may be dehydrated.

If you can have a vet look him over that would be ideal, they can feel his crop to see if it is normal.


When he’s feeling better offer him a bath pan , I use a new cat litter box from the dollar store and fill with water and splash your hand in it.. pigeons do like to bath and it looks like he needs one.

[M4AX]

I've tried giving him peas as I said he is having a hard time eating round big grains, he mostly just eats the sunflowers without shells. The corn is already dry it's just very yellow. We already have given him deepest water bowl in the house, but I'll make sure to buy a deeper water bowl and a bird mix and medication and I'll try to find a grit for baby chickens on monday.

Unfortunately there is not any pigeon vets that I know of in my country. But we are planning to call a bird vet on monday.

[Ladygrey]

Originally Posted by M4AX

I've tried giving him peas as I said he is having a hard time eating round big grains, he mostly just eats the sunflowers without shells. The corn is already dry it's just very yellow. We already have given him deepest water bowl in the house, but I'll make sure to buy a deeper water bowl and a bird mix and medication and I'll try to find a grit for baby chickens on monday.

Unfortunately there is not any pigeon vets that I know of in my country. But we are planning to call a bird vet on monday.

The un popped pop corn is smaller and rounder, they tend to eat it easier than whole field corn, but if a pigeon is hungry enough I suppose they will eat it fine.

If he is going for the sunflower hearts only then he is being picky.. don’t add more feed if he hasn’t almost finished what is given. Basically only a few seeds left in the dish before refilling.

What country are you in?

[M4AX]

We decided to check his crop with somebody who is more familiar with chickens and birds. She said he didn't have much of a crop so we decided to give him small calcium rocks.
We also gave him something to bathe in and he started bathing and drinking right away.
Any tips for fixing his crop?

I live in Norway.

[Marina B]

He will benefit from apple cider vinegar and probiotics for pigeons in the drinking water. You can add 5 ml acv to 1 l drinking water. Offer this to him 3 or 4 times a week. It helps restore the good gut bacteria and keep them healthy. If he is sick, then the above won't cure him and he will need antibiotics. The above is only to keep them healthy in the long term.

[M4AX]

Thanks, although I'm still unsure if he's sick or if he just has a little problem with his crop, he didn't seem to have a fever either, I don't really like giving antibiotics just incase, so we are going to call a bird vet tomorrow.

I'll make sure to keep you guys updated. Thanks for all the tips.

[M4AX]

First day of treatment is done! The vet decided to prescribe him with 32 mg once a day because of his weight, he’s skinny. Hoping he gets better. Again will keep you guys updated if something happens.

[Ladygrey]

Awe, that’s fantastic.. he sure is pretty!