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Extremely worried - My (feral) dove is limping

228 Views 10 Replies 2 Participants Last post by  Marina B
6
Hello everyone. Your precious advice helped me and saved my feral pigeon friends many times. Now I need you more than ever.

This afternoon my dear, precious Colombina (Streptopelia risoria) has started limping for NO apparent reason. She doesn’t have strings around her feet, no visible cuts, no swelling, no visible broken toes. She doesn’t stand up when eating and she limps when walking, using her wing as a stick. She can’t properly stay on perch-like surfaces, only flat surfaces.

Luckily, she flies as usual. She eats and drinks as well, and even sings.

She lives in the wild (I suppose she got lost after a wedding ceremony or a magician got rid of her) and engages in fights with wood pigeons everyday, even today I saw her doing it. I befriended her a few years ago and she comes to see me for a snack everyday.

I’m BEYOND worried and heartbroken. I can’t stop crying. She’s my best friend and I can’t stand the mere idea of her feeling ill/hurt. I’m willing to take her to the veterinary ASAP, but I need to know what she could possibly have, in your opinion, just to survive tonight. Maybe she hit something and now it hurts? Can it be temporary? What could it be?
I couldn’t catch her today, because she only came this afternoon and I was not ready for this.

I need a reassurement, I beg you. Thank you SO SO SO much in advance.
Much love from Claudia and Colombina

sorry about the bad quality of photos
Bird Beak Table Serveware Wood
Bird Wood Beak Feather Flooring


Edit: additional pictures of the foot that seems to bother her, sorry again about the quality

Bird Beak Wood Lari Gull
Bird Wood Beak Gull Seabird
Bird Beak Liquid Wood Feather
Gesture Wood Thumb Nail Soil
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I'm sure she will be fine. Maybe just a minor injury. If she is eating well, no need for concern.
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I'm sure she will be fine. Maybe just a minor injury. If she is eating well, no need for concern.
Thank you Marina for reassuring me. She's eating and drinking, as well as singing. She still chases wood pigeons.
She stays down most of the day and when she has to walk, she limps and her hurt feet trembles. She also keeps it to the side.

I'll attach more pics, I don't know how helpful they can be.

Do you think adding some vitamins to her diet could help the recovery? She's been eating a lot of sunflower seeds lately (the ones without shell), she is crazy about them. I try to offer her other seeds/fruit/vegetables so she can have a more balanced diet, but she keeps going back to her favourite. Is it concerning?
She will benefit from vitamins, also add some liquid calcium with added Vit D3 to her drinking water. She should not overdo on eating certain seeds, when the sunflower seeds are finished let her continue eating the other seeds.
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Thank you again Marina. I’ll post updates in the near future. 🕊🤍 Much love.
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Hi Marina, my dear Colombina has been doing slightly better. However I noticed something protruding from her right thigh, the leg that bothers her. What do you think it is? A parasite, a bone or simply… poop? I know it’s a super dumb question and I’m really sorry for it, but I want to be sure it’s nothing serious. Have a nice day/evening and much love.

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Hi Marina, She really doesn’t want me to touch her, but I’ll try as soon as she returns and I’ll let you know. A family member sent me those photos while I was out. I may have have to resort to the “stick holding a box” method
Hi Marina, sorry to bother you again. I managed to remove the little thing protruding from her leg, which turned out to be… poop, luckily. Now, this morning she had a single louse fly on her. She usually doesn’t have those, as a matter of fact she was very nervous about it and kept trying to catch it with her beak. Normally, she never scratches or picks herself. Is there a product I can buy to help her, something you recommend and that I can safely spray on her? I’m terrified of those insects. Thank you very much again. 🕊🤍
Any insecticide for birds will do. Spray the whole body and also under the wings. Just cover her head to protect her eyes.
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