[the21sacraments]

Hi y'all!! I live in NYC, and I live in an area with MANY pigeons. If I ever need a pigeon, I can pick one off the street. I have 4 rescues who are mine and, now two more that I don't plan on keeping but giving to someone who can rehab or take in. Last night I found a pigeon huddling in a corner in the rain, I went over to grab her and she flew away and two stories up she fell out of the sky and crashed into the street. I ran to grab her and she crashed into the side walk. She had string foot and already a toe gone. Honestly, I wasn't sure if she was going to make it through the night. She's up and eating now, but she's going in wide circles... over and over, and over. She occasionally falls over. I haven't seen a bird do that. I'm assuming it might be a concussion, but obviously she fell so something else is wrong. And she has a strange head twitch, almost like a robot.
I currently have a PMV baby I'm giving supporting care and she's not doing anything like her, but anything is possible. I have a vet who loves pigeons and takes in rescues but I won't find out until tomorrow if she will take them. I can't keep these two, but I obviously will do what I can for them until I can find someone who will take them. If anyone knows any other rehabbers in NYC who might take a pigeon with a head injury? Also, anyone know what else I can do to support this little one?

 

[Marina B]

I also have one with a head injury at the moment. I first thought it might be PMV, but the droppings are perfectly normal. What do the droppings of yours look like? Keep him in a cage with the sides, back and top covered. Leave only the front open and position the cage in such a way that no direct light shines into the cage.

Mine is showing improvement after 2 weeks.

 

[Colombina]

Hi, here are two links about concussion in birds and a general one about concussion in pets:

Concussion - Birds Online

Concussion While birds are flying free in a house, unfortunately, accidents can occur. Sometimes, birds crash into walls, windows, or furniture. But such collisions can also happen while the […]

www.birds-online.de

Concussion – Pigeon And Dove Rescue UK

CONCUSSIONS AND HEAD INJURY - Pines Meadow Veterinary Clinic

Injury to the head (head trauma) can be very dangerous–even result in death of your pet. A blow to the head can cause swelling of the brain tissues, and also internal bleeding from ruptured blood vessels as a result of the injury. Since the brain lies inside the bony skull, any bleeding or...

pinesvet.com

In case it's concussion: recovery depends on the severity of the blow. It could take a few days or take a longer time. Even symptoms depend on the severity of the blow.


General guidelines: keep the bird in a comfortable and quiet place, in the dim light (birds who suffer from a head trauma are very photo-sensitive).
Usually birds suffering from a head trauma should be kept in a cool place (no heatpad or hot water bottle). The suggested temperature should be around 21 degrees Celsius /70 degrees Fahrenheit. As mentioned in one of the links there could be special situations needing extra heat ("The only exception is if your vet explicitly orders this therapy in the individual case").
The bird needs a calm and peaceful environment. Try to avoid as much as possible all stressful situations, all frights, etc because any increase of blood pressure increases the brain swelling.

I cared about a dove who hit his head and he recovered in some days. He seemed a "doll". I had to offer him water and to hand feed him.
My blind pigeon Geordi had a stupid but dangerous accident (he fell from my dad's hands to the floor) and got a head trauma. He could not stand, walk and so on. I brought him to my vet who gave him some tablets called candilat. I had to keep him in a box on a soft but firm cushion. He recovered very well but needed a long time.

In case you are still looking for help here is a group located in New York: New York City Pigeon Rescue Central:

NYCPRC - String - Thread removal

Here you can find the Palomacy Help group:

Palomacy Pigeon & Dove Adoptions

Palomacy is a volunteer-powered, donation-funded rescue saving the lives of domestic pigeons and doves. Palomacy is pigeon and dove diplomacy!

www.pigeonrescue.org