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Injuried Feral ((Dog Attack))- In need of advice-

2803 Views 38 Replies 9 Participants Last post by  Reti, 
FloridaLuv
Hi everyone- I am in need of some help. Wednesday, I came across an ad on Craigslist that read Injuried pigeon needs home. So I called and found out that this womans dog got ahold of the pigeon and it was hurt. She said No one else has called her and she didn't want to have it PTS. ( No way was I gonna leave it there)
By the time I got there the poor thing looked like he wasn't gonna make it home without a small miracle. Before we even left their house I gave him a dose of Doxycycline and a Arnica pellet for the swelling. He has a piece of skin missing from his head (from the dog attack) where you can see his skull I have cleaned it and put Neosporin on it.
Also his left eye is EXTREMELY swollen. Please see photos here: http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/album.php?albumid=658
In one of the photos you will see where the opening (slit)( Im at a lack of words for the proper name) for the eye is above where his eye actually is. Its so swollen that his skin is stretched over his eye ball. I have been using Vetropolycin (bacitracin-neomycin-polymyxin) on it 3x's per day and in between that using a Artifical Tears Ointment in both eyes. Doxycycline liquid 2 x's per day at .005cc's ((His Right eye was crusted shut on Wednesday after recieving him as well.))

HE is EXTREMELY under weight .. His keel bone is razor sharp-- When you pick him up, it feels like your lifting air-I am feeding him Kaytee exact mixed with a small ribbon of Nutrical. defrosted corn and peas.(out of their skins)... I add Spectralite to his drinking water which when held to his beak he readily drinks.

As of today: (almost 2 days later) He stands up-- opens his right eye, the swelling on the left eye is starting to go down a small amount. He drinks on his own , when I hold up the water for him (I think the vision in his right eye is questionable at this point) and the left eye once the swelling goes away the vision will be questionable- I am assuming? Today s/he is begining to feel better as he will actually try to move my hand away from him with his beak, not biting... but almost in a preening way. And he shook his feathers today along with his tail--(Big imrovement from 2 days ago) He wont eat on his own - I tried with pigeon pellets.

I need to know the best way to put some weight on him? Am I doing the right things??? Any and all advice would help. I havent any pain medicince and read on the pain sticky about Childrens Advil- I will stop and get him some this afternoon. and will figure out the dose for that.

Also a wing may be another injury to add to this poor lil' ones list- The right wing and Im not sure as of yet if it is indeed injuried. it will droop but mostly he will hold it in position.

Phew --- I think that about sums it up!
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Skyeking
Thank you so much for taking on this very needy pigeon.

Be sure to give him extra probiotics as that will help assimilate his food better and help put weight on.

You can put a drop of Sovereign Silver colloidal silver in the infected eye.

You can give arnica montana (holistic product), for the swelling and trauma to the head/eye for a few days.

I'm going to bump this thread up to the top for our more experienced rehabbers to have a look.
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FloridaLuv
You can give arnica montana (holistic product), for the swelling and trauma to the head/eye for a few days.

I'm going to bump this thread up to the top for our more experienced rehabbers to have a look.
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Treesa
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Treesa- Thank you.

I have been giving him one Arnica Montana pellet which is 30c's 3 x's/day. I have been just popping the pellet in and letting him swallow it. Is that the correct way and amount? Also I have beeen giving him that since Wednesday night when we picked him up-- Can I continue him on the Arnica pellets for a week? I'm just wondering if it would help to keep him on it.


Also- He smells something horrible- How long before I can bathe him? Being so underweight Im afraid of him getting too cold- Right now he has a heat lamp on him 24 hours a day. When he is out with me I place him on the heat pad-when feeding, etc.
I will add the probiotics to his water- Why hadn't I thought of that...:rolleyes:
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J
I have been giving him one Arnica Montana pellet which is 30c's 3 x's/day. I have been just popping the pellet in and letting him swallow it. Is that the correct way and amount? Also I have beeen giving him that since Wednesday night when we picked him up-- Can I continue him on the Arnica pellets for a week? I'm just wondering if it would help to keep him on it.
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The way I (and my homeopathic vets and other rehabbers I know) give homeopathic remedies is to dissolve a pellet or two in about an ounce of spring or distilled water, then give a few drops from outside the beak with a dropper. Homeopathic remedies aren't like conventional drug in that they don't have to be digested to work; they just need to be absorbed by the mucus membranes. The liquid dilution is gentler on them and less stressful to administer. Also, a note: remedies aren't supposed to be handled, so if you're dosing whole pellets, try not to touch them with your hands (another reason the liquid dilutions are easier!).

Jennifer
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Charis
Jenn...How long ago did the injury occur?
I suspect the bird was feeling poorly before the dog attack. because of the weight issue, I suspect coccidia or worm and possibly both. They seem to go hand in hand.
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FloridaLuv
jenfer said:
The way I (and my homeopathic vets and other rehabbers I know) give homeopathic remedies is to dissolve a pellet or two in about an ounce of spring or distilled water, then give a few drops from outside the beak with a dropper. Homeopathic remedies aren't like conventional drug in that they don't have to be digested to work; they just need to be absorbed by the mucus membranes. The liquid dilution is gentler on them and less stressful to administer. Also, a note: remedies aren't supposed to be handled, so if you're dosing whole pellets, try not to touch them with your hands (another reason the liquid dilutions are easier!).

Jennifer
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Thanks Jennifer- I will dilute the from here on out... and liquid is MUCH eaiser to get down.. you are SO very right.;) Is 3x's a day with the dilution good?


Charis said:
Jenn...How long ago did the injury occur?
I suspect the bird was feeling poorly before the dog attack. because of the weight issue, I suspect coccidia or worm and possibly both. They seem to go hand in hand.
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The injury happened Wednesday in the early morning-( so they told me... although I can't help but wonder about that???) and I picked him up Wednesday night at about 8pm-
I too think that he was very sick prior to the attack- because he is in such bad health. Poor baby. Most surely why the dog was able to catch ihim Can I worm him and treat for coccidia while he is so ill - or do I wait until he is in better shape? I will need to order meds to treat.

The good news is that he is starting to resist me when feeding him. where before he didn't notice that I had picked him up- hes more alert
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feralpigeon
Doxycycline is given by many hospitals as a 'stand alone' medication for animal
bites and is also a good broad spectrum anti-biotic in general. The bird should
get no grit while on Doxy, or any other calcium supplements for that matter.

I always treat for the known devils such as Trichomonas, Coccidiosis and Worms while I have a bird and pump up their systems w/probiotics before releasing them. You can treat simultaneously w/a canker med along side the Doxy. As mentioned, Colloidal Silver is very good for eye infections
and you could use additionally to your current care plan.

Hard to say what kind of long term damage might be apparent once the inflammation is brought under control, though if the bird is unable to see from
one of the eyes, it would leave the bird vulnerable to predators approaching
from the blind side.

This was a great save, thanks for your swift intervention.

fp
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FloridaLuv
Is it ok to treat for all of these right now?

I have Medpet 4in1 pill that I can give him. Its one pill every day for 5-7 days.....That should treat for Canker.
I need to get more wormer, Ivermectin is most readily avaiable ... would that work? If so I have never used it what is the dosing and adminstration?

Will get to Collidail Silver tomorrow... I used my last bit of mine 2 weeks ago- GO figure....lol

fro pain- is the Arnica Montana enough??
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Reti
I wouldn't deworm him just yet. He needs to be bit stronger for an antiwormer.
The prefered antibiotic regimen my vets use for almost everything without cultures is Cipro and Flagyl. They cover a whole variety of infections. Also Clavamox is used for those kind of injuries.

Reti
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Skyeking
I learned to just give the arnica pellets to the bird by mouth, placing one at a time on the back of the tongue and allowing them to swallow. Make sure to give the correct dosage. I learned that from our local rehabber who is a licensed herbologist as well as licensed rehabber for the county.

I would use garlic soft gel caps to worm the bird for now, if it is crucial and if the bird doesn't suffer from an upset stomach. The garlic has a tremendous effect on the immune system as well as being a natural antibiotic.
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FloridaLuv
First many thanks for all your replys! They are all most appreciated-

And well... I must be doing somethinig right- cuz the lil' bugger is proudly perched up on his rolled hand towel- preening! Fed him this morning and he ate like a true champ. We are off to town this morning to get a few things- his eye swelling is coming down and he now keeps his right eye opened most of the time. He actually tried to use his chest to move me away from him this morning- so he is somewhat getting his gusto back.

For now I will continue on the Doxy- It seems to be working; his head and eye are responding to it. I will look at the feed store for canker and wormer treatments today.I will administer those when he has gained some weight. I will continue the camomile warm compresses with his head and the arnica. Along with the eye ointment. A PT member has sent me the most amazing case history,that a friend of hers had- Almost the identical injuries... so I will be adding some of the remedies to what I am doing as that bird has made a full recovery with amazing results...

Can I hand feed him pigeon pellets? Or should I just stick to the Kaytee for now? any opinions?..... (he wont get any grit for the course of Doxy)

and how much Kaytee is adequate?

Thank you to all who have called, posted , PM'd or emailed..... THANK you!;)
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spirit wings
you saved that birds life for sure!.....how wonderful:D
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J
Jenn, 3x/day is OK. I would see how he's responding to it and dose as needed for a few days. Specifically for the eye, you could try euphrasia 30c after you're done with the arnica.

Trees, herbology is not the same as homeopathy, and homeopathic remedies are not the same as conventional meds. I know other (licensed) rehabbers who treat them that way, but they don't work that way. The pellets are meant to be dissolved (in humans) under the tongue, but it's unlikely you're going to get an animal to agree to that, and it's going to be near impossible to get the remedy in the mouth without touching it.

The three homeopaths I've consulted with (one human, two vets--one vet is well known and has written a best-selling book on the topic; other vet is a fellow of the British Institute of Homeopathy) all administer remedies to animals in a liquid dilution, which is how I learned the method, as well as hearing the same from others I know who are studying homeopathy seriously.

There's some info on administering remedies to wildlife here (scroll to "administering homeopathic medicines"): http://www.ewildagain.com/Homeopathy/homeopathictips.htm

Jennifer
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FloridaLuv
I always treat for the known devils such as Trichomonas, Coccidiosis and Worms while I have a bird and pump up their systems w/probiotics before releasing them. You can treat simultaneously w/a canker med along side the Doxy
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fp--- Is there a canker med you could recommend to me? I just realized you said above that I could give it to him now.my bad-:eek:


There's some info on administering remedies to wildlife here (scroll to "administering homeopathic medicines"): http://www.ewildagain.com/Homeopathy...pathictips.htm

Jennifer
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Thats a GREAT article- I have saved it for future reference... Thank you for posting IT!:D
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Skyeking
jenfer said:
Trees, * herbology is not the same as homeopathy , ** and homeopathic remedies are not the same as conventional meds. I know other (licensed) rehabbers who treat them that way, but they don't work that way. The pellets are meant to be dissolved (in humans) under the tongue, but it's unlikely you're going to get an animal to agree to that, and it's going to be near impossible to get the remedy in the mouth without touching it.
Jennifer
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Hi Jennifer.

I appreciate your explanation and thank you for your time spent on this.Sorry to get off the topix here also.

* I do KNOW they are not the same,it is just one of the things she has a license for ** yes, I know this also.

With over 30 years of experience and rehabbing with the use of only homeopathy, herbs, she has lost only a few. She decided years ago that it was in the best interest of her patients to use only natural means of rescue and rehab, except where surgery and stitches were needed.

However, I will try the dilution next time I have the opportunity.

I treat I my birds with nutrition and herbs, they work so much better together, as well as up the immune response, it is especially wonderful to use when you are not sure what health issue you are dealing with.

Thanks for sharing the link too.
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J
Trees Gray said:
With over 30 years of experience and rehabbing with the use of only homeopathy, herbs, she has lost only a few. She decided years ago that it was in the best interest of her patients to use only natural means of rescue and rehab, except where surgery and stitches were needed.
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I think that's a great approach. I know a squirrel rehabber who uses *only* homeopathy because the vets in her area will not treat wildlife without charging her exorbitant fees. I don't think she can even afford antibiotics. But she told me she's had good success with homeopathy alone. I think herbs have great value too, but I just don't have as much experience using them in birds as I do in cats.

Jenn, I forgot to mention that you can also make a herbal eye wash for the eye with eyebright and goldenseal. The way I do it is to boil about a cup of distilled water and dump in 3 capsules (about 400 mg) of each. I let it boil for a few minutes, then strain through a coffee filter. Let cool and apply to the eye with a dropper.

Jennifer
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Feefo
Specifically for the eye, you could try euphrasia 30c after you're done with the arnica.
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Yes, I have heard of some amazing results.

A friend also gave me some tincture of euphrasia once, which I used to bathe eye injuries, that seemed to help a lot.

Cynthia
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FloridaLuv
OMGosh- I have product that I used for our cat that is made by HALO it is an Herbal Eye Wash link is here: http://www.petco.com/product/105105/Halo-Cloud-Nine-Herbal-Eye-Wash-for-Dogs-and-Cats.aspx

I still have it-- I am assuming I could use it as directed...same thing ... it has eyebright/goldenseal!

Thanks Jennifer for joggin' my memory!...lol... ;)

For the euphrasia --I have to wait until I stop using the Arnica- right? So maybe on Monday then? He has been on Arnica for 3 days this evening.......
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feralpigeon
FloridaLuv said:
fp--- Is there a canker med you could recommend to me? I just realized you said above that I could give it to him now.my bad-:eek:


Ronidazole or Metronidazole are two that pigeons tolerate well and one doesn't need to worry about vomiting (Carnidazole) or too much consumption in the water. If you get Metronidazole by pill and need help w/dosing, just give a
yell. It can be mixed w/water&honey and given orally w/a syringe.

fp
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J
FloridaLuv said:
For the euphrasia --I have to wait until I stop using the Arnica- right? So maybe on Monday then? He has been on Arnica for 3 days this evening.......
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I think the Halo eye wash is fine. You don't absolutely have to wait until you're done with arnica to start euphrasia, but I think I would since it makes things less complicated and you are only doing arnica for a few more days (you can stop it sooner if it seems he doesn't need it, or taper down dosage to once/twice a day).

Jennifer
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