[Joeyspesh]

Aloha. I am not a pigeon breeder, however I feed a flock of pigeons who live in the trees and in the parks bordering my home in Hawaii. There are about 30 in the flock and
they come to drink and bathe in the bird bath I provide daily. I have observed several pigeons with assorted ailments who have died over the last few weeks. Today I
saw something I hadnt seen before. A pigeon walked up to the feeder appearing to walk normally, and hopped up on the edge of the birdbath..only a couple of inches high.
AS he did so, he stood up vertically and started to tilt backward. He just stayed in that position for a few seconds, then managed to take a long drink. Then when he lifted his head, he did the same thing. Finally he walked away. I threw some feed out to see if he would eat. He went after it right away..then stopped and did the same vertical move, standing very upright as if he was going to stand on his tiptoes, but not quite, then leaning back slightly for a few seconds before walking away. If anyone knows what these symptoms indicate, kindly let me know.
I have been able to isolate a couple pigeons with other symptoms that included swaying and clear stools. I discovered that this was a pigeon disease that is fatal, or at least difficult to cure. The "vertical pigeon" has different symptoms, but his equilibrium is definitely being affected by "something". THANK YOU for your response.

can you look at videos online with pigeons suffering from PMV? If it is this, it’s highly contagious, from what I understand this could easily be transferred to entire flock in a relatively short period of time. The pigeon should be isolated and scrupulous hygiene observed. I even change my clothes between caring for my PMV bird and my other rescue due to the extreme likelihood of transfer on feathers and dust even. This is my first time caring for a bird with PMV so I’m just going by the advice from more senior/experienced rehabbers.I’m gonna attach a pic ofCher when she’s twisty! (Maybe it will help you figure out if it’s similar).

 

[Joeyspesh]

Dear Joey, THANK you so much for responding. This is my first time on Pigeons.biz so am new at these conversations. If the pigeon you are treating has PMV, then this is exactly what happened to a pigeon I took care of several weeks ago who died. It was a long and painful death. I tried to get more info. on it but at the time I had never seen those symptoms before. If you know how to treat PMV, please let me know what your sources were, or any knowledge you have that you would kindly pass on. The symptoms of vertical standing that I mentioned in the new bird MAY be PMV in the beginning stages, I don't know. I can't capture the bird as it is wild. However, if it does have a progressive disease, it will get weaker over time and I may be able to isolate it. Thanks again for taking the time to respond. Much appreciated. Aloha from Molokai, Hawaii. Maile (pron: My-Lee)

I’m pretty new on this forum too, I love it!
As far as I know there’s no cure for PMV, the disease presents for about 6-8 weeks when they are highly contagious and then if they have had supportive care during this time (safety, warmth, food, water and supplements) then they have a chance of full recovery. I’ve also learnt that some continue to experience neurological issues so it’s quite varied. As far as Cher, she was extremely docile and still when I got her, like a statue. She was obviously suffering at that stage, but 5.5 weeks later she is so feisty and can fly and is much better! I’m not going to release her now as she’s still a bit twisty, so I’m going to continue to look after until the spring. For now she can enjoy winter in my guest bathroom!
when Cher was found she couldn’t fly, and was very easy to catch due to her being so still and calm. If you can get photos of this pigeon it might help others identify the issue!