Please Help Me! Something's Wrong With Red!!!

1106 Views 9 Replies 5 Participants Last post by pigeon poop, Apr 2, 2009

pigeon poop

Discussion Starter · Mar 30, 2009

Hello people of pigeon talk.

I came home from school today and noticed something wrong with my fantail pigeon Red.

When I checked him out, he seemed to be breathing faster than usual. No, he had not been flapping around or anything, I know what their breathings like when they do. He seemed to be having trouble. Like the inhails and exhails were fast and short and he was doing it continuously, even when resting. He's not fluffed up or shaking or anything but when he pooped (I noticed this twice) it was like water...a clear liquid just squirted out.

As far as I know he's been eating, he ate when I fed them this afternoon. Yesterday he was fine too. He's been moving about and drinking fine also. I haven't changed their diet in anyway and there's nothing stuck in his throat. He doesn't have a cold, he's not sneezing and doesn't have a runny nose.

So my question is...what in the world is wrong with him???

None of my other birds have this, they've never had it. Does anyone out there know what this is?? Is it contagious??

Please reply ASAP I need help! I don't want to loose him!!

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Reti

· #2 · Mar 30, 2009

Sorry to hear your bird is sick. Please isolate him from the others and provide some heat. It sounds like he has a respiratory infection.
Is there a possibility to take him to a vet?
Do you have any antibiotics on hand?

Reti

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Skyeking

· #3 · Mar 30, 2009

You do need to make sure he is eating and drinking, because if he isn't he will go down hill quickly.

I would get him to an avian vet asap, as you don't want to wait on this.

If it is a respiratory infection, it is contagious to your other birds. Also, have your birds been treated for parasites/worms?

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Grimaldy

· #4 · Mar 30, 2009

Hi pp,

Your pigeon is exhibiting the signs of pain, and it most likely has something to do with his kidneys. Pigeons have a sort of a combined urinary, fecal and reproductive tract, all in one; what you see as liquid dropping is really urine, lots of it.

To you this means that you are going to have to keep a close eye on his water consumption. A pigeon does not have much blood and once he starts dehydrating he will start taking water from the blood stream. If you can, get your hands on some Pedialyte, a children's rehydrating drink at any good drug store. If he does not drink, and starts to blink his eyes continually, or goes down into a sitting position with beak to the floor, start getting Pedialyte into him promptly. Otherwise offer it to him now and see if he drinks.

If this just popped up out of a clear blue sky, check his cage for any possible poisons, insecticide, flower or rose dust.

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Charis

· #5 · Mar 30, 2009

Hello pigeon poop,
My immediate reaction is that your bird may be suffering from several things that have combined to make him very ill. My experience is that the culprits most often are canker, coccidia and worms.
I don't know what medic actions you have or if you treat your birds on a regular schedule for the things I mentioned. I think that this would be a good time to take your bird to a vet, that is comfortable treating birds, because the bird does need immediate evaluation and I believe his time is short unless you do so.

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pigeon poop

Discussion Starter · #6 · Mar 31, 2009

Thank you all so much for the fast replies.

I'd just like to mention I have given my birds 'all wormer' about...four weeks (i think) ago and they are due to be wormed again. The product I use covers all those different types of nasties. How do the other birds get this 'resperatory infection'? All my other birds are fine. Is it contagious, kind of like a cold?

I plan to get him into the vets hopefully tomorrow. I do not have a cage to 'seperate' him as such, so what should I do to do so? He doesnt really bother the other birds e.g. roost with them, hang around with them. He keeps to himself, roots by himself. The only bird he does stand by is his mate Sweat pea, but she's currently on the nest.

I gave him some Silver Magic, I don't know if any of you guys have heard of it...it's not really a popular medication outside of Australia... but you can give it to humans, horses, cattle, dogs, cats and poultry. It boosts their immune systems, if they have a cold it'll make them better. I've used it on our chooks when they fell ill and it fixed them up within 24 hours. I'm not sure if it's helping...I thought he seemed a little better but i'm not going to take any chances.

Also I thought I might mention the fact I am not sure on how old Red is. I have a feeling he is of reasonable age, he's not exactly a young bird. When i got him in the auction he seemed to be mid age. So perhaps he is getting old. Could this be the case? With this illness, he doesn't appear to be in pain.

I pray that he isn't. The last thing I want is for my birds to be suffering.

How long do these infections last? Is there anything I can do before I take him to the vet?

I've never had anything like this happen to my birds before so I guess you can say I'm not experienced in this situation.

Any advise would mean the world to me, thank you.

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Skyeking

· #7 · Mar 31, 2009

Respiratory issues can be caused by not enough ventilation in the coop and/or dirt and dust, dampness and draft in the loft, no or little access to sun. Where is Red being housed?

Old age doesn't mean the birds are more vulnerable to getting or being sick. I don't know what is in the silver magic, but medications should not be used randomly, and pigeons usually do much better with "pigeon specific" products, rather then your standard poultry products. Also, which wormer did you use?

Here is my advice, if Red was my bird, I would start him on garlic or reishi caps-one a day, Neem oil, and a drop of colloidal silver each day. These things will only bolster the immune system as they are natural antibiotics, since you really don't have a diagnosis yet. The resources section has a link on using natural products., and there are threads on prevention also.

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pigeon poop

Discussion Starter · #8 · Apr 1, 2009 (Edited)

Thank you once again for the replies.

I'd like to say ventilation is definantly not a problem, my main flock is housed in a half open half closed avary. Red would often lay in the sun after he had a bath.

Dampness isn't a problem either, my fantails spend the majority of their time in the closed sectionof the avary. The ground isn't wet.

Silver magic sounds almost exactly like this 'colloidal silver'. And i am well aware of whats in it, I assure you, it is safe. Where I live, we don't have many...'pigeon' products', like things designed especially for pigeons. The 'all wormer' also called worm rid is designed for pigeons aswell as other birds..it treats threadworm, caecal worm, round worm, gape worm, gizzard worm and tapeworm.

Reishi caps, Neem oil? I've never heard of these...I don't think we have them in Australia. As for boosting the immune system, that's exactly what the Silver magic does.

I've seperated him from the other birds and have made sure that at night I cover the cage so as to prevent him getting a draft. Everything is sterile, water has the right amount of silver magic in it (its a medication you mix in water) which I refresh everyday. This is the right temporary action right?

Well his condition hasn't deteriorated, he's still at the same level he was the other day. I've got an appointment tomorrow afternoon at the vets, so hopefully I can get a proper diagnosis and can get Red back to good health.

Here's hoping he can be helped....

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Skyeking

· #9 · Apr 1, 2009

I would bring him inside and make sure he is warm.

If your loft/aviary is completely open on one side, and there are any openings directly across from the open side, draft may be the issue.

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pigeon poop

Discussion Starter · #10 · Apr 2, 2009 (Edited)

Okay, so I've taken Red to the vets and Doctor Tim informed me (as predicted) that he had a respritory infection. After giving Red some Sliver magic he seemed to improve somewhat, his poops became more solid....anyway after going to the vets I was given some antibiotics to give him over a seven day period.

So yeah, Red's in a seperate cage thats under the house all nice and warm for recovery. Here's hopin his health will continue to improve.

I just wanted to say thank you so much to Reti, Trees Gray, Grimaldy and Charis. If it weren't for your wise advice and diagnosis (that I recieved in record time) Red may not be as well as he is now. So thank you heaps!

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