Hello all,
I previously posted on here and received great help and advice when I brought in a young woodie that was injured after being run over by a car. That pigeon (Sam), after a long period of recovery and care has become part of our family. A year old now, he's doing great.
Two and a half weeks ago I was visiting my sister in Norfolk (I live in North Wales). A juvenile woodie turned up on their driveway (much as Sam did a year ago, for us), with one wing dragging. It's condition was otherwise good though. We were due to go home the next day, and my sister and her family were unable to take on it's care, so it came to Wales with us!
Here is the history since then:
I bandaged the drooping wing to let it heal. It didn't have any obvious breaks, but that didn't rule out fractures of muscle damage.
My intention was to keep it strapped for the recommended four weeks to heal.
For two weeks, the new little woodie was kept in a pet carrier, with a newspaper base and some natural wood to perch on.
She ate well from bowls of peas and sweetcorn, with added calcium and mineral powder specifically for birds. I also added avian multivitamins to some meals.
She drank rehydration fluid for the first week and from then on went onto plain water.
I gave her very small doses of children's neurofen for the first week, which my internet research revealed was a safe pain killer for birds. 2.5 ml is advised for a medium sized hen, so I adjusted her dose to 0.5ml for her size.
She did not react badly to the pain relief. I stopped that treatment after the first week because I expected her pain, if any, to be reduced.
PROBLEMS.
After two weeks she began to become very distressed by her bandaged wing (it had been changed after the first week for a fresh one), and spent so much of her time trying to tear it off that I felt she was doing herself further damage.
I removed the bandage and she spent the first couple of days very comfortable and seemed fine. No more distressed plucking and struggling.
I decided the next two weeks could be a rest period to ensure the wing was the best I could get it.
She was moved to a slightly bigger pet carrier to walk around more and exercise her legs, with more natural wood to climb on. She did fine.
Now, after three or four days without a bandage, she has begun to roll onto her back and struggle around with BOTH of her wings (which seem weak and not held correctly in place).
Her poop is normal (for a diet of exclusively fresh food). She drinks well and she's alert.
Unfortunately, due to the rolling about I've had to remove most of the wood from her cage and she has wedged herself into a corner for balance. I've placed her shallow food and water bowl nearby and she is eating.
Does anyone know what's going wrong with her? I'm really worried about this turn around in her recovery.
I've lost two other rescued birds over the past year, on the first day I brought them home (a badly wounded feral squab and a juvenile Carrion Crow with suspected canker), but after over two weeks of this pidge seeming to be on the mend, I don't want to lose her now!
Our vet, who is well known locally to be the best bird vet in the area, has previously told us that it can be difficult to diagnose what's going on with birds when you have this kind of struggling behaviour with no other symptom. When Sam had it he agreed with me that he was dehydrated, but that can't be the case with this bird, since she drinks well of her own accord.
I previously posted on here and received great help and advice when I brought in a young woodie that was injured after being run over by a car. That pigeon (Sam), after a long period of recovery and care has become part of our family. A year old now, he's doing great.
Two and a half weeks ago I was visiting my sister in Norfolk (I live in North Wales). A juvenile woodie turned up on their driveway (much as Sam did a year ago, for us), with one wing dragging. It's condition was otherwise good though. We were due to go home the next day, and my sister and her family were unable to take on it's care, so it came to Wales with us!
Here is the history since then:
I bandaged the drooping wing to let it heal. It didn't have any obvious breaks, but that didn't rule out fractures of muscle damage.
My intention was to keep it strapped for the recommended four weeks to heal.
For two weeks, the new little woodie was kept in a pet carrier, with a newspaper base and some natural wood to perch on.
She ate well from bowls of peas and sweetcorn, with added calcium and mineral powder specifically for birds. I also added avian multivitamins to some meals.
She drank rehydration fluid for the first week and from then on went onto plain water.
I gave her very small doses of children's neurofen for the first week, which my internet research revealed was a safe pain killer for birds. 2.5 ml is advised for a medium sized hen, so I adjusted her dose to 0.5ml for her size.
She did not react badly to the pain relief. I stopped that treatment after the first week because I expected her pain, if any, to be reduced.
PROBLEMS.
After two weeks she began to become very distressed by her bandaged wing (it had been changed after the first week for a fresh one), and spent so much of her time trying to tear it off that I felt she was doing herself further damage.
I removed the bandage and she spent the first couple of days very comfortable and seemed fine. No more distressed plucking and struggling.
I decided the next two weeks could be a rest period to ensure the wing was the best I could get it.
She was moved to a slightly bigger pet carrier to walk around more and exercise her legs, with more natural wood to climb on. She did fine.
Now, after three or four days without a bandage, she has begun to roll onto her back and struggle around with BOTH of her wings (which seem weak and not held correctly in place).
Her poop is normal (for a diet of exclusively fresh food). She drinks well and she's alert.
Unfortunately, due to the rolling about I've had to remove most of the wood from her cage and she has wedged herself into a corner for balance. I've placed her shallow food and water bowl nearby and she is eating.
Does anyone know what's going wrong with her? I'm really worried about this turn around in her recovery.
I've lost two other rescued birds over the past year, on the first day I brought them home (a badly wounded feral squab and a juvenile Carrion Crow with suspected canker), but after over two weeks of this pidge seeming to be on the mend, I don't want to lose her now!
Our vet, who is well known locally to be the best bird vet in the area, has previously told us that it can be difficult to diagnose what's going on with birds when you have this kind of struggling behaviour with no other symptom. When Sam had it he agreed with me that he was dehydrated, but that can't be the case with this bird, since she drinks well of her own accord.
