Canker is the most common of pigeon diseases. It is caused by a microscopic protozoan which is flagellated, therefore mobile. It can be transmitted from one bird to another, usually through the drinking water, and parent birds can infect their young through feeding. Because it is mobile it can go throughout the body - we see it primarilly in the throat, sometimes in the vent and rarely in the ears.

Symptoms in infected birds are a definite reduction in activity, ruffled feathers, loss of weight, increased water intake and diarrhea. Cheesy yellowish deposits can often be observed in the mouth or throat. In advanced stages, a stringy mucous and putrid odor can be detected in the mouth. Young birds are most susceptible.

To prevent canker, control stress, maintain regular feed and watering schedules, sanitize drinkers regularly, isolate and observe any newly acquired bird for several weeks, and administer an anti-canker drug on a regular basis throughout the year. Veterinary recommendations vary from once every three months to once a month. This will depend upon incidence and susceptibility in your birds.

Failing to swallow seeds is common in healthy fledglings, PMV victims (they usually throw seed), other medical issues, and overfed birds.

Apparently there are a great many rehabbers and vets who would rather kill a pigeon or dove than help one. Be forewarned.

Pigeons who die from predators are eaten and this is the smallest percentage among wilders. Pigeons that suffer fatal trauma crashing into windows, cars or wires, die where they fall. Pigeons with a medical condition or poison go to the night roost which might also be a day roost, and patiently wait for death, that's why you don't see too many. Wilders do not die of old age due to the plethora of dangers combined with insufficient nutrition.



[This message has been edited by dano7 (edited June 04, 2004).]

 

well I encountered a bird that seemed like he or she was having problems late yesterday - she could not eat seeds but did get down some bread soaked in water and was able to drink a little water. She really looked and seemed like she was on her 'last legs' walking all over trying to find food and then once I threw her some, she couldn't eat it. I couldn't take her in last night so I went back this morning and searched all over and finally found her. And she was very weak and propelling herself via her breast and wings and seemed to lost a lot of strengh in her feet. She then died. I don't know if at this point she was too far along or not. It was heartbreaking. I moved her into a garden area as her final resting spot. I was trying to figure out what the problem could have been. if it was trich or old age... or what. The thing is often when I encounter an injured or sick bird, they stay in one spot, they don't continue to move around so much, so in that respect, she was unusual.

 

A good policy is to pick up any bird that can be picked IMMEDIATELY as if it is an emergency, and I can assure you it is an emergency.

Then get them to a safe, quiet, warm place and get them hydrated with an eletrolyte like pedialyte. Once they are stabalized you can pump them with wild bird seed, soaked dry puppy chow, or a combination, and you are ready to look at other health issues. Thanks for caring.

 

Hi Cath,

What a heartbreaking experience!

Pigeons with PMV and those with canker will starve to death without help.

The ones with canker will pick up the seed but won't be able to swallow it, their mouths remain open because of the accumulated seed and canker. Pigeons with PMV won't be able to pick up the seed, the effect of the virus must be like what being extremely drunk is to us. They try and try to get food, but lack the co-ordination to pick it up and will often toss seed away accidentally when they try to swallow it.

As Dano says, immediate help is essential. I have one of those very small soft insulated food carriers adapted to be a discrete pigeon carrier in my desk at work which I would use to shelter a pigeon if I couldn't get it to safety immediately. I also carry a suppply of Spartrix in case I come across a pigeon with Trich when I have had to travel to meetings away from home. I feel that at least then I would be able to do something if I found a pigeon and wasn't able to take it home immediately.

Cynthia

 

well I am rehabbing another bird and so it wasn't such an easy decision as to what to do with this bird once I saw her. She was trying to eat & drink the first day. I got there too late the second - I don't know what I could have done at that point - although I was ready to take her in. It sounds more like trich than PMV because she was somewhat coordinated but I think in the end she starved to death and had lost all strength. Such a heartbreaking thing to see and then not be able to help. Do you think at the stage she was in that she could have been rehabbed? I ask because I once brought a bird to a vet with similar symptoms - I didn't know of a vet nearby at the time so I had to drive her about an hour away the next day - and I left her there and she gave her medicine and force fed food but the bird died within half an hour. I guess you never know what will happen. I should have taken her the first night or gotten there earlier the next morning. It's hard... sometimes you just don't know the best thing to do under certain circumstances. The thing... I was trying to figure out is why she kept running about. Most sick or injured birds stay in one place in my experience (not that vast). She was running about looking I guess for food til the very end. It's so sad.

 

The one consolation is that she had positioned herself under a car tire and would have been run over so at least I was able to move her to a better 'resting spot.' I've had so many situations where I've brought birds in the past, before I was more informed and involved, to rehabbers only to call to find out how they are and find they have been put to sleep. That's a hard situation also. You want to feel you are doing the best thing for the bird. But this one was rough. I had looked all over for her for so long in this one area and then found her in a spot I had earlier canvassed. That was strange. I had almost given up hope of encountering her again.

Thanks so much for this info which will be helpful to me in the future.

 

Hi Cathbe,

I'm so sorry to hear about this.

I think sometimes we are only allowed to see any unusual behavior when the bird is near death, because pigeons often try to hide their weakness as protection from hawks.
You did all you could.

Cynthia was talking about a young bird (on her post PMV and calcium) running about more then usual that she picked up for PMV.

I have decided to just pick up any bird that looks a little off, just to be sure. Even if it turns out to be healthy, I may be stupid..but at least I feel better!


Treesa

 

Hi Cath,

I have had the same sad experiences with Trich pigeons. Some I just haven't been able to catch and I assume that they starved to death out of sight. The one I took to the vet was put to sleep immediately and the two that I took to a friend who does rehab both died after seeming to make an improvement. Of the three I brought home one died, but I managed to keep the other two fed while they were medicated. Of those two survivors only one was releasable because the other ended up with a scissored beak so he is in the aviary. Not a very encouraging rescue record!

There are so many pigeons in need of help that we often have to make hard decisions of who to rescue first and won't always make what we lated consider to be the right decision. My policy at the moment is if in doubt take it home, although that has resulted in taking perfectly healthy pigeons back to where I found them a few hours later!

Fortunatley when the canker can be treated successfully the "patients" are short stay ones.

What you could try is to carry a supply of Spartrix around so that even if you really can't take a pigeon home or to a rehabber you can start its treatment while it is still living wild. It might not work, but I have heard that sometimes a single dose can do the trick.


Cynthia

 

Hi Cynthia,

Thanks for your words and for sharing your experiences. I always find it helpful to hear other people's experiences. It helps to put things in perspective and when you feel really badly about something it helps me at least to input all sorts of data and just figure out what I did, what I might have done differently, learn from it all, and somehow make 'peace' with it as well as possible.

Where do you get Spartex and how is it administered?

Thanks so much!

 

Hi Treesa,

Thanks for your note. I appreciate it. A rehabber mentioned to me also the fact that pigeons won't show signs of illness until the very end for that same reason - wanting to protect themselves. I've seen sick birds before tho' and I've never seen this moving about til the very end. It's still puzzling.

The other thing is that it's all about location also. I have a feeling that this bird had been residing in one spot at night (I saw a lot of 'do' concentrated where she returned to when I left her the first night) for many nights and the fact that no one else noticed... sometimes is also perplexing. It was outside an air conditioner store and when I asked the guy sitting outside (by the air conditioners) if he'd seen a sick pigeon he wouldn't even answer in words, he just shook his head with zero expression & such disdainful disinterest to say 'no.' It was really infuriating. I kept asking him different questions - same response. No interest. I can't even do it justice in words but you get the idea. I think the bird probably kept moving once the sun came up so it's true he may not have seen her. Mostly, I have experienced that people will help but it's those experiences that are more difficult and make you wonder about human beings. Anyway, I'm sure we've all experienced it going both ways.

Interesting that both you and Cynthia will pick up birds just to be sure.

I'd love to hear more stories about this and also know where you are both based.

Thanks again for your response.

Cath

 

The worst disease our ferals suffer from is the plain downright IGNORANCE AND INDIFFERENCE OF HUMAN BEINGS.

If everyone would treat them with a little respect and dignity, their lives could be lived out with health and peace.

My prayers go out to God daily to watch over our wild flocks everywhere, and to thank Him for the good people of this forum, who unselfishly go out daily to improve their quality of life, by rescue and feeding them.

Treesa