Need help ASAP!! Hawk ripped pigeons crop open!

[QuoVadis]

I just took my homing pigeons on their first drop after free flying them for awhile by my loft. I only took them about 1/2 a mile away, so I have been worried since my very favorite one (she is so tame and sweet) didn't come back the same day. After doing some research I realized it is "hawk season" which is basically when all the hawks are migrating and there is less food, and during it very few pigeons keepers fly their pigeons. Being new to pigeons I had no idea of this and felt that I had doomed my favorite baby in my ignorance.

Well today (a day after I released her) she showed up on my coop and I almost cried I was so happy, but then on looking closely I saw she had been ripped up by a hawk and her crop was ripped open. I could see inside it it, and when she drank the water just poured out. What can I do? I am assuming antibiotics, but what kind? I don't think a vet is an option around here, so should I try to use super glue to close it up? Or sew it up myself? She is acting normal and wants to eat and drink (And obviously despite the injury she made it back home so I think she has the will to live (pigeons are amazing creatures!) She is my favorite of all my pigeons and I will do whatever I can to save her, though like i said a vet is probably not possible.

Incidentally her name is Cher Ami, for the WW1 homing pigeon who saved 200 people by flying back with a message despite having been shot through the chest. A little too ironic...

Help please!!

 

[casportpony]

I just took my homing pigeons on their first drop after free flying them for awhile by my loft. I only took them about 1/2 a mile away, so I have been worried since my very favorite one (she is so tame and sweet) didn't come back the same day. After doing some research I realized it is "hawk season" which is basically when all the hawks are migrating and there is less food, and during it very few pigeons keepers fly their pigeons. Being new to pigeons I had no idea of this and felt that I had doomed my favorite baby in my ignorance.

Well today (a day after I released her) she showed up on my coop and I almost cried I was so happy, but then on looking closely I saw she had been ripped up by a hawk and her crop was ripped open. I could see inside it it, and when she drank the water just poured out. What can I do? I am assuming antibiotics, but what kind? I don't think a vet is an option around here, so should I try to use super glue to close it up? Or sew it up myself? She is acting normal and wants to eat and drink (And obviously despite the injury she made it back home so I think she has the will to live (pigeons are amazing creatures!) She is my favorite of all my pigeons and I will do whatever I can to save her, though like i said a vet is probably not possible.

Incidentally her name is Cher Ami, for the WW1 homing pigeon who saved 200 people by flying back with a message despite having been shot through the chest. A little too ironic...

Help please!!

I would try to find a vet:
http://www.aav.org/search/custom.asp?id=1803

-Kathy

 

[sarahc511]

you have to decide if trying to fix it is humane, if you want to sew it, or supper glue it its worth a try, and give her antibiotics like amoxicillin, I have used supper glue to join a chickens skin on her back, but it might just prolong her suffering, its really up to you, sewing is maybe too painful and it depends on the size of the rip. hope it works out

 

[QuoVadis]

I have looked for avian vets before for my chickens and I was only able to find one, and they mainly treated parrots and had the prices to match that. There is no way I can be (or my husband would allow) spending hundreds of dollars on a pigeons who cost a few bucks, no matter how much I like her. That said, she seems to want to live so I am not putting her down yet either. She is actually acting completely normal, chasing other pigeons away from "her" spot, etc.

I am getting dissolvable sutures from the store and in combination with super glue I am hoping she will heal. My main question is, do I have to sew the crop separately and then the skin, or can I do both in one stitching?

 

[sarahc511]

I have no idea sorry but I would guess so, otherwise the crop wouldn't work properly, let us know how it goes

 

[dough13]

I have looked for avian vets before for my chickens and I was only able to find one, and they mainly treated parrots and had the prices to match that. There is no way I can be (or my husband would allow) spending hundreds of dollars on a pigeons who cost a few bucks, no matter how much I like her. That said, she seems to want to live so I am not putting her down yet either. She is actually acting completely normal, chasing other pigeons away from "her" spot, etc.

I am getting dissolvable sutures from the store and in combination with super glue I am hoping she will heal. My main question is, do I have to sew the crop separately and then the skin, or can I do both in one stitching?

I would seperate the bird then sew the crop up and prob not use super glue there (will it dissolve inside of the pigeon afterwords?) then i would sew/glue the outer skin and keep the bird on antibiotics for a week . i would also not feed the bird enough to totally fill the crop for a week or so incase too much food may balloon the crop out and leak out through the repair before it totally heals and cause infection. let us know how you make out.

 

[casportpony]

I have looked for avian vets before for my chickens and I was only able to find one, and they mainly treated parrots and had the prices to match that. There is no way I can be (or my husband would allow) spending hundreds of dollars on a pigeons who cost a few bucks, no matter how much I like her. That said, she seems to want to live so I am not putting her down yet either. She is actually acting completely normal, chasing other pigeons away from "her" spot, etc.

I am getting dissolvable sutures from the store and in combination with super glue I am hoping she will heal. My main question is, do I have to sew the crop separately and then the skin, or can I do both in one stitching?

I understand... no way any of my pigeons would ever go to the vet. Peafowl yes, but not my pigeons.

As for how to sutcure, I haven't a clue, never done it, but I just found this:
https://books.google.com/books?id=Y...=onepage&q=avian medicine suture crop&f=false
Picture of text:


Hope that helps.
Kathy

 

[casportpony]

And this:

[PDF]​

Soft Tissue Surgery - Avian Medicine

avianmedicine.net/content/uploads/2013/03/41.pdf

shallowly placed sutures, and longitudinal incisions are made through the constriction..... syrinx using a tracheotomy. a) An incision is made over the crop on the ...

[PDF]​

Surgical Resolution of Soft Tissue Disorders

avianmedicine.net/content/uploads/2013/12/35_soft_tissue_b22.pdf

Fig 35.20e | A simple interrupted inverting suture pattern is used to close the crop (6x). Fig 35.20a | A severe crop burn that has been allowed several.

[PDF]​

Surgical Resolution of Soft Tissue Disorders (B) - Avian ...

avianmedicine.net/content/uploads/2013/12/35_soft_tissue_b12.pdf

the pectoral muscles are sutured together over the keel ... Some birds may mutilate these lesions, ..... is gently elevated from the crop and the surrounding tis-.

[PDF]​

Supportive Care and Emergency Therapy - Avian Medicine

avianmedicine.net/content/uploads/2013/03/15.pdf

by KE Quesenberry - ‎Cited by 80 - ‎Related articles
from management-related problems (eg, crop burns, nutritional deficiencies) ..... can be used for orientation. c) The cannula is sutured in place. d). Radiograph of ...
Avian Medicine and Surgery in Practice: Companion and ...

https://books.google.com/books?isbn=1840765925
Bob Doneley - 2010 - ‎Medical
Companion and Aviary Birds Bob Doneley ... Once the fistula has formed, the cropmucosa will have adhered to skin, forming a raised rim of ... the crop is repaired with a double-layer, continuous inverting suture pattern using a monofilament ...
Essentials of Avian Medicine and Surgery

https://books.google.com/books?isbn=0470691565
Brian Coles - 2008 - ‎Medical
Both crop and skin should be sutured separately using a single inversion pattern. Fistula of the crop Fistula of the crop is also seen in hand-reared nestlings and ...
Step-By-Step Crop Biopsy in Birds - Journal of Exotic Pet ...

www.exoticpetmedicine.com/article/S1557-5063(10)00008-X/abstract

by GA Messenger - ‎2010 - ‎Related articles
Journal of Exotic Pet Medicine Home ... ABVP (Avian), Fisherville Animal Hospital &Bird Clinic PLLC, 108 Fisherville Rd, Concord, NH 03303 ... After flushing or swabbing the area, the sutured crop is replaced just anterior to the thoracic inlet ...
Avian GI and reproductive surgery (Proceedings)

veterinarycalendar.dvm360.com/avian-gi-and-reproductive-surgery-pro...

Avian GI and reproductive surgery (Proceedings). source-image ... Stay sutures are placed and the incision in the crop is made about 1/2 the length of the skin incision. Thecrop is ... the fat off Skinny. VETERINARY MEDICINE - Aug 26, 2015 ...
Crop Fistula - WikiVet English

https://en.wikivet.net/Crop_Fistula

Jul 20, 2012 - The crop is repaired with a double row of inverting sutures using ... Coles, B. (2007) Essentials of avian medicine and surgery John Wiley and ...
Avian Medicine: Self-Assessment Color Review

https://books.google.com/books?isbn=1840765666
Neil Forbes, ‎Robert B. Altman - 1998 - ‎Medical
An air sac cannula has been placed to allow the bird to ventilate through the ... to the distal trachea and syrinx is through a midline skin incision over the crop, which ... Staysutures are placed through the trachea between rings and used to pull ...

 

[QuoVadis]

Thanks for all the help guys! I just put the sutures in - they were a little big and hard to work with since the only disolving sutures available were intended for cows, but despite shaking hands I was able to flush it with saline and put in three stitches. I am not really sure if I got just the crop, or the crop and skin. Since the wound is probably a day old the edges were bit dried out and I couldn't really tell it apart. I think it was mainly crop, because it was thicker and muscley - and I think the skin sort of pulled back away from it. I am nervous I didn't do it right, but anyway I think about it it is better than gaping open the way it was.

Right by the main wound that went through to the crop were two other deep rakes (makes sense if it were a hawks talons). Afterward I disinfected the whole area with Veterycin, since I was worried iodine or alcohol would get in the crop and be digested and poison Cher Ami. I am letting her rest a bit and I am going to give her some electrolytes and then later tonight or tomorrow I am going to re-xamine her and super glue the other wounds and the outside of the crop wound if they need it.

Anyone have any idea of what oral antibiotic I should be be giving her?

 

[QuoVadis]

Also what should her diet be while recovering?