PMV & Paratyphoid (salmonella) have similar symptoms so it could be either. There are vaccines for both, but even so, no vaccine is 100%. When Enrofloxicin is available, it's good to keep powder or pill form, or Baytril injectable, on hand for such times, but that medicine is hard to find now.
I have inoculated AND given oral meds, because there is no way to really determine which illness the bird has for sure. I vaccinate so it's rare that it happens, yet it still can. When it happens, it is usually when conditions are stressful, such as drastic weather change (heat wave summer, freezing winter). Try to keep loft clean, but even so, it can still happen, a wild bird or mouse can bring it. If it happens, hopefully it's only a bird or 2, but if it is happening to several, you need to inoculate & treat Everyone asap. Most illnesses are spread via drinking water. All it takes is 1 mouse to get a drik from the pigeon water at night, and there you go. When it happens & a few birds are affected, I have brought the ones displaying symptoms indoors, set them up in their own cages & if necessary hand fed, so they weren't dealing with weather extremes or getting picked on while ill. Some pull through, some will always have a neck bending tick & won't be able to fly again, but some will do OK & be able to eat & hang in the loft, some will never be able to make it back into the loft as they have too many bent neck tick events, to be able to sucessfully eat along with everyone else & plus they get picked on, some just won't survive to make it through. I have 2 pigeons that pulled through this summer, they were just babies when I saw bent necks, as they scooted backwards in circles, like they couldn't get balance. I brought both in, set up in brooder, hand fed baby bird formula by feeding syringe, & gave Enrofloxicin. They're 6 mos old now. One also had gotten pecked on the head. He is fine, just has a bald spot, but he acts a little skittish & goofy, but no bent neck & he can fly. The other can walk & run, eat & survive in the loft but cannot fly & has a neck bending tick every so often. Both are in the senior & fancy section with only 20 birds total, so they won't have to fight for food. There are 3 others that don't fly in there, 2 with wing injuries & 1 old gal. So they have company & no one picks on anyone else in there. All I can say is, do your best, but be prepared, the bird may not make it, and if he does, he may be a special needs bird after this ordeal. Best of luck to you!
BTW, if no other birds are becoming ill, there is a chance this might be something else. I had a hawk fly into their wire, I saw it happen, hawk hit the wire mesh so he couldn't get in, but it sent my pigeons into a frenzy trying to get into the loft. One pigeon flew right smack into another pigeon & hit the side of the loft hard. He injured himself & was acting like this. If I hadn't seen it happen with my own eyes, I would've thought he had illness.
. Hoping for the best will keep u guys updated. My dad loves the pigeons alot it's just unfortunate that there's not many good knowledge vets found easily here.
