Hen with gross chunks in throat and gasping

[dawg53]

You know what's unfortunate is that carnidazole, metronidazole, emtryl, and ronidazole are all chemically similar, so a parasite that can become resistant to one, may be resistant to others. Metronidazole has worked for me in the past with canker. It's the best suggestion you could give. There is another newer product that is a safe plant derived alkaloid called Berimax. It really knocks out canker as well as e.coli, salmonella, giardia. The pigeon folks know about it. They tried a 10% solution on a flock of pigeons and in 5 days 90% of parasites were gone. After that they tested a 20% solution of 1 ml per liter of water and it was gone in 10 hours when the crop flush was examined under a microscope. Berimax may be something to keep on hand, just like metronidazole if the symptoms don't clear up.

Siegel pigeon supply carries it: http://www.siegelpigeons.com/catalog-canker.html
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Good info, adding to my favs.

 

[casportpony]

You need to remove the "stuff" or your bird will probably die. Since it's lost weight, you should also consider tube feeding.
-Kathy

 

[dawg53]

You can tube feed the bird, but I dont recommend removing canker sores...not like wet pox. The necroctic sores are embedded and not on the surface, removing them will cause excessive bleeding. The metronidazole will clear it all up.

 

[casportpony]

I guess what I read said *not* to remove it unless you know what you're doing as a fatal bleed can occur.

http://www.pigeonrescue.co.uk/canker.htm

Canker, Trichomoniasis

Canker is caused by a flagellate protozoan. It is not transmitable to humans or other mammals but can be caught by other birds that share the same water, eat seed dropped by an afflicted pigeon or through beak-to-beak contact.
The most common symptom is a yellow or brownish cheeselike growth in the mouth.

This will usually be far back in the mouth...yellow growths outside the body or in the very front of the beak are not likely to be canker.
The photo on the left is a pigeon's mouth before being treated for canker. The photo below is the same pigeon after treatment.

These are the most common symptoms of canker:
SYMPTOMS IN ADULTS
Not all these symptoms will be visible in each patient:

• Visible lump in neck or vent
• Firm yellow or brown cheesy mass in back of mouth
• Soft flat creamy white growths in throat
• Inability to swallow seed
• Mouth may be partially open
• Birds stand upright with head high and neck straight (penguin posture)
• Crop full of water
• Distortion or swelling of forehead (if sinuses have been invaded)
• Vomiting
• Increased mucous in the throat

The condition must be treated, otherwise the pigeon will die of starvation, asphyxiation or choking or through the effect of nodules invading internal organs such as the liver.
It is important not to try to remove any of the growth unless you know what you are doing as this can cause a fatal bleed.
The condition is treated with Flagyl Syrup (obtained by veterinary prescription) or by Spartrix ,which can be obtained without prescription and given at a dose of 1 tablet once a day for 3 to 5 days. While it is being treated the pigeon might not be able to swallow but staff at a wildlife sanctuary should be able to find a way to tube feed it Critical Care Formula or Poly-Aid, which is a product designed to stop sick pigeons from starving. The canker will usually clear up completely within 10 days as this "after" photo of the pigeon pictured above shows.
Canker is an organism that does not survive long outside the digestive tract and its associated organs so you won't find canker of the foot or anything similar. If you think a pigeon has canker of the foot it is more likely to be pigeon pox or scaly leg mite!

 

[Michael Apple]

The yellow raised cheesy buttons in the mouth are tempting to remove. The problem is it can establish itself further down the throat and the bird can suffocate. Just do what Dawg mentioned and get the metronidazole. If you can get it from a vet close by, the better, as you don't want to wait for a bottle of Fish-Zole to be shipped to you. You don't want to wait with an advanced canker problem. If the bird is really laboring to breathe, and you believe the bird can't wait, it might be best to get to an avian vet asap.

 

[igotgoosed]

Well...I went through the horrifying experience of removing the large chunks. With my gloved finger. I can't stop thinking about it, and that smell. I will never eat feta cheese again.

I had already removed them before I saw the other suggestion to leave it. She did not bleed thankfully and actually attempted to eat a bit afterwards! I can see that her airway is clear now and she is breathing better. She's still puffed up and sleepy and looks generally unwell. I gave her some vitamin and electrolytes via tube and will continue to do so until I see her drinking on her own. I also gave her some probiotic powder.

I went to the local feed store in hopes of getting the meds, but no luck. Tomorrow I will go to the pet store in the next town and get fishy one.

I really appreciate all the help!!

 

[Michael Apple]

Well...I went through the horrifying experience of removing the large chunks. With my gloved finger. I can't stop thinking about it, and that smell. I will never eat feta cheese again.

I had already removed them before I saw the other suggestion to leave it. She did not bleed thankfully and actually attempted to eat a bit afterwards! I can see that her airway is clear now and she is breathing better. She's still puffed up and sleepy and looks generally unwell. I gave her some vitamin and electrolytes via tube and will continue to do so until I see her drinking on her own. I also gave her some probiotic powder.

I went to the local feed store in hopes of getting the meds, but no luck. Tomorrow I will go to the pet store in the next town and get fishy one.

I really appreciate all the help!!

Good job! Glad you could do it even though you won't enjoy feta cheese again, lol. Sometimes I'm hesitant to recommend certain methods because I don't want someone to take the chances I might take. I'm always careful not to aspirate when tube feeding a bird. I hope the pet store carries Fish-Zole for you. The sooner you get the bird on it, the better.

 

[casportpony]

I've never seen Fish-Zole at a pet store like Petsmart or Petco, but maybe a tropical fish store would have it. If not, try to find a pigeon breeder near you, they might have some since canker is common in pigeons. It's also used in cats and dogs, so a cat or dog rescue place might have some. The fastest way for you to get it on a Saturdy is at the vet.

-Kathy

 

[igotgoosed]

Ok I finally found a place that carries it, but it has praziquantel in it as well....is that ok? I'm running out of time with her! She is very rattly while breathing, is that common with trich?

 

[Eggcessive]

I guess that no one else is on here today to answer you. Praziquantel is a medicine for tapeworm, so if she is that bad, I would probably go ahead and use it if it is FishZole or flagyl.