Injured feral pigeon - need help!

[backyard pigeons]

I got some pills from the chemist and fed it to a chicken in a bit of cheese! Don't think you could do that with a pigeon though! Maybe if you could crush one up and mix it with a little water and somehow try to get it to swallow it with something. It would be easier to add to drinking water but you would need to mix quite a few and the other birds would also get it. Whether that's bad or not I don't know.

Well it's separated from the others. I'll see what I can do. Thanks ccuk!

 

[CCUK]

Well it's separated from the others. I'll see what I can do. Thanks ccuk!

I'm not sure if it'll work but it's worth a try.

 

[sophtoph]

That's a good video. I can't really understand what is causing him to be unable to stand. He may have an injury further up his leg that is covered by feathers. In your first video he was moving his left leg does he try to stand on it or just fall over? It's good news he is eating and drinking.

Yeah I'm a bit bemused too... Because if it was just his poorly ankle giving him grief then he would stand on his other leg wouldn't he? But he just sort of tips over like in the video. I read that the motor nerves for pigeon's legs run through/past their kidneys. So if there is any abdominal inflammation the pigeon can lose the use of its legs. But he doesn't feel swollen in the body, there are no masses in his tummy area I can feel.

Alright, here it is. It's foot is curled up. It's slowly getting better. But not fast. It has a good appetite and drinks alot.View attachment 1688506 View attachment 1688507

Did yours just tip over frontwards/sideways when trying to stand? I keep finding this one resting on his chest/face with his bum in the air and his legs stretched out behind him.

 

[sophtoph]

Day 3 and Mr Pigeon is still alive! He had another foot bath last night and a really good sip of water. I'm going to try and put him in a sling when I get home from work; get the weight off his legs and see how he does. Wish me luck! Thank you everyone for your fantastic support by the way

 

[sophtoph]

Sorry for hijacking your thread @sophtoph !

Haha, no worries!

 

[Aunt Angus]

I think I can say safely that we are all pulling for you and Mr. Pigeon!

 

[CCUK]

Yeah I'm a bit bemused too... Because if it was just his poorly ankle giving him grief then he would stand on his other leg wouldn't he? But he just sort of tips over like in the video. I read that the motor nerves for pigeon's legs run through/past their kidneys. So if there is any abdominal inflammation the pigeon can lose the use of its legs. But he doesn't feel swollen in the body, there are no masses in his tummy area I can feel.



Did yours just tip over frontwards/sideways when trying to stand? I keep finding this one resting on his chest/face with his bum in the air and his legs stretched out behind him.

Did you read this?
https://www.pigeons.biz/forums/f6/pigeon-can-t-stand-up-29516.html#/topics/29516?page=1
I'm not sure if this is the same case as yours but it does sound similar. If so I think it is more of a waiting game to see if there is an improvement. You could try to give it some baytril but you need to get that from a vet. If it is a calcium deficiency you can try to feed it a little bit of a calcium pill for a few days and see if it starts to improve.

I think I can say safely that we are all pulling for you and Mr. Pigeon!

Yes! We all want Mr pigeon to recover!

 

[sophtoph]

I think I can say safely that we are all pulling for you and Mr. Pigeon!

Thank you so much and I'm sure Mr Pigeon appreciates it too

Did you read this?
https://www.pigeons.biz/forums/f6/pigeon-can-t-stand-up-29516.html#/topics/29516?page=1
I'm not sure if this is the same case as yours but it does sound similar. If so I think it is more of a waiting game to see if there is an improvement. You could try to give it some baytril but you need to get that from a vet. If it is a calcium deficiency you can try to feed it a little bit of a calcium pill for a few days and see if it starts to improve.

Yes! We all want Mr pigeon to recover!

A few comments down on that thread someone mentioned a thigh fracture which makes the bird's good leg sympathetically weak and the bird behaves as if both legs are too weak to stand. Sounds very familiar... I'm hoping a sling might remedy this if that is the case. Can I use human Arnica cream on him or does it need to be specifically for animals? Same question with calcium supplements?

 

[CCUK]

Thank you so much a


A few comments down on that thread someone mentioned a thigh fracture which makes the bird's good leg sympathetically weak and the bird behaves as if both legs are too weak to stand. Sounds very familiar... I'm hoping a sling might remedy this if that is the case. Can I use human Arnica cream on him or does it need to be specifically for animals? Same question with calcium supplements?

Yes. The Arnica cream I got was from a health food shop (Holland and Barratt), I just swuirted some on my finger and rubbed it in. The calcium tablets I got from wilkos. I'm not sure the best way to give it to a pigeon though. Wether to mix it with its drinking water but if it doesn't drink alot it may not get enough. Probably best to break it into quarters and try to put a quarter in its mouth so it swallows it. I'd probably only give it maximum 1/2 a tablet a day for two or three days. The sling might work as it takes the weight off its legs and they should go to a more normal position. If it has a break higher up there isn't much you can do other than make sure it is eating and drinking. It will take 3-4 weeks to heal. You can also give symphytum pillules. They help with healing broken bones.

 

[sophtoph]

So I've done my best with the sling... It's essentially a tailored sock suspended from the lid of the cat carrier. How is my setup looking? I was unsure how close the water needed to be. I'm going to add his food bowl back in there too. It's hard to tell through the side of the cat carrier, but do you think I should shuffle him back a bit? Looks like his bum is a bit higher than his head. Also, this might sound stupid but how far back do they poop from? I don't want him filling his little hammock with poop!