OT: Wild Bird Caught by Dog (BAD Izzy!)

[helmstead]

I caught my Shih tzu Izzy chewing on this this morning.

It's nearly fully fledged...has almost all it's plumage. Izzy ripped it's flight feathers out of one wing, so I know I can't let it go and expect it to live. It's a little shocky...but not too bad given what it went through. No other visible injury. It has a slight crossbeak, but IDK if the dog did that or it was born that way.

A friend said to make cat food mash and offer that. Thoughts? I've never saved a bird the dogs got before, but they've always been more damaged than this one.

 

[wegotchickens]

It's a song bird, so it'll need more seed than protein.

I've fed baby robins canned cat food, but you have to spit on it first for the digestive enzymes...

Since that's a cardinal, I'd offer it chick crumbles and see what it thinks. Or wild bird seed if you have any. If it has it's plumage, it's prbably old enough to eat as well.

 

[helmstead]

Well I have finch and cockatiel seed...guess I could try the cockatiel.

 

[speckledhen]

Interesting. Hope you can figure out how to save it.

 

[robbinbaker]

A wildlife center I used to work with fed their babies a slurry made of blenderized mealworms and jarred baby food. I don't know if you want to go that gross, but you could get some mealworms from your local pet supply store.

You might want to give a call to your local vet or animal control and see who the wildlife rehabilitation center is for your area. They'll either tell you what to do, or ask you to bring him in.

Other option... go to www.paws.org and click on their wildlife links. They may have information or you could phone them for advice if you don't have a wildlife center in your area.

Good luck!

 

[dlhunicorn]

The emergency care articles below might be helpful:
http://wildliferehabber.com/modules/wildlifesection/category.php?categoryid=1

http://www.drkarenbecker.com/sec_covenant/vets_role_rehab.htm

FIND WILDLIFE REHABILITATOR:
http://www.tc.umn.edu/~devo0028/contact.htm

 

[helmstead]

Solved the problem on it's own. Just died. Darn dogs!

 

[wegotchickens]

What a bummer!
He was a cutie, too. Must've been in shock from being a chew toy...

 

[SpottedCrow]

Shock is the number one killer of birds that have been attacked...
Sorry about the Cardinal.

 

[Sparrow]

Dog and cat spit is very dangerous for any kind of birds. Parrots(I keep parrots) are not supposed to come into contact with any kind of saliva, dog and cat in particular because of the bacteria that they carry in their mouths. Songbirds are just as sensitive to this, so the exposure to the bacteria during the attack is just as deadly as the shock.