Update on sick pigeons, they have Trichomoniasis( canker)!!!!!

[4life]

Update: Okay so the wildlife center called and said that the birds have Trichomoniasis( canker)! The one was bad off and passed away already. The other one is not as bad and they are treating it. I feel bad, like maybe I was responsible somehow. We were ground feeding them but we always cleaned everything up, there was never anything to clean up though as they ate everything we put down within a couple hours usually. She said one of them could have picked it up someplace else and when they came here and used the bird bath it spread. She said that it is contagious through their saliva not the poop. The lady said any pigeon who gets it will die within 10 days. She said it is always fatal when they get it .

I told her that I took up all the food and water. She said that is probably best. It sucks she said because she is sure the whole flock may have been exposed or probably a lot more of them since it is super contagious. If any more sick ones come here she said to try and grab them and bring them in . She said at least they can maybe treat them if it is still early on. Sadly if they don't come here she said they will likely die from it. I am hoping not all of them was exposed.

Does anyone else on here know about this illness? Where does it come from? I asked her if this was common in the pigeon world and she said mostly it is pigeons and doves that get it as they feed off the ground and get into all kinds of dirty water supplies and such. She said they also have a falcon that someone else brought in who had it( definitely from eating an infected bird that had it). I looked up some research on Canker and it says that most pigeons are born with it and during times of stress it can come out and multiply and make them sick. I am confused. Can someone please clarify???

 

[sourland]

What you read is probably closer to the truth than, "any pigeon who gets it will die". It is a nasty organism that does tend to be in pigeon populations, especially wild pigeons. Some birds live fine with it, but stress can cause outbreaks which may be fatal if not treated. My guess is that the birds were carrying the organism, the stress of winter caused some of them to break with frank disease, and nothing that you did caused the problem.

 

[sourland]

Treatment of choice is metronidazole.

 

[4life]

Treatment of choice is metronidazole.

Thanks for the response. The vet made it sound like it was fatal to most all pigeons or doves who get it. I guess with us having three birds who got it( 2 whom died) it must be a nasty strain. Does it come form the food they eat? We were feeding Very good quality food such as roasted peanut mix with sunflower seeds. We did not use feeders so nothing sat out. What we put out they ate right away within a few hours and it was gone. We also changed the bird bath water out daily. If I had known I would have scrubbed the bird bath with bleach. I did not know it was contagious through them drinking from the same water source. I am sure many more in the flock may get sick now since they were all using the same birdbath.

 

[enola]

I don't know a thing about pigeons..... But, I thought Trichomoniasis is a sexually transmitted disease.

 

[sourland]

There is a trichomona infection in humans that is a STD. I think it is a different bug than that which infects birds.

 

[4life]

Trich in humans is caused by a bacteria. The trich that pigeons and doves get is caused from a parasite.

 

[enola]

What will treat the parasite?

 

[sourland]

metronidazole in birds. Humans? No experience there.

 

[enola]

I was prescribed Metronidazole last winter when I had a case of diarrhea that the doctors could not find a cause for.