No rest for the wicked

Teresa wrote:

Thank you so much!

I will tell her tomorrow when we pick her up!

Yeah!! Nina gets to come home tomorrow.

So glad things went well for Nina. Bet she'll be glad to get home. Hope she heals quickly.

Thank you, Jay! She's coming back this evening, and she's been doing well so far.

We don't know the results of the X-ray and blood tests yet, but I hope it hadn't spread to the lungs.
She'll need another op after these scars heal, to remove more growths from the other side of her body, as there wasn't enough skin to close over two parallel scars.

Teresa wrote:

Thank you, Jay! She's coming back this evening, and she's been doing well so far.

We don't know the results of the X-ray and blood tests yet, but I hope it hadn't spread to the lungs.
She'll need another op after these scars heal, to remove more growths from the other side of her body, as there wasn't enough skin to close over two parallel scars.

I'm sorry to hear Nina will need an additional surgery, Teresa.
She's got tons of love, hugs, healing and positive thoughts nearby and from abroad to help her get through it.

Thank you so much, Cindy!
My mother was quite touched by the 'get well' messages for Nina.

Teresa wrote:

Thank you so much, Cindy!
My mother was quite touched by the 'get well' messages for Nina.

She has such a sweet face.

Coccidiosis outbreak -- just after the pigeon flies appeared in large numbers -- it could be a coincidence, but I don't think so.

Seven out of my nine house pigeons were affected all at the same time, irrespective of where they were, some in different rooms. All except Strophe and Piper, probably because they're better able to groom, and have stronger immune systems. The worst affected, as always, were Sammy, Hercules and George.

The last time this happened, the only thing that worked were the pills Louise sent me, Coximed. Since then I've been trying to buy more, because 'Just-in-Case' often becomes 'Need-it-Now'! Thankfully, after several failed attempts (that's a long story, but not my fault or Jedds') I managed to place an order with Jedds. Nine days later the meds were here, as it were, right on time to use!!!

I medicated all of them, plus Charlie (hand raised, then released) who still visits every day, and spends a fair amount of time indoors. The results were immediate and very encouraging. They're all SO MUCH better! Jedds rock!!


I've kept Marty the swift well away from any pigeons, and the netting pannels on his 'home' are too fine for flies to get in. He seems OK.

That's awful, Teresa.
I am so glad you have the medication and have gotten the situation under control and the birds are doing better.

Sending get well wishes for a continuing recovery.

Thank you, Cindy!

My Teresa - you really seem to attract it all- what a mess. As if the difficult care for Marty weren't enough - this additional drag is really not needed. I am sooooooo happy that you managed to deal with it immediately.

Teresa -do you know about the substance Toltrazuril? (http://www.vets4petz.nl/toltrazuril-drops-p-245.html)

Is this comparable to the Diclazuril (in Coximed)?

pigeonwriter wrote:

My Teresa - you really seem to attract it all- what a mess. As if the difficult care for Marty weren't enough - this additional drag is really not needed. I am sooooooo happy that you managed to deal with it immediately.

Teresa -do you know about the substance Toltrazuril? (http://www.vets4petz.nl/toltrazuril-drops-p-245.html)

Is this comparable to the Diclazuril (in Coximed)?

I haven't tried Toltrazuril yet. Is that what you use?
The only one that's available here is Coxi Plus (Sulfadimethoxinum natrium). The treatment takes 5 days, it's completely ineffective, and not to be given when they're nesting, or moulting, or have a depressed immune system -- which means the only one in the house who could take is... me...?
Thank you for the link.

Problems with the feral flock...

Yesterday afternoon I noticed five pigeons doing the 'pigeon fly stomp', so I medicated the entire flock with Ivermectin again.

Grumpy showed up early evening with something 'not right' with the left side of her face. She wouldn't let me close enough to check it, or to catch her, so I tried a photo at maximum zoom. I'm almost sure it's the beginning of a POX lesion.
John issued a warning yesterday about an outbreak of avian pox in the UK. It seems like it got here as well.
I've never had to deal with pox, and just remember the basics I've read. Time to do some more research , but in the meanwhile I'm concentrating on making sure the flock have plenty of clean water and decent food to strenghten them.

... and with the residents.

Halo's poops are still not OK, after the Coximed and probiotics. Where the blazes is my Berimax order?! It's been ages now, I'll have to check again. I'm considering putting her back on antibiotics+Flagyl, like when she first arrived.

Achilles continues to need to have his beak trimmed every month. But now, the same is happening to his nails, which are growing excessively, and curved. This discounts the possibility that the cause was a blow to the beak. It's either genetic, or a deficit of something he needs. I discussed this with my vet, and she has also heard the theory that it may be due to liver problems. The liver tonic I ordered and paid for from Ornicare (representatives of The BirdCare Co) is out of stock, and it took them 2 weeks to tell me that , so I'm going to try cod liver oil capsules for humans.



I hope the pet shop can get me more insects for Marty for tomorrow, otherwise I'll be chasing flies with a butterfly net again...

I'm sorry to hear about the suspected 'pigeon fly' problem and Grumpy's issue, Teresa. Please keep us posted.

I sure hope the pet shop has a good supply of insects for Marty.
The last thing you need is to have to go on the hunt for some flies.
That might not be a bad 'class project'. The kids could go on a treasure 'fly' hunt. All joking aside, I really do hope the pet shop can help you out.

That's crazy about Achilles beak, and now nails, continuing to grow at at such a excessive rate.

What with everything going on I think you need a big hug.

AZWhitefeather wrote:

That might not be a bad 'class project'. The kids could go on a treasure 'fly' hunt.

Yikes, I wouldn't have any ornaments left!!!! I've seen that lot loose in the classroom doing treasure hunts for things that don't fly, and it was scary!!!

AZWhitefeather wrote:

What with everything going on I think you need a big hug.

Aww, thanks!

Since then, I fed Marty, the crickets, the dog, the cats, My mother, Soni and I, then went in the classroom... and saw a young pigeon, very similar to Summercloud, standing awkwardly on top of Piper's cage. Sneaked up to the window, closed it, closed the wooden shutters, put Lawrence out , closed the door, switched off the computer screen... and caught the pigeon.
A string injury! Both legs bound together with blue thread, also wrapped round the toes of one foot. Very recent, no harm done yet.
Five minutes later she was free.

Now to do the washing up double quick, take the dog out and feed Marty again before afternoon classes.

Oh Teresa -sending you lots of
I really wish you that everything gets quickly under control again - oh how I know this feeling when it does not. I'll keep all fingers crossed

How about setting up an insect trap in the night with a small lamp? When scientists do it it always looks so easy - will have a look whether I can find something....

Oh, you're going to like this, Cindy and Petra!

Just after my last post, I looked at the crickets, now a familiar fixture, and they looked at me, and I simply couldn't bear to DO it. So I spent time that I really didn't have catching flies, and with the weather warming up, this time I caught enough. So I messed up my routine completely. Especially when I had to rescue Piper from Hercules -- he went berserk attacking her, but in a couple of seconds she was in my arms, shaking but OK apart from a slight limp where he pecked her thigh. She had laid her second egg yesterday, but he wouldn't leave her alone wanting to mate again. Well, he's all alone in the cage, and he can sit the eggs if he wants. I put her elsewhere, and my baby is going to have a break from all this laying and sitting slavery for the first time in AGES.

The housework still wasn't done when afternoon classes started. But, as luck would have it, help arrived in the nick of time.

First it was Soni, who had a little bit of time off her work and did ALL the washing up and cleaned the kitchen floor!

Then in the evening it was her boyfriend, Martin, who arrived with two pizzas, mangos, a bottle of wine... and a box full of crickets and other insects he'd caught in his garden! He'd set up just such a trap as you described, Petra! Now that's a thoughtful young man!!!

I couldn't agree more!

About time for an update, eh!

At the moment we're having a freak heat wave, with temperatures still in the high 80s in the middle of the night. So the pigeon flies are back big time!

Grumpy appeared to have a mild form of pox, but all the symptoms vanished after a week and she's been fine after that.

The squeakers in my feral flock are having a hard time with an aggressive population of very hungry seagulls.
One that was injured would have gone unnoticed except for the fact he got very wet when my mother was hosing the garden, and didn't move. So she picked him up and brought him to me. He's recovering well from a puncture wound but his poops are still not right. He finished his Baytril+Flagyl yesterday, and today had a Coximed. He had been wormed on arrival, and will be again in a few days.
We've called him Bartholomew, after the Portuguese navigator.

Halo is still recovering, and she's put some weight on. She loves getting a little dish of small seeds once a day, but the rest of the time she is still crop fed. Poops are more consistent, but still far from ideal.
The other day she gave me a fright when I saw some fresh blood on her bed. I still don't know where it came from for sure, but having seen some spots on her wing, I believe she caught that wing with her bad foot and scratched it. It hasn't happened since.
Today she pecked at me when I picked her up, but soon settled down to a nice scritch!
Stuart, the string injury, was released over two weeks ago and I still haven't posted the pictures!

Achilles's beak and nails growth rate slowed right down after taking the liver tonic (Colina Ca-P Liver Protector by Avizoon), his flight feathers had grown back beautifully and he was rearing to go, so after 3 days of indoor free flight practice -- you should have seen the power of his wingbeat!!! -- I gave him the choice and he didn't think twice!!! He pops in for meals, so I'll keep checking that his beak is alright.

New arrival today: Large pigeon, but looks like a hen, paralysed and a bit dehydrated. Someone at the park kept tossing her up in the air, and she kept falling.
Hydrated her on arrival and kept her warm, then started tubing 15ml formula (fine, wasn't sick or anything) with Calcivet, and started her on Baytril.
Checked for egg binding, but there's no egg. No injuries, swelling or breaks either, though there are lots of grazes and small cracks on her beak. She was very thin, with a prominent keel, and had pigeon flies. She produced pretty decent looking poops with white urates, but a little on the soft side.
She certainly doesn't have salmonella, which leaves as the next suspects a viral infection or lack of calcium.
At the last feed she was more lively, and moved both her wings and her legs, walking back into the carrier of her own accord! But once there she settled in her donut nest for the night and hasn't stirred since.
Surely it must have been the calcium...?
One of my students named her Persephone.

Great update Teresa
I am so glad that there are no new casualties - hopefully it stays like this. I wonder whether there are much more illnesses related to lack of calcium than we think

Sending healing prayers for Persephone

Thank you, Petra!

The newest arrival is improving steadily, and behaving more like a Perseus than a Persephone... we'll see...
Her crop area is a bit sore, though there are no visible marks, so considering the marks on the beak I'm inclined to think she may have hit something in flight -- unless this was the result of that idiot throwing her up in the air repeatedly and her falling every time.
She's moving her legs and wings well, but only for short bursts, tiring easily. And she makes absolutely no effort to eat or drink by herself.

Finding no other plausible reason for her being so light I gave her oral Ivomec yesterday morning... and by the afternoon she pooped spaghetti!!! I have never seen so many roundworms together... Reason enough to weaken a bird, surely!

Wormy poops, round two -- this morning's offerings...

Ascarids (round worms):



The very fine filaments to the left may be just that, unless dead threadworms (Capillaria) become that white when dead.
At least the urates are snow white, which gives me hope that the intestine isn't perforated.
It is now quite apparent that her debility and lack of appetite were due to the worms blocking the intestine.

PS. She continued to pass worms during the day, but they're getting less...

Good Lord, Teresa, this is really disgusting. Good photos though! I have never seen these in reality

Hopefully now little Persephone will recover when she got rid of all those parasites...