Advice for injured (wings/feet) foster mourning dove

I'm fostering a fledgling mourning dove (Neko) who was rescued in a neglect/abuse seizure case last week. My wife and I visited the seized pigeons (there were five pigeons and this one mourning dove) with the intent of adopting one of the pigeons as a companion for our rescue king, Southy, but ended up taking home Neko as a foster. We decided to take Neko home instead of one of the other pigeons because Neko seemed to be most in need of 24/7 care, and we may end up adopting her.
I have an appointment for Neko to see an avian vet in a few days, but meanwhile, I wanted to post pictures of her to see if anyone has any advice/suggestions re how to make sure I'm doing right by her. (Sorry the pics aren't that detailed.) As you can see, she has scalping, her wings do not lay symmetrically on her back, and several of her toes are severely bent. I don't have any information about her history, but I'm guessing that she was mauled/attacked by something. Neko is eating, drinking, and pooping fine, and her poops look very good. She's very alert, and she's able to fly, as well as walk without hobbling, despite the fact that her toes are so twisted. I know that animals can be very stoic, so I'm concerned that I'm missing something. Also, I don't see any signs of ectoparasites, but of course, all these are superficial observations, and the vet will be able to give her a full checkup. But I wanted to see if anyone has any additional expert advice. My main concerns are her wings and feet. Also, any sense of how old she might be? I'm assuming she's a fledgling. She's dropped two or three down feathers and one smaller primary (?) flight feather in the past day, so she may also be molting. There are feathers missing from her nape/neck, which I'm guessing may be a result of being attacked.
Thanks,
Dan

My first thought is that you need to get her on a good vitamin...one that has calcium and vitanin D.
Whar does her poop look like?
Do you know if she has ever been in the sun?

Missing feathers can also be a symptom of canker. Given she has been through a traumatic life so far, it wouldn't surprise me if she does have canker as stress can cause a full blown case.

Hi Dan,

I've also got a scalped bird with a wing injury today!
Can't be sure, but from the photos it looks as though Neko's injuries are half-healed already. If there's no swelling, no evidence of wounds or infection, I'd just go with the canker med, as Charis recommended, and wait until she sees the vet.
If she can fly, the droopy wing is probably just strained, and will, with time, be fine. Do feel her wings gently between forefinger and thumb and see if the droopy wing feels swollen in comparison with the other. If it does, moisten the feathers a bit so you can 'comb' them back from the swelling and take a picture of it for us to see.
Curled toes are usually a result of tendon/muscle damage in the lower half of the leg, rather than an injury to the toes themselves -- unless they broke and mended slightly out of place. If it's the former, as the tissue heals the toes will regain their range of movements, but there's no time scale for this. It's good that Neko can walk, it sounds like she's already on the mend.

Best wishes! Keep us posted.

Thank you, Charis and Teresa, for your helpful responses.
It's frustrating that I don't have any history on Neko--to know, for example, if she's ever had any sunlight--but from those I've talked to who do rescue, such is typical: on the defensive and feeling "attacked" for what they perceive as good deeds, hoarders are often loathe to give any information that would actually help the animals that they hoard. I'm going to assume Neko needs the extra vitamin D and calcium, and go from there. Her poops look "classic," or at least classic insofar as I understand what a healthy pigeon poop looks like: dark, almost pine green with a dollop of white. I tried without success to open her beak to see if there are any signs of canker, but I think I was stressing her out too much, so gave up. But what I did see--a glimpse--looked like a dark and cheese-less throat.
I'm cautiously optimistic based on the comments you gave about her wings and feet, Teresa, and I appreciate the info on the physiology and possible damage/source of injury.
I'll keep everyone updated!
All best,
Dan

About poops, this is very good poop:
(Well, not good to eat, of course, , but you know what I mean...)
From what you said, hers sounds good too, and healthy colour varies between dark green and dark brown, depending on diet.

I can understand what you say about the defensiveness of poor carers and the difficulty to get answers. I think you are absolutely right in assuming she didn't have enough sunlight, and going with the calcium and vitamin D.

Thanks, Teresa!
Those are certainly handsome poops, and yes, this is what Neko's looks like. She's eating Dr. Harrison pellets, which probably explains the more-dark-green-than-brown color.
I hope your own little rescue's doing well!

Bless you and your wife for taking in Neko and caring for her, Dan.
She's a pretty little dove.

We will definitely be looking forward to updates.

Now those are great looking poops, Teresa.

LOL! I love when people here appreciate poops with the words " handsome", "great looking" poops.


Neko is beautiful. Bless The Dan! :

Tech wrote:

LOL! I love when people here appreciate poops with the words " handsome", "great looking" poops.


Neko is beautiful. Bless The Dan! :

Ah, that's because we're all pervs!
My mother waxes lyrical about golden sunsets in Syngapore, I wax lyrical about
When my rescues get healthy again, even a rainy day looks glorious!

Just last night, I was checking my pij's poop by kind of smearing it with q-tip just to make sure there are no aliens (worms) on it. I love looking at it (Teresa, I agree we're not only crazy but pervs too). Then I thought if my boyfriend would see me doing that, I'm sure he would throw up to death:Yuk: -Boyfriend

-Me

Tech wrote:

Just last night, I was checking my pij's poop by kind of smearing it with q-tip just to make sure there are no aliens (worms) on it. I love looking at it (Teresa, I agree we're not only crazy but pervs too). Then I thought if my boyfriend would see me doing that, I'm sure he would throw up to death:Yuk: -Boyfriend

-Me

Tech...Your secret is safe with us.

"What happens in vegas, stays in vegas"

Teresa wrote:

Tech wrote:

LOL! I love when people here appreciate poops with the words " handsome", "great looking" poops.


Neko is beautiful. Bless The Dan! :

Ah, that's because we're all pervs!
My mother waxes lyrical about golden sunsets in Syngapore, I wax lyrical about

When my rescues get healthy again, even a rainy day looks glorious!

I love healthy pigeons and rainy days!!

It's strange how a person wouldn't think twice about checking human-baby poops, but interspecies concerns for poop raise eyebrows. Oh well!
Neko is doing fine, and she seems to have a sense of place--defensive of her cage, a growing confidence in approaching me, and very alert to her environment.
In other news, after hearing a chirping in my walls yesterday, I spent several hours last night cutting a hole in the wall and rescuing a fledgling sparrow who had fallen down into the space. He was fine--no external or observable injuries. This morning, I placed him in a windowbox below the place where I'm guessing he'd come from--a tiny hole in the flashing up near the top of our house, where parent sparrows fly in and out all day, feeding nestlings.
After a few minutes, several curious sparrows visited him. It's really amazing how much bird communication goes on literally and figuratively over our heads! Finally, he was coaxed down out of the windowbox by his parents, and I followed him down the walk to make sure no dogs/cats/people would bother him. And then, finally, his parents started bringing him food. Mission accomplished. Even though this is a non-pigeon/dove story, I'm sharing it because I'm guessing a lot of people on the list come across nestling or fledgling sparrows and want to help them, which often leads to death from dehydration, drowning (trying to force-feed fledglings water), pneumonia, and so on.
I discovered lots of good sparrow sites by Googling "sparrow fledgling rescue." From what I've read, if the bird is a fledgling, it's best to leave him alone unless he's in obvious danger. If he's a nestling, it's best to replace him in the nest unless he's obviously hurt. And apparently it's a myth that nestlings/fledglings that have been touched by humans will be rejected by their parents. (Maybe a good myth to encourage children to leave birds alone!) Also, from what I've read, people need to be absolutely certain that a fledgling is indeed abandoned and not being fed, which is rarer than most people think. It seems that many people think that a fledgling on the ground should be in a nest or fully "adult" (flying and so on), whereas this is an intermediary (and granted, dangerous) stage for the fledgling when they are out of the nest but still being fed and gaining strength.
The above only relates to what I've read about sparrow nestlings and fledglings, and I'm open to hearing any corrections of the above information.
As for the fledgling, I hope he makes it! Even though there's now a hole in my wall, it was worth rescuing him. I just couldn't stand the idea of abandoning him to what would have been a horrible death.

Great rescue, Dan. I think everyone else here would have cut a hole in their wall to do the same.

I totally agree with everything you said about baby birds.... most stay on the ground for several days, being supported by parents, until they are able to fly. The only time it's appopriate to take a baby is if the parents are dead or if the bird is in danger.
There is no way a human can raise a baby bird better than the parents can. There are so many things a human just can't teach ...besides...bird parents value their babies as we humans value our babies.

I'm glad Neko is adjusting. She's very cute.

Matilda wrote:

Great rescue, Dan. I think everyone else here would have cut a hole in their wall to do the same.

I just hope no more fledglings get trapped, or I'll be living in a "Swiss cheese" house in no time!

feathers111 wrote:

Matilda wrote:

Great rescue, Dan. I think everyone else here would have cut a hole in their wall to do the same.

I just hope no more fledglings get trapped, or I'll be living in a "Swiss cheese" house in no time!

That would be a cute children's book...The man in the "Swiss Cheese" house.

another Blessing for the Dan!

It would make a great story!

I haven't had any experience rescuing sparrows. I'd read some of what you wrote, and made mental notes of the rest, as it may come in handy.

Thank you for helping the little sparrow! I'm sorry about the hole in your wall, but very happy that didn't deter you!
I called the fire brigade to make a hole in a wall before, to rescue a kitten. It wasn't my wall... :eek: but the neighbour was really nice when I explained what happened, and especially when I paid for the repairs! My lasting memory of that night is a bunch of macho men going all goo-goo ga-ga over a little kitty!

Dan...I think you will relate to this thread.

http://www.pigeonangels.com/living-with-a-special-needs-pigeon-and-or-dove-f33/georgie-our-blind-pidge-loves-hide-seek-t1187.htm#14834

Teresa wrote:

It would make a great story!

I haven't had any experience rescuing sparrows. I'd read some of what you wrote, and made mental notes of the rest, as it may come in handy.

Thank you for helping the little sparrow! I'm sorry about the hole in your wall, but very happy that didn't deter you!
I called the fire brigade to make a hole in a wall before, to rescue a kitten. It wasn't my wall... :eek: but the neighbour was really nice when I explained what happened, and especially when I paid for the repairs! My lasting memory of that night is a bunch of macho men going all goo-goo ga-ga over a little kitty!

Good to have such understanding neighbors! Most of mine said they would have done the same, although a few seemed more concerned about "the smell" if I hadn't rescued the sparrow. The smell would have been the least of my concerns...and none of the sparrows!

Matilda wrote:

Dan...I think you will relate to this thread.

http://www.pigeonangels.com/living-with-a-special-needs-pigeon-and-or-dove-f33/georgie-our-blind-pidge-loves-hide-seek-t1187.htm#14834

That's a great story; thanks for the link, Charis.
I'll have to post some pics of the hole before I seal it up, so people can see just what sort of dark and narrow devil he was in. Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to take any pictures of the fledgling before I whisked him away into a box with a heating pad and blanket. And the next morning, I was too concerned about getting him back to his parents right away. Besides, the camera flash would have just added to his trauma.

feathers111 wrote:

Teresa wrote:

It would make a great story!

I haven't had any experience rescuing sparrows. I'd read some of what you wrote, and made mental notes of the rest, as it may come in handy.

Thank you for helping the little sparrow! I'm sorry about the hole in your wall, but very happy that didn't deter you!
I called the fire brigade to make a hole in a wall before, to rescue a kitten. It wasn't my wall... :eek: but the neighbour was really nice when I explained what happened, and especially when I paid for the repairs! My lasting memory of that night is a bunch of macho men going all goo-goo ga-ga over a little kitty!

Good to have such understanding neighbors! Most of mine said they would have done the same, although a few seemed more concerned about "the smell" if I hadn't rescued the sparrow. The smell would have been the least of my concerns...and none of the sparrows!

LOL..The most important thing is the sparrow is out and reunited with his parents. As for humans...it's knowing how to related on the level of the person you are forced to deal with....if talking about the smell is the motivater...so be it!