LOOK WHAT I FOUND ON TOP OF MY AVIARY!

Meet my latest rescue, Jasper. Yesterday,just before dusk, I noticed a pigeon had decided to roost for the night on top of our aviary. It was fairly cool, and a bit breezy, and that area affords good shelter, as I have built a roof that angles down over the top of the aviary, so it is pretty much out of the wind and rain. Don't know what made me look up there, but I saw this little guy, crouched down and a bit puffed. And Obviously hunkered down for the night.
Well, my first clumsy attempt to catch him, only sent him out from where he was, down into the yard, where I tried again and failed. That sent him to the second floor deck, but not before he flew into the side of the house. and from there to the roof. At that point, I was angry with myself for not having thought to wait until dark. So we went inside, in the hopes that he would go back down to his covered roost for the night. An hour later I went to check, and sure enough, there he was trying to get out of the wind.
So I called Charis and told her of my predicament. She told me to wait until it was pitch black outside. So I waited and waited, but it never did get all that dark, as we had a very large and very bright moon last night. So I quietly set up a ladder, and then waited a bit longer, and finally went back to try again, somehow knowing that if I blew this one, I wouldn't get another chance. So I snuck up the ladder, and made a grab for him. And caught him! And he squeaks! I had thought that he was older, but he squeaks like a little mouse. He's a very grumpy little guy, and I call him Jasper. Maybe that's why he's grumpy. LOL. He doesn't eat or drink on his own. And his poops are a lovely shade of green. And he had bugs! So we dusted for them right away. I'm sure he's feeling a lot better now. I will bath him as soon as he's feeling a little better, as he is kinda grubby. And his keel is sticking way out. He's very scrawny, and has an icky smell about him. It wasn't as strong tonight as it was last night though.
So he's in on a heating pad, and being treated for canker and salmonella. Later he'll be wormed. And I will try my best NOT to get attached to him, as I plan on releasing him back to the flock that comes to my yard. He's very cute. Grumpy, but cute.
I suspect he may have been sent packing by his parents, but not quite ready yet, and saw my birds out in the aviary, and heard them in the loft, and it made him feel secure to roost near them. So cute.
Thanks Charis for all your help and guidance. What would I do without you?

on the rescue, Jay.

Oh my goodness!! Jasper's adorable. And yes, he does have that 'grumpy' look about him, but I love it.

I can almost hear him saying, "Don't mess with me little missy."

I hope all goes well and he's back with the flock in no time.
We'll be looking forward to an update or two.

I'm so glad you were able to catch him Jay.

Poor little guy He was smart enough to know where to go for help.

I have come accross quite a few of these youngsters this season that have been booted out of the nest too soon. It's really a very hard world out there for these little ferals. I know he will do just fine in your care

Kepp us posted on his progress.

Louise

Isn't it amazing how they just show up. You don't even have to go looking for them.

NiteOwl wrote:

Isn't it amazing how they just show up. You don't even have to go looking for them.

No, you sure don't.
I think we have built in pigeon magnets.

Jasper is adorable! I can see your predicament, trying not to get too attached to him!
I'm glad you managed to catch him, after what must have been a very frustrating beginning. Best wishes for the little guy!

How's Jasper doing, Jay? Did you take him to the vet?

Yes, I ended up taking Jasper to the vet. He was half starved when I found him, and I started him with warmed apple sauce, then tried defrosted peas, but the crop just wasn't emptying like it should have. It was very slow, and never totally emptied, so we tried the warmed applesauce to try and move things along. Then Charis told me to add a bit of baby rice cereal, just to give it a little substance. But this morning, it hadn't emptied, so a trip to the vet was in order. Also, advised by Charis to give metronidazole for canker, and Baytril for possible salmonella. She also thought it possible that he might have a yeast infection going on. Aside from the fact that the poops were not looking good from day one, today he vomited a little, and brought up a pea from 2 days ago. So off to the vet we went. She is so nice, and explains everything so well. She was impressed with what we were treating him with and how we were feeding him. She said the advice I had been getting was excellent advice.

So she took a sample to view under the microscope, and said Jasper has canker going on and a yeast infection that had been going on for a while by the looks of what was on the slide. She also agreed that he could have salmonella going on. She said his crop was a mess. So she did a crop flush on him, and the stuff she brought up was gross. The poor little thing has been through devil. I felt so bad for him. Anyway, she spent an hour with us, and she prescribed everything that we were already giving him, but in liquid form, plus a script for nystatin, which he had a little while ago. And he's resting on his heating pad. I'm very concerned for the little guy, but am hoping that we can turn it around for him. Charis, I want to thank you for all your help.

You are welcome.
I'm impressed that the vet spent so much time explaining things to you. I'm really glad you took him in.

Poor little thing...I hope he responds quickly to the medications. The turn around can be quite quick and dramatic.

Matilda wrote:

You are welcome.
I'm impressed that the vet spent so much time explaining things to you. I'm really glad you took him in.

Poor little thing...I hope he responds quickly to the medications. The turn around can be quite quick and dramatic.

Oh I really hope so. I've not had to deal with crop stasis before. And it scares me.

Jay..........Crop stasis is very scarry. All the advice Charis gave you was spot on. You did the best thing by getting him to the vet for a crop wash. Emptying the crop of all the femented contents is the first step to recovery. Did the bird receive any sub q fluids?

The liquid meds are much easier to administer and I have had great success with them.

Did the Vet give you any instructions for feeding? Dr. Hauck has always instructed me in cases like these to only give liquid(preferably papaya juice) until you can see that it is being digested and things are starting to move through his system. After that, it is a slow process of very liquid Kaytee increasing the consistancy very, very gradually.

I know you have him on a heating pad, but keeping him warm right now is of the utmost importance.

You have done everything possible for him to give him the best chance for survival

Sending healing thoughts and prayers your way

Louise

Thanks Louise. No, she didn't do the sub q fluids. I wonder why not? Said I could give him a little water though.

As far as feeding, she said the applesauce was a good thing to give for a bit, then add some baby rice cereal to that, and later, the formula. I never heard of giving papaya juice, and don't know if they sell that around here.

The poor thing, every time he hears me coming, he knows I'm going to do something to him. He probably hates me, which is okay, as long as he gets better. Thank you for the healing thoughts and prayers, as we can use all of those that we can get.I appreciate it.

Jay..........How is Jasper doing this morning? Has he pooped at all yet?


Louise

Hi Louise, and thanks for asking. He only had 2 very small poops, but I only gave him 2 cc of apple sauce last night. The vet wanted me to wait until later today to give him any apple sauce, but Charis had said that he needed something in him, so I gave only 2 cc. When the vet told me to wait til today to give the crop a rest, I reminded her that he was already starving when I found him. She said she understood that but that his crop should remain empty til sometime today. What does your vet tell you about how soon to give the papaya juice, after flushing out the crop? She also said just a small bit of water, but I don't want him to dehydrate either. At least the apple sauce has liquid in it. I didn't wait til later on today though. I gave him about 5cc this morning, along with the nystatin and Baytril. I'm a wreck about this crop thing. Haven't had to deal with it before, and like I said, it scares me. Guess I've read too many posts where birds with this problem have not made it.

We have some running around to do today, and when I get in I will check on him again, and see if it is passing through. And how his crop feels. If it seems to be getting through okay, I'll give him more. I should have asked the vet for something for my nerves. LOL. I'm usually uncomfortable the first time I have a new ailment to deal with, as I'm afraid I'll do something wrong, or not catch something. Once I've gotten through it, I'll be okay for the next time.

He did wing slap me this morning for the first time. That was cute. Felt normal. I think he's trying to tell me that he's had it, and to stay away from him. I know he views me as a predator who just wants to torture him, and probably believes that I am trying to fatten him up for dinner. Probably about now he is deciding that my aviary may not have been the best roost for him that night. Again, thanks for asking Louise.

That he has wing slapped you is a great sign. That he is responsive and alert is very encouraging. Also that he is not vomiting and holding the meds and applesauce down is a good sign as well. The meds are kicking in you should see continued improvement.

I have treated many birds with this crop issue, some have made it, some not. The ones that didn't make it were the ones that were totally unresponsive and were so weak that they couldn't even stand. Couldn't hold anything down, not even water. I feel that it was already too late for them by the time I found them. The fact that Jasper is responding to treatment so far leads me to believe that you caught him in time.

My Vet is of the same school of thought as yours, I was always instructed to give the crop time to stabilize before any feeding. Then only liquids at first, (papaya juice, honey/water, pedialite ect.) in very small amounts, 5cc max. The key is to make sure the crop is emptying and the digestive system working before adding any solids that could again begin to build up in the crop and start to fement. Once the digestive is working, then start with Kaytee, very liquid at first, increasing the amounts and thickness very gradually over the next few days. I have given the baby applesauce as well, but have watered it down. Right now the immediate concern is that the crop is emptying and he remains hydrated.

If he is continuing to poop during today, and is not vomiting and holding down the meds, I would start with the liquid Kaytee this evening. You can actually mix the kaytee with the applesauce and then thin it down with water.

............you're doing great with this little one

Continued healing thoughts and prayers being sent to you both.

Louise

Thanks Louise. I'll be watching him very closely.

Jay..........How is Jasper doing? I sure hope all is going well with him.

Louise

Well it took most of yesterday for the crop to empty. Finally, last night I could give hime apple sauce. The poops are starting to look a bit better by this morning. Not good, but better. But how good can they actually do on applesauce? But the crop is definitely not emptying properly. Gave him his meds this morning, and have been messaging his crop every hour or so. I don't want to hurt him, so have been gentle. A short while ago, I squished it a bit more aggressively, trying to feel anything that was in there. And I can feel seeds or something similar. Not many, but a little pile at the bottom of his crop, so I gave a bit of warm water, and mixed everything up in there, trying to get them mixed into the applesauce that is still in there.

When I was at the vet, I asked if she was sure there wasn't anything that could be blocking things from going through, and she said no, because she didn't feel anything hard in there. Well, I can definitely feel something like seeds or small stones. Probably seeds. How many would it actually take to block a compromised crop? When she flushed it out, she got a lot of gross liquid and stuff like that, but these seeds or whatever must have been left behind. If he doesn't get food soon, he is going to go down hill, as he will starve. I will check him again soon, and see if anything has moved since the last time. Any suggestions?

Jay........Sorry to hear that the crop is still not functioning properly. Even though he is very thin, he wll not starve to death as rapidly as you think. Dehydration is more of a concern and could be life threating. I would give him small amounts of honey mixed with warm water. No more than 5cc at a time. Keep the crop massage going. The natural sugar content of the honey will keep his energy level up.

Since you can definately feel seed or something solid in the crop, a second crop flush might be in order. You will propably need to get him back to the Vet. My last bird that was suffering from crop stasis had the crop flushed three seperate times by Dr. Hauck. You might have, by the massaging you have been doing loosed whatever was causing the blockage.

On the positive side, his crop cannot be completely blocked as he is passing something, regardless how bad the poops look. Fortunately you are giving all liquid meds and hopefully his system is absorbing them.

Please keep us posted.

Sending continued healing thought and prayers

Louise

Thanks Louise. I'll try the honey.

If another crop flush doesn't work, the vet could open up the crop and clean it out.

You may have broken up what even blockage there was though, by massage.

I was going to try the honey, but then remembered how I have read several times to never mix honey and water for hummingbird feeders, as the honey ferments quickly and creates some kind of bacteria that can kill the hummers. So seeing as Jasper's crop isn't working well, and it could just sit in there and ferment, I decided against it. So I mixed up applesauce and a touch of rice cereal, and added enough water to thin it down and make it wet. To this, I also added a drop of olive oil to help move things along. And after he was fed, I dribbled some more water on the side of his beak. He drank it, but as I moved the eye dropper away to get more water, he reached for it enthusiastically. He wanted more. So, I thought that was a good time to hold the little dish of water up to him again, and try to get him to drink. Up til now, he wouldn't drink on his own. But this time he did! He finally drank on his own. First time! Twice. So that was good. He now knows how to drink. I'll see how he is tomorrow morning, and whether the crop is emptying enough to feed him. Thanks again for the help. I appreciate it so much.

I looked up the matter of feeding honey to hummers, and it's fermenting for some info. Here is what I found.

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/hummingbird/msg04221517379.html

I'm sorry to her Jasper is having problems, Jay.

A far as the rehydrating solution, I've always added just a a pinch of sugar and salt to a cup of room temperature water.
If you're ever able to get your hands on a bag of lactated ringers that would be great.

Keeping fingers crossed that Jasper gets to feeling better real soon.

Please keep us posted.

Jay, I totally agree and understand your concern with the honey/water. I would think that plain sugar/water or pedialite would be much safer.

I'm glad to hear that Jasper has started drinking on his own That is absolutely a very positive sign.

Has the crop started to empty more normally? How are the poops looking?


Louise

Poor Jasper's condition been touch and go. I suspect he was very ill when Jay rescued him.
She did send me a picture of the poop late last night and it was improved. Still, there was little substance to it. The bird does seem to be getting better though.