Injured pigeon not eating

Dear All,

I am sure answers to the questions that I ask below are somewhere in this forum. I tried to search and read the information but right now I am so nervous because of what happened that I can hardly understand what I am reading. So please help me.

This morning I found a pigeon bleeding in our balcony. Apparently she was attacked by another bird (there is no way a cat can climb our balcony). She is injured from a few places but the most serious injury seems to be on the back of her neck. I think she lost quite a lot of blood.

I took her to our local vet but to my dismay he was somewhat dismissive. He said he could sew up the wound but since it is on the back of her neck which is a very movable area, the sewn wound would open again. He said it is better to let the wound heal by itself.

1) So my first question is do you think that the vet is right? Or do you think that he was dismissive?

Currently the bird is not eating but she is drinking water. I prepared some water with honey in it. She doesn't drink by herself but when I bring the water to her beak, she drinks.

2) My second question is what can I do to have her eat something?

Unfortunately we are living in a small island and our connection with the mainland is limited. So, I cannot easily try another doctor or buy special food. When I am searching the forum I found out that people use grinders to ground the seeds and feed the birds with syringe. Unfortunately I do not have the necessary tools at home to do this nor anywhere in our island.

3) So, can use suggest me an alternative food and an alternative feeding method?

4) My last question is this: I suspect the bird may be in pain. Do you think it is OK to give her some aspirin dissolved in water?

Many thanks for reading my post.

Ghanima ..Please keep the bird inside and in a quiet warm place. It would not be unusual for the bird to not eat for the first 24 hours after the injury but certainly keeping her hydrated is important.
Keep in mind that if you have the bird in a dark place during daylight hours, she may not eat because birds don't see well in the dark.
If she still won't eat after 24 hours then we can help you with that.
At this point, antibiotics sre very important as is a thorough exam, of her body, for other wounds.

Dear Mathilda,

Thank you very much for responding to my post promptly.

Yes...the vet is right and also dismissive...the pigeon needs to be on an antibiotic. I'm also wondering if there are puncture wounds in the crop area, which is located under the throat and above the keel bone. The keel bone is in the center of the bird.
Can you call him back and ask for clavamox or baytril? Also...you will need to weight the bird for us to help you with a recommended dose.

I do not see any injuries in the crop area. She is wounded from the side of her head (close to the eye) and from the back of her neck.

The vet gave me a kind of powder. He told me to put the powder on the wounds every day and that it will dry the wound. He also gave a cream and told me to put the cream on her eye. Because her eye looks very bloody although she responds to light on that eye so apparently it is not lost. However, he did't give any antibiotics. I will call the doctor tomorrow and ask about the antibiotics (right now it is very late here).

I cannot weight the bird because I do not have any scales at home. But tomorrow I will ask to my neighbors. What I can say now is that it is a grown up bird although somewhat thin.

Do you have seed you can put in front of her?How about frozen corn or peas that can be defrosted?
Where are you located?

Yes, I have many kinds of seeds because I like to feed pigeons (this is why there are so many of them in my balcony). But she doesn't seem to be interested in them. This is why I was worried. But you say in your other post that they may not eat for about 24 hours. This makes me feel better.

I am located in one of the islands in Marmara sea close to Istanbul.

No do not give aspirin as it can be fatal to birds.

OK, I will not give her aspirin.

Many thanks for your help.

Do you know what the powder is the vet gave you? Perhaps it is a topical antibiotic although I would use a oral antibiotic if the bird was in my care.
I have some prewritten feeding instuctions that I'll post for you in a minute.

Here they are. You can also use fresh corn kernels. If you don't have corn or peas, you can get some dry dog food, soak it in warm water until soft and use the same feeding method. If you use the dog food, it's best to discard any unused portion. You would want to feed the equivalent of 30-40 corn or pea kernels.


If you are seeing bright green poop, it could be the bird isn't eating enough on his own and may need to be hand fed. It also could be ill. Often the young birds will try to eat the seed and so folks assume they are eating when they really aren't.
It would be great if you could post a picture of the poop so we can give you a better opinion.
You can hand feed defrosted corn and peas. Run some hot water over them until they are defrosted and slightly warmed. Put the bird on your lap and hold it next to your body. If it helps, you can wrap a towel around it or put it in the sleeve of a tee shirt, with the head out the wrist. That confines them without hurting them and makes it easier to handle. Gently open the beak and pop the piece of corn and peas at the back of the mouth and over the throat.
You will need to feed 40-50 per feeding and every time the crop empties until you know the baby is eating on his own.
This is a wonderful method for teaching babies to eat because they feel the whole food in their mouth and it’s soft and easy to pick up and hang on to. The next step… seeds.
The crop is located right below the throat and with food it fills up like a little balloon. The peas and corn make it lumpy and squishy.

Dear Mathilda,

Matilda wrote:

Do you know what the powder is the vet gave you? Perhaps it is a topical antibiotic although I would use a oral antibiotic if the bird was in my care.

The powder is called Dervanol. According to the information on the box, it is antibacterial (although I am not sure if antibacterial is the same as antibiotics). The box says that it forms a film on the wound which protects it from bacteria.

Matilda wrote:

Here they are. You can also use fresh corn kernels. If you don't have corn or peas, you can get some dry dog food, soak it in warm water until soft and use the same feeding method. If you use the dog food, it's best to discard any unused portion. You would want to feed the equivalent of 30-40 corn or pea kernels.

Thank you very much for the feeding instructions. I have both frozen corn and frozen peas. I will try them in the morning (right now the bird is sleeping, I think.)

I checked the poop and it doesn't look bright green. It is dark green. I took a picture of the poop as well as a picture of the wound on the neck. I hope can successfully post them below:




Many Thanks.

I guess I was not successful in uploading the images to the forum. So I uploaded them on my web page. They can be viewed from this direct link:

http://web.me.com/ypehlivan/Pigeon/Blank.html

Cheers.

How can you be sure that a cat didn't get her before she got to your balcony?

I'm so gald you have frozen corn and peas. You might start with peas as they seem to be easier to digest.
Antibacterial is good but in addition I still think the bird nees oral antibiotics.
The yellow part of the poop may be an indication of bacterial infection or of a condition called canker.
Are you comfortable asking the vet for metronidazole?

Here are instructions for posting pictures.

http://www.pigeonangels.com/t709-instructions-for-posting-pictures

NiteOwl wrote:

How can you be sure that a cat didn't get her before she got to your balcony?

I think it is unlikely that she could fly after such an attack. We live on the fifth floor. When I found her, she could not even stand, just laying there and bleeding. She is apparently unable to fly now.

Besides, there aren't many cats in our island. Mostly domestic ones. We have lots of dogs although I have never heard of any dog attacking a bird.

But maybe this doesn't entirely rule out the possibility of a cat attack. Who knows.

All the Best.

I couldn't tell from the picture if she is an adult or a young pigeon having just left the nest. If she is young, it's not uncommon for another pigeon to attack the young ones. Most often they peck the head, scalping the young bird. They will also peck near the eyes or the eyes.
Additionally, if you have a young bird, she may not know how to eat or drink on her own.
Young birds have dark eyes and the beaks look large.

Matilda wrote:

I'm so gald you have frozen corn and peas. You might start with peas as they seem to be easier to digest.
Antibacterial is good but in addition I still think the bird nees oral antibiotics.
The yellow part of the poop may be an indication of bacterial infection or of a condition called canker.
Are you comfortable asking the vet for metronidazole?

Well, I am not very comfortable calling the vet because I am worried that he thinks I am execrating the matter. You see, in our island the cars are not allowed so people use horse carriages to go around. This vet is a state employee and mostly takes care of the horses.

But I will call him anyway. I will ask him about metronidazole. I hope this drug is available in my country (Turkey).

If he is dismissive again, I will take her to the mainland and show her to another vet.

Thank you very much to all whose trying to help.

Matilda wrote:

I couldn't tell from the picture if she is an adult or a young pigeon having just left the nest. If she is young, it's not uncommon for another pigeon to attack the young ones. Most often they peck the head, scalping the young bird. They will also peck near the eyes or the eyes.
Additionally, if you have a young bird, she may not know how to eat or drink on her own.
Young birds have dark eyes and the beaks look large.

I am pretty sure this is an adult bird who can eat for her own. Because she was hanging out in my balcony for several months now and feeding with the rest of the flock. I recognize her from an older and distinctive wound on her wing. This wound was also causing her to fly in a somewhat awkward way. She could never fly far away, always hanging out in the balcony or on the roof and sometimes in the balcony of the next door neighbor. I am guessing it was because of this disability that she was attacked in the first place and couldn't fly away to avoid her enemy.

Well, so in short, I am sure she can eat on her own. Just not eating now. I hope she eats in the morning. Otherwise I will try to feed her.

Best.

Do me a favor and in the morning, feel her wings where they connect to her body. Check to see if there is a lump or if one feels differenty from the other.
She was likely singled out by a hawk because she can't fly well.

Matilda wrote:

I couldn't tell from the picture if she is an adult or a young pigeon having just left the nest. If she is young, it's not uncommon for another pigeon to attack the young ones. Most often they peck the head, scalping the young bird. They will also peck near the eyes or the eyes.
Additionally, if you have a young bird, she may not know how to eat or drink on her own.
Young birds have dark eyes and the beaks look large.

Charis,
From the photo the wounds, they are hard to see though, look to me like the pigeon was attacked by another pij. I'm thinking that if it was a hawk the feathers & flesh would have been more torn up. You would be able to see the wound easier becuase of less feathers.

Could have been another pigeon, if not a cat or something. I think if a hawk had caught her enough to do damage, it would have finished her off.

Ghanima,

PM me your address and I'll send you an antibiotic and metronidazole straight away.

Charis, Baytril or Synulox, what do you think?

Baytril, Teresa.
Teresa...go to Ghanima"s profile page and email him.

Matilda wrote:

Baytril, Teresa.
Teresa...go to Ghanima"s profile page and email him.

There's no e-mail contact available there...

I'll pm it to you.

Teresa wrote:

Ghanima,

PM me your address and I'll send you an antibiotic and metronidazole straight away.

Charis, Baytril or Synulox, what do you think?

Dear Teresa,

Thank you for your offer. You are very generous. But I think the mail may be somewhat slow. Let me first ask the local vet and the local apothecary for the meds. Maybe they have them or their equivalent here. I also remembered that there is a man on the other side of our island who has many special breed pigeons. He may have medicine, too. I will ask them and let you know. If everything fails, than I will ask you to send the medicine.

Thank you once again.

PS: I am now adding my e-mail to my profile.

Matilda wrote:

Do me a favor and in the morning, feel her wings where they connect to her body. Check to see if there is a lump or if one feels differenty from the other.
She was likely singled out by a hawk because she can't fly well.

Dear Mathilda,

I checked the wing area especially where they join with the body. Both sides feels the same. The only think which is noticeable is the old scar that I mentioned. It is located on her "elbow" where the wing makes an angle. It looks like she had a bad scratch there. A small part of the skin is missing and one can see the bone.

She again refused to eat this morning. So I hold her with a towel and put some peas on her mouth and gently pushed it down. This way she eats.

Best.