Found Feral Pigeon, London UK. Need Help..!!!

Hello,
I'm new to all this but have registered as I found a grey feral pigeon on the road this afternoon. I couldn't leave it so brought it home in the car, put it in a box with a hot water bottle underneath some bedding and tried to get her to take some water with pinch of sugar/salt, sadly with no luck. Have left defrosted peas/sweetcorn also just in case things improve. It looks like he/she has a broken wing, had on eye shut with a little blood on the head but on closer inspection I have discovered there are a couple of wounds, probably toothmarks, where the leg meets the body and another further down the body. The other eye has since opened. Needless to say it's Saturday night and can't think any rescue centre will take it in, the old 'vermin' argument, but I'm doing my best to see he/she's okay for the time being. I hope it will last the night but is there anything else I could be doing? No antibiotics in the house, just praying he/she starts drinking. Stools are yellow, watery & a bit mucusy & he/she's becoming increasingly sleepy, can't help thinking it's the final curtain but there again could just be sleeping. Any tips gratefully received..

You may get a quicker answer and more help on this forum. Pigeon Talk.

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/

Hi Doug,

Hopefully you will have received my email. The contact included is local to you, totally trustworthy and an experienced rehabber. And he's usually got all the meds needed for such an emergency.
Please tell him you got his phone number from me, just in case he hasn't seen my message yet.

Please keep us posted.

All the best,

Teresa

In the meanwhile, this may help:

Advice on heat, isolation and hydration:

http://www.pigeonangels.com/t5-basic-life-saving-steps
You already seem to know most of this, but please check out the advice on heat. The most important is the fact that no food or water should be offered if a pigeon's temperature is even slightly below their normal (about 38º).

How to offer food and drink:

Thawed frozen peas and corn, served warm, are easy to push into her beak (open the beak enough to do it using your nail to wedge it open). Push each one as far back as possible into her mouth. Peas and corn are too big to fit in her trachea opening, and so are very safe to give.
How many peas and corn will depend on her age, but she should have at least 35 x three times a day.
If she can't eat that many in one go, she will need more meals so as to make up the same total.
Meals should be at least 4 hours apart, to allow the crop to empty, with a longer interval during the night.

The best way to get her to drink is to put a bowl of tepid water in front of her, and gently encourage her to drink by dipping part of her beak in it.
You can get her interested in water by letting a few drops run from your finger on to the side of her beak. A small syringe can also be used to give her water, but if you haven't done it before a lot of care is needed to avoid the water going into her lungs, as that is fatal. The trick is to give just a little at a time, and place it right at the far end of her throat, so it goes into the aesophagus and not the trachea:

Well, I'm glad to report she survived the night & is taking very small amounts of water dropped onto the beak from my finger. It's a start. And thank you, Teresa for the info & contact. I'm going to call as soon as I've tried to feed her, looking quite perky actually and she's had nothing for quite a while now. I'll report back later...

Update : Have just spoken to M, Teresa, and he is going to take her in for me as I live in a small flat & if she gets better she will be much better off with him. So now she's about to go on a drive around London in a Triumph Herald to a good home. Pretty cool for a pigeon, huh?

That's wonderful, Doug!!!!

I'm so happy to hear that she's made it through the night, had a little to drink, and maybe a little breakfast... and that she's about to have a chauffeur-driven tour of London on her way to someone who will be able to treat her and care for her!

As you say, pretty cool for a pigeon!!! And, considering how many people would see a small creature in distress and just walk on by, PRETTY COOL FOR A HUMAN!!!

First and foremost, to Pigeon Angels, Doug.

Thank you for taking the time to help this little one. You did a wonderful job.
As Teresa has said, so many would have just walked on by. You are a true pigeon angel.

It's great that you were able to get in touch with Teresa's contact and that all is working in a positive direction.
A Triumph Herald!! Very ride indeed for a very special pij.

If you have any updates on how things are going, and if time permits, please keep us posted.

Teresa, for getting the contact info to Doug,

A BIG LOTS to each of you.
Teamwork, gotta love it!!

Breaking news: Maciej says the pigeon is in pretty good condition, considering, but he's blind in one eye and has a broken leg, and probably canker. He thinks he may have been caught by a cat or a fox.
He's likely to update on Pigeon Angels' Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/groups/176239232007/

New Update : Took Ben (I've just decided, ok?) over to Maciej & Joanna's house today & I just know he is going to be in good hands. It's a relief as I really don't have the time or space to care for him but I'm so glad he will be ok. Very happy that there are people who care around in London and the drive, despite the traffic & Ben getting all excited about travelling in a convertible rather than wing power, was so worth it as the end result is better than I could ever have hoped for. So thank you all for your help, another huge thank you to Maciej & Joanna, and as a parting shot, I thought you all may be interested in this. It's the story of why the people of Poland protect pigeons unlike the UK and so many others. When I was there a few years ago I thought it was a touching legend & I bought a children's book (which I still have) which reminds us of our duty of care to fellow creatures... (ah, turns out I can't add an external link but if you google the legend of the krakow pigeons you will find the story)

Here's the link: http://www.cracow-life.com/poland/krakow-pigeons
It's a great story!

Thank you for the update, Doug! I hope Ben will make a very good recovery, he was a very lucky pigeon to have found you!
Maciej says he was probably attacked by a fox or a cat, so if he had been able to fly away he would very like die of the infection, from the bacteria in the predator's mouth. This way he has a chance, thanks to you!

Pop back in now and again! Even if you don't have a pigeon to care for, you can share your photos (after being a member for a week) on http://www.pigeonangels.com/t1755-show-us-your-best-shot or tell us more stories!

All the best!

Very happy to have been able to help. And that's the link I was trying to post, thanks... I'm hoping to hear about Ben's progress, be it good or bad, and you'll be hearing from me again soon...

Thank you all again

Doug

Thanks for the update, Doug.

"Wishing you a very speedy recovery, sweet Ben."