Ill wild pigeon, need help urgent

I saw a pigeon like this in my feeder a couple of weeks ago. It has
something growing below its eye. It was very active though and had a
good appetite. But, the thing grew and grew, and eventually, the bird
stopped coming. Then, several days ago, again, a bird appeared, with
the same growth below one eye and something on its beak. I managed to
catch it. There are no vets or rescues where I live, and I can't get
any help from anyone. I don't think that there are special birds
medications, but I can get human equivalent. What should I do with
this bird?
I feel so sorry for it, and for the way I caught it. It was always so
hungry, and other birds beat it all the time, so I put a plate with
seeds inside my room, it flew in and ate, and I closed the door on
it. Then I put it in the box! Now it stares at me like I lured it in
with help (food) and then deceived it! And it age so avidly before I
caught it, now I gave it food, and it just stares, and it's very
strong, and tried to bite me, and tried to get out of the box,
repeatedly.
What should I do?

Hi Arequi,

Thank you for taking in the sick pigeon and looking after him!

First of all, please tell us where you are located, at least country and area, in case we have an experienced rehabber in the area that may be able to help, or at least to get some meds to you.

From the photos, I'm almost certain that the pigeon has canker (not to be confused with cancer!!!) -- this is an infection caused by protozoans that causes yellow lumps to appear in or around the throat and beak. It is very infectious to other birds, but not at all to people or other pets.
It can be treated with Metronidazole, usually marketed as Flagyl. It isn't expensive, and it can be prescribed to people or other pets. If you don't have any, you should be able to get it from an online pigeon supply company.
Even though canker is very serious and can be fatal, pigeons can recover completely with treatment and a little TLC, but you must be prepared for the possibility that he will lose part of his beak. Will you be able to keep him, if that happens?

This one recovered: https://pij-n-angels.forumotion.net/t1780-squeaker-with-missing-eye?highlight=squeaker+with+missing+eye

Thanks again, please keep us posted!

Eeek, according to the forum map, you're in the Ukraine, is that right? Now I see why you said there was nobody to help in your area! Send me your address by private message, I'll send you some Flagyl!

Hi, got your message, sent a very long reply, and the Flagyl is on its way!

How is he doing, arequi? I hope you're managing to treat his beak wound and to get him to drink the water with vinegar or lemon juice, that will help.

It can be disappointing when you're looking after a pigeon, trying to help, and you get the impressio that all he wants to do is peck you and run away! But that's because he's a very strong, independent pigeon, who doesn't know that humans can be his friends. I think he's a male, and probably a dominant male, a flock leader. Those boys can be hard work. (I've got one, called Hercules, and he's very, very difficult when he wants to be, he's even attacked my biggest cat!!!) But there's something good about that -- strong, aggressive pigeons recover from injuries and illness much faster, and sometimes they do so well they will surprise you!
Talk to him in a low, soft voice, use slow movements, preferably keeping your hands lower than his eyes. That way he shouldn't feel threatened. And, for the sake of your fingers, it's always better to wrap him in a towel when you need to treat him or give him medicine. He will always want to be the boss, but if you remain firm but gentle, he will come to trust you and be calmer.

Best wishes for you both!

I would concur with Teresa that this is canker. One thing I'll mention is to be careful not to dislodge the canker growths (either by accident, or to try to help the pigeon.) He will bleed to death in a few seconds if that happens. Instead, give Metronidazole (flagyl) orally and also apply it to surface of the growths by grinding it up a making a paste that you can gently dab on with a cotton swab.

You might be able to find Metronidazole at a store that sells fish. Here in the United States, you can buy the product under the name "Fish Zole." If you can't find Metronidazole, you can also use carnidazole (marketed as spartrix in the U.S.) or ronidazole.

Here is some additional information that might help you find Metronidazole while you're waiting for the package Teresa sent you:

Metronidazole is a nitroimidazole antibiotic medication used particularly for anaerobic bacteria and protozoa. It is the drug of choice for first episodes of mild-to-moderate Clostridium difficile infection. It is marketed in the U.S.A. by Pfizer and globally by Sanofi under the trade name Flagyl, in Bangladesh as "Filmet" by Beximco Pharmaceuticals Ltd, "Metrogyl" by Rephco Pharmaceuticals Limited, in Pakistan as Nidagyl by Star Laboratories also Marketed as Flagyl by Sanofi and in Thailand, as Mepagyl by Thai Nakhorn Patana. It is also marketed in UK by Milpharm Limited and Almus Pharmaceuticals.

Metronidazole is used also as a gel preparation in the treatment of human dermatological conditions such as rosacea (Rozex and MetroGel by Galderma) and fungating tumours (Anabact, Cambridge Healthcare Supplies).

Also in people, Metronidazole is used for the treatment of:

1. Bacterial vaginosis, commonly associated with overgrowth of Gardnerella species and coinfective anaerobes (Mobiluncus, Bacteroides), in symptomatic patients

2. Pelvic inflammatory disease in conjunction with other antibiotics such as ofloxacin, levofloxacin, or ceftriaxone

3. Anaerobic infections such as Bacteroides fragilis, spp, Fusobacterium spp, Clostridium spp, Peptostreptococcus spp, Prevotella spp, or any other anaerobes in intra-abdominal abscess, peritonitis, diverticulitis, empyema, pneumonia, aspiration pneumonia, lung abscess, diabetic foot ulcer, meningitis and brain abscesses, bone and joint infections, septicemia, endometritis, or endocarditis

4. Pseudomembranous colitis due to Clostridium difficile

5. Helicobacter pylori eradication therapy, as part of a multi-drug regimen in peptic ulcer disease

6. Dental infection of bacterial origin, such as periapical abscess, periodontal abscess, acute pericoronitis of impacted or partially erupted teeth; often used in conjunction with Amoxicillin

7. Amoebiasis: Infections caused by Entamoeba histolytica.

8. Giardiasis: infection of the small intestine caused by the ingestion of infective cysts of protozoan Giardia lamblia.

9. Trichomoniasis: infection caused by Trichomonas vaginalis, which is a common cause of vaginitis and is the most frequently presenting new infection of the common sexually transmitted diseases.

10. Prophylaxis for those undergoing potentially contaminated colorectal surgery or appendectomies and may be combined with neomycin.

11. Crohn's disease with colonic or perianal involvement (non-FDA approved) – believed to be more effective in combination with ciprofloxacin.

12. Topical metronidazole is indicated for the treatment of rosacea, and in the treatment of malodorous fungating wounds.

Metronidazole is not labeled for animal use but is widely used to treat infections of Giardia in dogs, cats, and other companion animals, although it does not reliably clear infection with this organism and is being supplanted by Fenbendazole for this purpose in dogs and cats. Metronidazole is also used for the management of chronic inflammatory bowel disease in cats and dogs. Another common usage is the treatment of systemic and/or GI clostridial infections in horses. Metronidazole or simply "Metro" is used in the aquarium hobby to treat ornamental fish and as a wide spectrum treatment for bacterial and protozoan infections in reptiles and amphibians.

If you do find some form of metronidazole, carnidazole or ronidazole before you get Teresa's package, please get help from the folks here at Pigeon Angels to determine the correct dose for your pigeon.

Hi people, thank you all very much for help.
I am sorry to bother you, especially you, Teresa, because, at the
end, I found human metronidazole. It was for human use, 250 mg. I cut
it into 8 pieces, and gave it to Wiggly one piece a day for five
days. You can see the progress on the photos. The bump on the beak is
smaller and drier, but it's still there. Should I proceed with
metronidazole? I am worried about Wiggly's liver.
It eats very little, next to nothing. It's poop is very green, bright
green. I hand feed it twice a day, morning and evening. It's quite a
chore, because the pigeon, it wiggles like crazy! That is how it's
got its name. You should see the gymnastic it performs! I roll it
into the towel, and it wiggles and wiggles with its wings and legs,
until it's out! Also, it refuses to keep its head straight, and can
turn it into different angles, 180 degrees, I swear! I am afraid that
it will get some food into his lungs this way! It's not possible to
keep it straight or quiet, in any way.
It also tries to peck me any chance it has, when I change the water
in its sources and such.
The red on the photo is from the camera's flash.
This is day 3:



This is today:

Looking at these new photos, it occurs to me that thus could also be pox, rather than canker. If he does have pox, he probably has canker too, so it certainly won't hurt to treat him for canker.

The bright green poop is not good. It could be "starvation poop." Are you sure he's getting enough food? If he's sick he probably won't eat much on his own and he'll be relying on you to force feed him (even though he may not be cooperative now, he'll thank you in the end...) He should be getting about 60 cc per day of food -- either formula, seeds, dried peas, thawed frozen corn and peas -- whatever you get into him, it should add up to about 60 cc. If you're worried about formula getting into his lungs, try feeding him seeds or corn & peas. As long as there are no blockages visible in his throat that would prevent him from swallowing, he should do fine with those.

Jim, thank you SO much for all the great advice!

Arequi, I agree with Jim that dark green poops indicate that he's not eating enough. I'm sorry to hear he's such a difficult patient, but he's very independent and doesn't realise you're doing what's best for him. (Typical teenage boy, eh!!!) You'll have to insist, for his own good.
If you're feeding him peas and corn (which is easier, because they're too big to go into the air passage, so very safe) he needs to get at least 100 of them a day, divided into 2 or 3 meals. Even if he doesn't want to cooperate, he needs to eat that much, otherwise he will get very ill from starvation.
But there is progress, looking at the photos, as the lesions look drier than before!

If he has both pox and canker, he can only be treated for the canker, so please continue with the Metronidazole. The pox is caused by a virus, and there is no medicine for that, it's the pigeon's immune system that has to fight it. Another reason why he must eat enough to stay strong and get better. He may also be a little anaemic, because the way his beak looked originally was as if a lump had broken off it, and he may have bled quite a bit in the process.

To make your life easier, try to wrap him in a bigger towel, so you can wrap it around him as many times as it takes for him to stay still. If necessary, cover his eyes with the towel too, leaving only the beak sticking out. If a pigeon can't see, he generally won't move. Then it will be easier for you to open his beak a little and push the food to the end of his throat.

I'm really glad you managed to get the human Metronidazole! That meant you could start treating him much sooner!

I have rescued a pigeon few months ago. She got a hurt under her wing because she was not using her right wing. when i tried to find the hurt i couldn't find it. After many days suddenly yesterday i saw a black hard thing under his wing and it was bleeding!!. i applied nebasulf powder and neosporin ointment on it , he seemed fine. After few days i saw a lot of blood, and found that my pigeon made a hole on the upper edge of that black skin and that was maybe because of his pointed beak. whenever i put medicine there my pigeons removes it with his beak :( please tell me what to do!!...

Hi avishkriti,

It could be a puncture wound that's caused that blood clot, or else the wing may be broken at the point where the blood clot has formed. Some fractures, especially when the ends of the bones are quite sharp, can rupture blood vessels and cause bleeding. The pressure of the blood clot can be very uncomfortable to pigeons, who may then pick at it to allow it to bleed and relieve the pressure.

That could be a very tricky situation, especially if you can't take the pigeon to a friendly vet, as he needs an oral antibiotic to fight infection and help him heal, and if there is a bad fracture at the base of the wing, the only permanent solution may be for a vet to amputate the wing to stop the area from becoming necrotic.

Do you have any idea how the pigeon injured his wing? And do you have any antibiotics like Baytril or Clavamox (even for people)?

I'll try to get some advice for you from someone nearer, but meanwhile let us know how he's doing.

Any news, Avishkriti? I hope your patient is better. I rescued two with puncture wounds at about the same time, and both are doing very well! :)