Suspect canker and dog/cat attack

Twelve hours ago I'd tried to catch a small, fluffed-up pigeon half hidden in the vegetation in the park, but she flew away. A couple of hours ago I saw her huddled up against a tree trunk, with feathers sticking out on one side. As it was still dark it wasn't difficult to catch her this time.
She's got LOTS of feathers missing from one wing and her tail, but nothing broken. The wings are symmetrical and she's holding them well. There are no scratches but there's a little bit of bruising on her back.
There are no outward signs of illness except that her vent was caked in poop, with feathers stuck together, and there appears to be a hard lump in her crop. She's very small, a young adult with ceres formed, but she's the size of a squeaker.
I let her rest and warm up for an hour, and then started her on Flagyl and Clavamox. She was able to drink by herself some tepid water with a tiny pinch of salt and half a teaspoon of honey. Her crop is almost empty, but I think I'll let her rest a few hours before offering food. If that hard lump is canker, best let the medication get to work first.
I hope and pray that I caught this one in time.

Sorry to hear about the little one, Teresa :( Sure glad you were able to nab her.
It sounds like you've got it covered as to treatment (and the order in which you initiated it ) and care.
Thankfully, I rarely have sick or injured pijjies in the flock, but when I hear there is a large lump in the crop area, my first thought is canker.
It's great that she's able to drink on her own.

Please do keep us posted on how things are coming along.

Do you have a heating pad you can put her on? Sounds like she is having a hard time keeping warm.

Matilda wrote:

Do you have a heating pad you can put her on? Sounds like she is having a hard time keeping warm.

I've got an electric heating pad, but the temperature isn't adjustable, so I don't trust it. I usually use one or two hot water bottles with a safety cover, then a plastic cover, then a towel; or else one of these microwavable bean things. But for the first hour, while I was getting the meds and everything ready, she got a human heating pad ! I wrapped her in a small towel and sandwiched her between my T-shirt and my cardigan!!! I didn't need the cardigan, but she obviously did. I got too hot, lol, but she nestled up with her head almost under my arm and dozed off.
I've noticed that young or sick animals, not just pigeons, seem to be comforted by feeling a heartbeat, in addition to the warmth. Maybe they think it's mother's. :That\\\'s so f

My baby is improving and I've named her Lillith.
She had a hearty breakfast and dinner and growled at me repeatedly. Her poops are dark brownish green, urates okay. A little softer than I would like, but not too bad. She moves well, but can't fly properly due to the huge number of feathers missing -- left wing, tail and upper back close to the tail. Feathers are still dropping off her whenever she moves, and there's a bit of flappy skin on her left wing (in the picture it looks like a pink triangle), so I'm glad of the Clavamox.
Here are some photos taken 3 hours ago.

Exercise time:


Feeding by herself:


Cage placed opposite Piper's (who is fascinated!) well out of Lawrence's reach:


She's a feisty thing! I hope a month or so of TLC until her feathers grow back will do the trick.

Oh my Teresa,
you are really a . When I read all these stories about rescued pigeons and how few sometimes is necessary I can believe in people again. Yet sometimes it is hard to do so....

Please let us know how this is going on!

Lillith looks right at home. ...A month at a piji spa...sounds alright.

Matilda wrote:

Lillith looks right at home. ...A month at a piji spa...sounds alright.

You're right in that she has difficulty staying warm enough. Poor thing, she's a baldylocks! :That\\\'s so f But after sunset I covered up her cage with a warm rug and put a hot water bottle between it and the wall, so she's nice and cozy! So it's good night from her and goodnight from me.

Lillith is adorable.
Is the lump in her crop gone?
Eating, drinking, growling and fiesty. Sounds good to me.

You are doing a wonderful job of caring for her.
Looking forward to the next update and hopefully more pictures.

Didn't like the look of Lillith late this morning. She ate with a little difficulty and drank, didn't growl and later went to the end of the cage where she lay down, fluffed-up and miserable. I refilled her hot water bottle and put it inside the cage, keeping the rug around it for warmth and to dim the light. She nestled contentedly on it, listening to music. She's perked up a lot since, but we're not out of the woods yet.

I think it was a dog that attacked her, judging by the terrified stance she took when my dog came into the room.

Try looking her over again for puncture wounds that you may have missed. It's really easy to miss them because of all the feathers. Especially check the crop.
How do the poops look today? Are they stinky?

Poops aren't stinky, but they're still too soft, dark green.
It's almost time for her meds, so I'll check for puncture wounds.
Thanks, Charis.

This evening, at medication time, Lillith was much more lively again. I think the constant heating made a big difference.
I checked her carefully and there aren't any puncture wounds. Whatever the predator was must have grabbed feathers only, as they were plucked. There are hardly any broken feathers at all, just lots of bare patches. The crop is okay.
The poops are coming out formed into little balls now, but the amount of urates is minimal, and the poops are very dark. I'm worried she may not be eating enough. For her last meal I gave her the smallest seeds in the mix, plus a few tiny bird seeds, plus a sprinkling of dry formula.

Can you hand feed her some defrosted corn and peas?

Yes, I've got that. I'll thaw some.

Lillith is doing very well!
I've been supplementing her diet with split thawed peas, much to her intense dislike (if looks could kill, lol!) but she's finally putting on a bit of weight, and the poops have a good consistency. Yesterday she started preening in earnest, and today she didn't need heating during the day. She came over to the front of the cage several times to see what I was doing, and growled whenever I got close! :)

I have now dosed 'my' entire backyard flock with metronidazole for 7 days, and there are no longer any fluffed-up birds among them. They should be safe now.

There are miracles along the way.

Wonderful update, Teresa.
So glad to hear Lillith is doing much better.

Please do keep us posted.

Lillith is doing very well. The feathers are growing back nicely, she has a good appetite -- she's eating half pigeon mix and half corn, which seems to have been her staple diet until now. She doesn't show much interest in the grit, but it's available anyway.

She's got a very strong personality and she's quick to show her displeasure: if I put probiotics or cod liver oil on her seeds, I have to duck, because she does her best to shower me with them!
If, and only if, I have the audacity of adding ACV or multivitamins to her water, she poops in it!


Our dialogues go something like this:
Me: Hello, Lillith!
L: Grunt.
Me: How are you today?
L: Grunt, grunt.
Me: Here, let me change your water.
L: Grunt, growl (head down, half-raised wing).
Me: Here's your food. Look, yum-yum!
L: :|
Me: Okay, time for your medication.
L:

Love your update, Teresa.
And the dialogue is worth a few :That\\\'s so f , a little and lots of

Gotta love Lillith!!