Injured pigeon

[Animalfarm]

Hi all,

Posting for naturesgift here.

She witnessed a falcon attacking a pigeon, ..she said:

It came crashing down to the ground with the pigeon, and she ran over, the falcon went back up with the pigeon in it's talons, then came crashing down again. Lady her dog raced over and tried to get the falcon, it let go of the pigeon.
My sister is bringing the pigeon home ...
Mandy says it's back is torn open from the talons.
She asked me to find Gabe, or CritterQueen, or Mars...(I think I remembered the names) and said they would have some advice on what to do with the pigeon.

I am going to put it in a cage in a darkened room as soon as I get it.


Thanks for any help!
blessings!

[thundersquirrel]

how awful!

tell her to post on here as soon as she can, we need more details! (or at least, i would)

she should probably keep the pigeon warm and calm. it could die from shock. not sure about the injuries but hopefully someone more experienced will come on!

[Animalfarm]

Okay...

The pigeon's wound is now cleaned out. She is resting in a dark quiet place in mandie's room :)

It has alot of fight in it, very fiesty, bright eyes too. From the look of the beak its not a full grown one. Their beaks always look goofy until they are full grown.

There appears to be a puncture wound on the back, possibly two side by side..but with feathers it's hard to tell.

The wound is on the top of the back right between it's wings.

Will keep you informed.

[Mrs. Jack]

oh hi what's that stuff Heidi put on the duck's back when he was torn open from something? HEY you people, someone knows what I am talking about, some something you smear on it that works really well and it did great for Flower...... ??????

[Mrs. Jack]

silvadene

[Tammy]

I know its sad that the pigeon got hurt from the falcon. My sis told me as sad as it is when things like this happen that I should never intervene when it comes to nature. An animal uses so much energy in getting food for itself or babies and if we intervene- the animal that is hunting may starve to death or babies and the prey may possibly die from its injuries. Then we have 2 or more deaths. I hope the pigeon lives and I hope the falcon finds food for itself or its babies. The circle of life- right.

[Mrs. Jack]

The circle of life- right.
is what my nine year old always tells me when I get all worked up over something :/ The circle of life is not easy.

[Tammy]

I know its not easy. I have 4 squirrel houses on my propery- housing maybe 14-16 squirrels. I'm a light sleeper and have really good ears. Lastnight at about 2am my hubby and I heard a screaming sound. It was a squirrel- I threw his t shirt on and ran out to the deck. The sound was coming from aways away. It sounded like a coonie got into a drey. IT was a horible sound. My tummy got sick thinking about the little fuzzer. I said "I think it was a squirrel-or could have been a bird. Whatever it was- it wasn't a good scene." We put mesh over the openings of our squirrel houses so coonies can't fish for my fuzzers. I have a family of coonies that live in the drain pipe across from my house. Believe me I feed those guys all my scraps to keep them from eating my fuzzers. Mother nature- a vicous cycle:dono

[Gabe]

When dosing pigeons with antibiotics they get twice the amount than a regular bird. If a bird gets 1mg/kg then a pigeon will get 2mg/kg.
If the puncture wounds are very small then the talon may not have gone in too far. Crushing injuries are what I would look for. For instance a red tail hawk can apply 50 lbs of pressure in their grip. An Eagle just recently broke a handler's arm. A falcon of course would be less, but then it may feel like a whole lot more if you are just a little pigeon.

[Gabe]

Just want to pop on and let everyone know that Mars is pm'ing with Mandies mom and CQ and I are pm'ing Mars.:)

Hopefully Mandie will update everyone later.

[Animalfarm]

Hi all,

Pigeon appears to be doing well. :)

CQ had to go out for the evening, and Mars is leaving "meds" department to Gabe :)

Hi Gabe!

If you could post here, or pm naturesgift who is home eating dinner now, with how much meds to give?

She has baytril 68 mg pills and also 100mg doxyclyine.


Thanks to all for your love and input! I do agree that the circle of life is beautiful! Rest assured, the falcon won't starve around here. The rats and mice and huge pigeon flock are nothing short of scarce around those barns or even our yard. Our cats are quick to show off their catches!

The amazing thing is, mankind is part of the circle of life, and learning to live together makes that circle complete. It's a gift to be able to nurture one back to health and let it continue it's circle until it has completed it should that be an option given.

Gammas, this was not one of "her" pigeons...by her's I mean the ones she is blessed to look after. This was one from the barn. There is a huge flock there!

I am sure Mandie will be on soon as she finishes tending to all the critters here.
Again, thanks to you all! You make quite an amazing support team.


:thankyou

[LynninIN]

Gabe had to sign off for the night, she told me to relay this information if it was needed:

Not to use Doxycyline, go with the Baytril. She used an average pigeon weight to calculate a dosage. Dissolve the 68 mg pill in 10 cc of water and give 0.6 cc.

[Animalfarm]

Thanks Lynn!

Mandy was just reading this thread with me...she is heading off to prepare the Baytril.

She'll update next :)

:grouphug
Tam

[NaturesGift]

ok! HI!
I had a long day at work. I ended taking 2 hours longer than normal :shakehead b/c my boss desided to fix the floors so I could only milk on oe side.

Well I got to the milking barn and as usual my boss was late. so I fed the cats.. the dogs and I was mosieing around pacing from his house to the barn and as I turned back to the house I saw a flash of white and gold smack against his house but I couldnt see what it was b/c a tree blocked my veiw. so I started towards his house. Lady was at my heels as normal. Well I was getting close and the falcon took off ... and was trying to fly away pigeon in his grasps (I am yelling at it to stop!!!!) . He crashed again onto my bosses driveway... Im still yelling at it trying to run down the driveway towards it. (Its trying to take off) And on impulse I said.. LADY GO GET IT! Now miss Lady is not trained. She doesnt sit let alone fetch on demand. well she shot off and grabbed the falcon:sanp3 :osnap all she had was feathers and the falcon took off. I reached her as she was smelling at the pigeon ..staring at it trying to figure out what to do.. I picked her/him up and hurried to the barn. poor baby was in shock gasping for breath. I know that birds hearts can explode if you scare them so I emptied my purse and tucked her in there to calm her down while I founded something better. I decided on my fleece (hoodie) and tcuked her in there and my aunt pulled up with some tea for me .. so I gave her the pigeon to take home b/c I knew it wouldnt make it through my milking.

[NaturesGift]

I guess we got the falcon to leave our birds alone.. then he found the buffet of pigeons at my work:shakehead

I gave him/her the baytril. Is that once or twice a day?

[NaturesGift]

thanks. I remember the last time I had an attacked Pigeons I learned how to give stitches. She is way better now.. then when I gave her to my aunt.
I will be watching her poop to make sure it remains normal and not green (sign of infection)

[NaturesGift]

I sure wasn't picturing a white pigeon in my mind.

I guess a couple domestic pigeons joined the flock b/c there are some white and some grey and white like this one. the majority of birds are blue but there are about 6 white ones. I guess the white ones are easy targets.

[muffinsquirrel]

The 'Circle of Life' sounds great on paper......but NOT IN MY BACK YARD!!!

muffinsquirrel

[NaturesGift]

The 'Circle of Life' sounds great on paper......but NOT IN MY BACK YARD!!!

muffinsquirrel
Diddo!

where ever I go the circle of life grows b/c I join it..thus the outcome changes:)


She is alert and perky this morning.

[thundersquirrel]

i'm glad the pigeon is doing so well. can it fly?

[NaturesGift]

i'm glad the pigeon is doing so well. can it fly?


Im not sure. that is a very good question. I just didnt want to spazz her out recatching her. she couldnt when I picked her off the ground. she was doing "swim like" stroke. Ill see. *very careful like*

[Gabe]

Glad it is doing well. Sorry about the Baytril dose, give it twice a day.

[Animalfarm]

The pigeon is looking well, and Mandie is off milking right now. I'll pass on the baytril info to her. We held her legs carefully and let her spread her wings, she is favoring one and flapping the other. I guess somewhere under all those feathers there is another injury or bruising from those talons.

Thanks to all again!

Blessings,
Tamar

[Mrs. Jack]

It was silvadene that Heidi put on poor Flower's back and I guess it sped healing a lot. as bad as that poor Pidge looks, Flower was worse. :)

[NaturesGift]

no it doesnt look as bad as her duck. now that was a bad looking sore!

Ok she is a baby. she wouldnt eat and I was worried I was going to have to whip up some Kaytee and tube her.. but hand fed her seeds and she is now pecking at her food. she still squeaks like a baby.

[Gabe]

Mandie watch her crop and her weight very carefully. New rehabbers have lost pigeons that they thought were self feeding. They actually starved to death. Don't assume she is getting enough to eat. I would probably still tube her at least once a day in the evening.

[NaturesGift]

thanks Gabe. I was thinking the same nad I have been watching her closely and I have beed hand feeding her the seeds b/c she isnt eating enough. but since you have given me the go ahead i will start tubing her. about how much should I start her on?

ok this morning she did a bright green poop! I know there are two causes. Infection of starving my first thoughts were she was starving herself.
I have been cleaning her wound and I havent seen an infection but this gree poo had me worried. so I started to pick through her feathers. and yep bingo I was missing a spot.

I know I should have done it the first day but I didnt want to stress her. also it didnt look like it was needed. well I removed all the feathers from around the wound so I can properly care for her. (very slow work.. I had to cut each feather one by one with scissors!)

Is this bruising? or a bad bad infection. It kinda shocked me. (it does not smell)
http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z73/Naturesgift/Angel007.jpg
http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z73/Naturesgift/Angel010.jpg
http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z73/Naturesgift/Angel019.jpg


I named her Angel.
http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z73/Naturesgift/Angel012.jpg
http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z73/Naturesgift/Angel016.jpg
http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z73/Naturesgift/Angel022.jpg

I put some gauze and some wrap on her for now. (you cant even tell)
http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z73/Naturesgift/Angel030.jpg

[Mrs. Jack]

poor sweet birdie. glad she's with you.

[Gabe]

She should not have green poo if she is on baytril, at least not infection related, plus her appetite and demeanor are good.
It may be from hunger that she has the geen poo. I would tube her 20-30cc of Kaytee or Exact once a day. Feel her crop as you tube her, it should feel like a soft water balloon when it is full. Adjust amounts accordingly.

[NaturesGift]

She should not have green poo if she is on baytril, at least not infection related, plus her appetite and demeanor are good.
It may be from hunger that she has the geen poo. I would tube her 20-30cc of Kaytee or Exact once a day. Feel her crop as you tube her, it should feel like a soft water balloon when it is full. Adjust amounts accordingly.

Gabe is my pigeon mentor! Without her I would be pigeonless! We went through alot!!! Kudos to Gabe! :thumbsup

[Mars]

Green poop could also indicate coccidia.

[NaturesGift]

Green poop could also indicate coccidia.


valid point! :thinking