Hello,
Wild pigeons and various other birds come to our garden every day for food and water. During the last week or two, we have noticed that one of the pigeons is making a cough-like sound with varying frequency - sometimes as much as every second or so. It sounds a little as though s/he is clearing their throat. I have been told that the pigeon has a bump beneath one of its eyes - perhaps from a peck from another bird.
This pigeon looks a little unkempt but seems to be eating and drinking fine.
I am concerned about the potential risk of transmission to the other birds, if this pigeon is unwell, and would appreciate any comments/ suggestions.
Many thanks,
p

Hello there,

There is really not a whole lot you can do about this situation really. You could try to catch the bird I suppose and check out the bump on the eye and see what it could be. I'm not really sure about the coughing sound, it could be a number of different things; respiratory troubles, canker in the throat, a fungal infection. But whatever is the problem, you would have to catch the bird, examine it and then see. Do you have any vets or rehabbers nearby you could take the pigeon to if you do catch it?

Hi Brad,
Many thanks for your reply.
I have had a look through binoculars and it looks like the lower eyelid is swollen. Checking out the descriptions of various ails online, I think it is either a one-eyed cold or mycoplasmosis ('broken grunt' does describe the sound very well).
Do you know whether these conditions resolve themselves without medical intervention? Also - whether it infectious to other pigeons and the other species (e.g. sparrows - they all share drinking water)?
The pigeon is one of the more confident ones, so I suspect we could catch it. There is a rehab place a little way away (a wood mouse died en route last year). I will give our local vet a call and enquire about whether we can bring the bird in "on spec", should we manage to catch it!
p

Hi PP,

Yes, the best you can do is try to catch the pigeon....were you able to do so, any luck? Depending on the problem, many diseases can be contagious to others in the flock and possibly other birds too. In the wild it's not so bad because birds drink from different water sources and aren't in such close contact generally. The exception would be a birds' mate and young and an ill bird would likely pass on diseases to those birds through close contact.

It's very unlikely that a bird with a bacterial, fungal or viral infection will recuperate on it's own. A wild pigeon has an uncertain life, hard to find good food, clean water etc. and they need proper supportive care and medicines to recover.

Hi Brad,
Noted. Although admittedly life for those that hang around here isn't quite so uncertain - I think we have the fattest wild birds in the county! I woudn't have been able to get the bird to the vet yesterday so didn't try to catch him. I haven't seen him yet this morning but will try to nab him when I do. With the offer of food, I don't think it will be too challenging.
Have you any tips on caring for him overnight if we catch him while the vet is closed? - I guess that a cardboard box with airholes, torn up paper to lie on, plus water and food are the essentials. Would it be best to keep him inside the house overnight or to put pigeon-in-box somewhere safe outside?
Many thanks for your help with this,
p

pixieperk wrote: for those that hang around here isn't quite so uncertain - I think we have the fattest wild birds in the county!
Have you any tips on caring for him overnight if we catch him while the vet is closed? - I guess that a cardboard box with airholes, torn up paper to lie on, plus water and food are the essentials. Would it be best to keep him inside the house overnight or to put pigeon-in-box somewhere safe outside?
Many thanks for your help with this,
p

LOL! Yes, I suppose he and the others are well provided for if you are feeding them all regularly. Good point! A cardboard box is fine with air holes....just make sure it's large enough for the bird to fully extend it's wings. A large dog crate or other pet traveling crate can be used as well. You would want to bring the bird inside where it's safe, a tad warmer (depending on your temps) and generally more quiet and peaceful. You wouldn't want the bird outside and possibly exposed to attacks from predators trying to get to the pigeon inside whatever temporary housing he/she was in. The bottom of the temp housing can be lined with paper towels or real soft linens, whichever.

Any pictures possible? I get the sense you are from the UK or somewhere in the British Isles.

Welcome to the forum pixieperk and thanks for taking an interest in this pigeon's health. I hope you manage to capture the pigeon soon without too much difficulty. Do keep us updated to your situation. You might want to check first that the rehab place is pigeon friendly since many will just euthanise pigeons/other birds seen as 'pests' without offering treatment.

Also, if possible, using a heating pad set on low with a towel over it is recommended before even food and water.

For water, you can offer tepid (room temp) with a pinch of salt and sugar.

Sure hope you can catch and have him checked.

Please keep us updated!!

ALL THE BEST

Shi

Hey...

Many thanks for all the helpful suggestions! The good news is that a local vet is more than happy to help (will medicate and house him until he is fit and well) and the pigeon appears to still be well enough to fly around, eat everything in sight, etc... The mediocre news is that he is still flying around and decided to go [somewhere else] just in time for me to get home (I had left work early especially so that I could nab the pigeon and take him to his vet appointment!). Typical!

The vet has lent us a catbox (good thing birds don't have a sense of smell - otherwise we'd never get him in there!)... So we have the carry box, lined with newspaper... and a small (and lightweight) towel to drop on his head while he pootles about at our feet guzzling suet... Now we just need the pigeon! *rolls eyes!*

I haven't yet taken a photo of him... Although I will try to, before we take him to the vet. Otherwise, you'll get a photo once he has (hopefully) recovered and returned to the garden with the expectation of endless quantities of suet landing in front of his beak! He is a bit scruffy and not the neatest in terms of markings. But quite charming in a dishevelled kind of way! ;p

I am indeed in the UK. I don't think this is a Trafalgar Square pigeon, but he's quite possibly related within a decade or two!

Will update - hopefully tomorrow!

p x

Hello
Success! Pigeon lured into the front-opening catbox by a trail of seed and suet... With a shedload of suet and seed inside the box. He panicked a bit once he was in there, but calmed down to "unimpressed" once we covered the box with a towel. Started munching through the seeds and suet once we were en route to the vet.
So the diagnosis was actually better than I expected (I think). Vet reckons he had had some kind of foreign body jab him in the side of the mouth/ beak... And that this had become infected or something and the goo was draining down his throat - hence the cough. The swelling beneath his eye was an abscess - the goo having redirected for some reason.
So the vet pulled some congealed grot from the pigeon's throat and drew a lot of gunk out of the abscess, and then gave him an injection of something that should last him a few days' doses... We should see the abscess reduce a bit further (leaving just scar tissue) and his breathing should ease. So hopefully we have one mended pigeon.
When we brought him back to the garden, he stayed inside the catbox for a while and had a semi-nap. He then appeared to wake up a bit and looked a bit perplexed at his surroundings. We took the top section off the catbox and Mr Pigeon decided to make a bid for freedom and flew up onto the roof. Later he apparently came back to eat and jostle about with the other birds - which we haven't seen him do for a while. I am told he looked a bit more spruce than before, so perhaps his discomfort was already relieved enough to let him feel like undertaking some feather maintenance!
I did take a couple of photos, but they're a bit dark (and he wasn't talking to me whilst in the box, so they're back views!) - will try to take a photo in the garden over the weekend.
Many thanks again for all the input, folks!
p x

Hi PP,

Thanks for the update, sounds like a fairly good one. Did the vet mention what kind of antibiotic or medicine he gave the pigeon and whether or not the bird should be on it for a period of days? Usually a course of antibiotics lasts several days so I'm just curious. I'm not so sure that the pigeon should have been released so quickly. Thanks for helping the bird, though, you did more than most would do for a wild pigeon!

GREAT NEWS!!

Thanks so much for going the "extra mile" to have him Vet checked!!

Sending our best HEALING thoughts with Love and Hugs

Shi/MR. Squeaks/Dom/Gimie/WoeBeGone/Rae Charles

Hi PP,

Thanks for helping this pigeon out and taking him to the vet for treatment. I am assuming that the vet gave a Baytril (enrofloxacin) injection of antibiotic as this seems to be the most common broad spectrum antibiotic given to treat infections in birds without doing a bacterial culture. The injection does offer longer antibacterial cover but I thought this was only effective for about 24 hours. It should always be followed up with an oral course of the same antibiotic for at least 5 days after especially since there was quite a considerable amount of infection present. I agree with Brad that the pigeon shouldn't have been released so soon as there is a high chance of the infection returning without a proper course. This isn't your fault and the vet should have explained this to you. If the pigeon visits again, if possible, can you lure him into your care again till he is fully recovered? It was very good of you to go out of your way to care for this pigeon and I know you'd like to know for sure that he is on the mend.

Hi everyone,

I don't recall the name of the medication... But it is one that is often used in parrots and other 'pet' birds. The vet advised that it was a longer-lasting one that would see him through a few days, and to see how he is after that. The alternative would have been using an eyedropper to administer it into his beak daily, or injecting him daily. Neither of which we fancied our chances of success with - he is completely active and we have no experience of bird-handling! We have kept the cat carrier for now, so if there hasn't been a noticable difference by Monday we'll see if we can lure him back in and ask the vet to try something else. I was surprised that he released the pigeon straight away. From what the vet said, I gather he was aiming for a balance between helping Blinky to get better whilst avoiding making him worse (due to the potential impact of the stress of captivity, on his immune system).

In the meantime, he continues to dine on our premises every day and appears to be enjoying the one-to-one attention (trying to make sure he stays well-fed, to keep his strength up!). Admittedly, I am slightly concerned that he'll turn up with a suitcase and his family and ask if he can move in. But we'll cross that bridge when we come to it!

p x

By the way - in terms of a bacterial culture... The vet did put some droplets of abscess-gunk onto a slide, add some drops of liquids from bottles, rinse it off and then peer at it under a microscope. So I am guessing he gave something relatively specific.

p x

Hi PP,

Sounds reasonable then. Keep an eye on the pigeon and see if his infection seems to be getting better. At least you are prepared and willing to catch the bird again if need be which is very nice of you. May I ask you how much this vet charged for services and did he/she know this was a wild pigeon? I'm just curious because it really isn't very common for them to treat a wild pigeon and they certainly don't work for cheap!

Hi Brad,

Ah, it's all no problem - it's very handy for humans that we can adapt the environment to suit our needs and whims, but it's not always so good for our cohabitants. If we're happy to take responsibility for messing up the 'natural world', then I tend to think we should also take responsibility for at least attempting (where possible) to mend it when a bit of it gets damaged or misplaced!

It has occurred to me this morning - I wonder whether he actually got the correct diagnosis. I guess there must have been some evidence of mouth trauma that could only be seen when Blinky's beak was open. The vet did know he's a wild pigeon - I had specifically phoned to ask what their policy is on treating wild pigeons. This practice (and at least one of its partner practices) will always see wildlife. But certainly for pigeons, if they cannot be released then they are put to sleep (had they kept Blinky in, we would have asked them to contact us before deciding to do that).

There was no charge for the consultation, but they did charge for the medication - which was about £10. It was all very sweet - the vet was great with him.

Blinky was on the doorstep this morning. The other pigeons had been pottering around nearby and all flew up onto the roof when I came to the door. Blinky just stayed where he was and looked at me - yesterday when he stood there he got given a pile of seeds and suet!

p x

PS - vets "don't work for cheap".... Are puns as rife in Canada as they are here? *cheep cheep* To be honest, their sister branch has had so much money out of my family for dog vet bills, I think I could quite reasonably ask them to give every bird in our garden a yearly health check for then next 10 years and they'd still not be out of pocket! :}

Haha... Just seen this. This is pretty much me most mornings! They're not quite this tame, but I'm sure they do try to trip me up.

Hi PP,

Thanks for providing the answers I asked for. I think it sounds like you have found a reputable and honest vet for Blinky. Many of us are never lucky enough to find a vet like this who is 1) willing to treat a wild animal and 2) not charge an arm and a leg for services! I guess Canadians are pun minded or at least use old expressions 'handed' down from our British ancestors.


You keep mentioning suet...I'm really surprised to read that Blinky and the pigeons eat this...this is not usually a pigeon food. Glad you liked the "feeding pigeons" emoticon though, it is a good one.

Thanks again for the update!

Hi Brad,

My apologies for the delay in replying. We took Blinky back to the vet today as the abscess near his eye had become more swollen again and his cough wasn't getting better. He did agree that mycoplasmosis is a distinct possibility. The vet offered another slow-release injection, but I asked whether an inpatient stay with daily treatment might give him a better chance. The vet agreed and said they would be able to do it but only for the 5 weekdays - as nobody is there over the weekend. So we will be taking him back in on Monday to get looked after - we'll arrange to pick him up on Friday so he can be released into the garden. Hopefully the warm environment and rest will also do him some good. Having said that, I will ask whether their sister practice would be able to take him for the weekend to finish the course of treatment - they have an animal hospital, so it might be feasible if we offer to transport him between clinics.

Have you any suggestions regarding effective treatments for mycoplasmosis? The vet mentioned that in his current condition, with the amount of mucus he has, Blinky would eventually develop pneumonia. But I had the impression that mycoplasmosis is treatable?

Also - are you aware of any supplements that we could safely add to the birds' drinking water to try to boost the other birds' immune systems? If so, I'll ask the vet if they're able to sell us some.

I did ask the vet about feeding Blinky suet - he said it isn't necessarily "good" as a pigeon food, but as it is so energy intensive it is fine in his current condition - he is apparently at the skinner end of the spectrum and so we should continue trying to feed him up. He is turning up regularly for food, but I think he sometimes has difficulty getting food into his crop due to all the gunk in his throat. Poor little kid.

So... I am not sure what his chances are long-term... Today he seemed to be feeling better than he did a couple of weeks ago - he was squirming around and trying to bite the vet. :} He had to be swaddled in a towel for restraining purposes, rather than just being held sedately against the vet's ribs. :}

Any suggestions gratefully received...

Many thanks,

p xx

PS - Inpatient treatment will still only incur medication costs. So I guess that will either be £10 per day or £10 for the whole treatment. If the vet will allow us, we'll offer to leave a food bundle for Blinky to at least save them some costs.

Hi PP,

Here is some information about mycoplasmosis:



Mycoplasmosis is caused by tiny microscopic organisms transmitted from pigeon to pigeon through droppings in water and food. One to two weeks after the initial infection, you may note a watery nasal discharge, which later develops into a slimy pus-containing discharge. A grayish deposit appears in the beak and the saliva is tough and hangs wire-like between tongue and palate. There is swelling in the infected beak and throat cavity; an unhealthy smell is apparent. The nostrils become grey. If you press the nostrils, a thick discharge emerges. As the air passages become congested, breathing becomes laboured; the patient sits with open beak and makes wheezing noises, especially in the evenings and at night. The air sacs can also be infected.
In mycoplasmosis there is usually not an infection of the eyelid. Fatalities rarely occur, although the disease usually has a long duration. The disease appears to lower the bird’s resistant to other disease and chronic infection can markedly affect performance due to respiratory problems. Internally the air sacs can be seen to be affected and secondary bacterial infections can occur at this site

Treatment:
Serious cases require antibiotic treatment. Enrox-2 tsp in 1 lt of water or 0.1ml injection I/M or Sulpha drugs-1/ 2 tablet in 1 lt water for 3-4 days. All healthy pigeons of the same loft should be treated with Althrocyn or similar medicine. Althrocyn, which is usually available in the powdered form, should be given 4 gm in 1 lt water for 5-7 days. Thoroughly clean and disinfect the whole coop, preferably on a weekly schedule.
Suitable antibiotic medication: Enrofloxacin, Tetracyclines, Tylosin or Tylamulin is effective against uncomplicated cases of Mycoplasmosis.
Mycoplasma infection is endemic in the pigeon population and the majority of pigeons will be affected by the organism. Stress conditions favour the development of the clinical disease in birds. The principle clinical finding is one of catarrh and initially there is a clear nasal discharge which in time becomes thicker due to the presence of pus.

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So you'd have to ask yourself does Blinky seem to have these symptoms or fit into the disease description. Does your vet not have any information on this disease or know which medication to use? Regarding any supplements for the water...it really isn't feasible to do this and the reason being is that wild birds will drink from many different water sources, any of which could be contaminated. The only thing I would suggest is apple cider vinegar in the drinking water that you provide the birds in your garden. It might help, it may not, but it's probably the only thing that would even be worth considering. The amount you would add is very minimal, about 2 teaspoons per litre of water.

At least he sounds more feisty, that is a good sign! Hopefully with some care at the vets for a week will give him more of an opportunity to recuperate. Do keep us posted and thanks for being a good citizen.