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I have a baby pigeon that I have been raising. I’ve done it before lots of times. I have to feed them through a tube stuck down their throat, since they don’t know how to eat on their own for a while. Yesterday I was in a hurry. It was getting dark. I came in and he was his usual self, running up to me, squeeling, flapping his wings, begging for dinner. I put the tube down in the little guy. I wanted to check and make sure it was in his crop, because it felt like it went down a little hard. I felt and I could feel the tube in his crop, like I’ve done a hundred and one times before. I thought I felt it there anyway. I sqeezed the food in, and he imediately shut up. That was weird. I was starting to get worried, that maybe I had got it in his lungs instead, but he didn’t seem to be acting like he was drowing. He just got real quiet. I came in today, and he wasn’t making any noise. He shook his wings a little when he saw me, but he couldn’t squeek, or walk. When he tries to squeek, just a wheezing sound comes out. I picked him up, and the feathers on his chest were all falling out. It’s swolen real bad and a horrible black/purple color, like it’s about to explode and rott away… I feel sick. I must have put the feeding tube into his lungs instead… I can’t eat, I feel so stupid! The pain he must be in.. I don’t know what to do with myself. I can’t beleive I did that!! He sees me and starts shaking his wings.. He thinks I’m his mom, and all he wants is to be close to me. He has no idea that it is my fault he’s dying. I don’t know what to do or how to help him. I’ve been crying all evening. I feel so flippin helpless!!! I tried to put some more food in him because he was hungry, and he just started choking and throwing up. I just don’t know what to do. I don’t want to ever go near another animal again. My poor baby is suffering and dying and I can’t do anything but watch. He sees me and just shakes his wings a little, baby bird language for “there you are mom, finally” He’s so pitiful and suffering so bad, it kills me inside–all he cares about is just having me there with him, he doesn’t realize it’s my fault he hurts so bad… I want to die with him, I don’t want to go on enjoying my life knowing what I did to that poor innocent creature..
I am so sorry Pam. It was an accident. I almost killed the one I had here, so I know how you feel. I stuffed egg yolk down him raw when it was supposed to be cooked. He was jacked up all night, but he pulled through… I think. I ended up putting him back by his momma and can only hope she mamaged to raise him. I am really sorry you feel so terrible but you did not do it on purpose. I suppose that does not make you feel any better, but try not to beat yourself up. Please let me know if he pulls through. Keep him as comfortable as you can.
I’m so sorry to hear that. It’s so easy to make a mistake like that though. I understand what you are going through. I can’t and wouldn’t go into details. (I don’t know if it went to court or not yet. Thank God the owner of the dog didn’t sue me.)
So the only advice I can give you is make the pigeon as comfortable as you can for now. And then well… I don’t know, I got through my accident with the help of a friend. (I told her everything that happened, I wasn’t supposed to since the owner decided to sue. But, if it wasn’t for her, I probably wouldn’t have made it through. I was in a very dark place for months after.) Eventually, I put it in the back of my mind, (where it waits to pounce at opportunities like this…) and started living again. (I lost my full time job over that mistake as well…) I got myself another job, and continued on.
Grab a friend, lean on a shoulder for awhile, but, really don’t let the guilt drag you into a dark place. If you need to bend the ear of someone who has gone through something similar PM me. I’ll help you anyway I can. (Can’t do much at such a distance but, I can listen.)
I’m sorry to hear this, Pam. Do you have a local Wildlife Center or Animal Sanctuary? They should have vets on staff that are trained in taking care of these types of animals. At the least, please call one (or several) up even if it would be impossible for you to travel there and explain the situation to them. Maybe they can give you guidance on how to proceed or make the bird more comfortable.
Oh my gosh! It’s like a terrible animal weekend! Squirrels and pigeons. I’m so sorry Pam. I know what you are going through and you’re not alone. I feel completly awful about my squirrel too because I think it was my fault…you have to remember that sometimes these things are meant to happen and all we can do it try and learn from our mistakes to better help another animal down the road.
One time my old cat wouldn’t take care of a little of kittens she had. One by one they all started to die and while we were bottle feeding them. One coughed, seizured and died right in my hands while I was feeding it. I was probably like 10 years old at the time. It just jumped up and stiffened up like it got a sudden shock of pain and then just went limp. I thought for weeks I killed it and was in a dark place for a long time. I know they were rejected because they were all sick from birth now, but it still bothers me. The same cat later had more kittens which were all healthy and she took fine care of. Sometimes, we aren’t meant to intervien. For whatever cruel reason I try and think that for some reason it just wasn’t meant to be.
The best thing you can do is just be there with him. If he wants to be with you then I’d just honor his wishes. I’m sure even if he did realize that something you did made him sick he would forgive you. It’s not your fault. These things happen and right now you are his mother and I’m sure he is scared.
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Dreamscape, Orion, Poison Dart, Fireberry, Spangler + Tigerberry Dragons*hugs* I am so sorry. I almost killed one of my bettas once through a dumb blunder, and there is nothing like that sort of guilt. I really hope this little guy pulls through for you, but at least he got to know a little more about life and love due to your care.
Words feel so futile. Just try to forgive yourself and give him all the kindness you can.
Hang in there, he’s still alive, and as long as he is, there is hope. I pray he pulls through. But if he doesn’t don’t beat yourself up too badly, these little ones are fragile and it is easy to make a mistake.
You’ve raised these guys successfully in the past, one failure doesn’t mean you can’t do it, sometimes things just go wrong. It’s like being thrown off a horse, it isn’t a matter of IF, it is a matter of WHEN, basically something like this is bound to happen when you are dealing with something so tiny and fragile.
So don’t punish yourself, just love the little one for as long as you can and give him the companionship and comfort he needs for now.
Hang in there. Lots of hugs!
Kyrin
Pam,
This doesn’t sound like there is liquid or food in his lungs. This sounds like a crop problem- impaction, infection, or burn. You may already know this- and if so I apologize for feeding you info you may already know. I’ve handraised hundreds of birds, among them a few doves. The feathers falling out of the chest and discoloration are very strong signs of a problem in the crop.
If it’s an impaction, this happens for a number of reasons but it means the crop does not drain properly into the digestive system. Sometimes it is as simple as having a vet loosen the impaction. A crop impaction is survivable if tended to immediately.
If it is an infection or “sour crop”, sometimes you can smell it on their breath… like a sick kid with a sore throat, it just smells bad. Again, a vet is needed for the proper medication and to test for gram negative bacteria. This can happen for a number of reasons, including feeding formula that is too cool, not keeping feeding tubes really clean, not using fresh food, etc etc. Sometimes it just happens even when we are very careful though.
I’ve never dealt with a crop burn before, but if you are not careful with the temperature of the formula it’s possible to cause burns inside the crop. I don’t know personally how it is treated. I do know from stories that it doesn’t always immediately cause the bird to cry out or move as if in pain; they don’t seem to know they are injured until they are already burned.A good avian vet can help you out! If you can, take your little guy as soon as possible. Lots of baby birds survive crop problems but they need to be tended to ASAP. Good luck!!
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My art: featherdust.comIt sounds like something was damaged it the crop itself (when it “went down hard”), ’cause they tend to drown more immediately if it goes into the lungs. If the crop itself was damaged, he can recover! Take him to the vet, as suggested, and meanwhile keep him warm & safe and feed him hardboiled egg yolk dissoved in water (just drop it off your finger) until he’s really ready to eat again. Whatever happens, remember that you gave him a better chance & more happiness than if he’d been left to die outside. I really hope it all turns out well; I know I bawl whenver I lose a rescued animal. (But I also cry when they live & I let ’em go)
I am so sorry Pam. I agree with Nam, it sounds like a crop problem. I hope everything comes out okay but like others have said, don’t beat your self up over it. You are doing your best and thats what counts!
I don’t know anything about birds, but I hope your pigeon gets better. Everybody makes mistakes, I have had experiences where my accidents have hurt a pet. It hurts a lot, but try not to feel guilty. Best wishes.
I’ve raised quite a few young pigeons from various stages, and despite the bad press they get, I really like them. So my heart goes out to you for what you’re going through right now. 😥
Nam is almost certainly right about this being a crop impaction, burn, or stasis. It’s also possible that the crop ruptured (sorry to bring up another possibility when you’re already feeling stressed). But this is definitely crop. The feathers are falling off of his neck because the skin underneath them is angry and bruised. And the skin is angry because there’s something irritating going on underneath it. That’s going to be in the crop.
A few things, though. First off, crop impactions happen to even the most seasoned wildlife rehabbers. The formula just isn’t the same consistency as what the parent pigeons feed their chicks, so it can glob up in there sometimes and fail to pass. And crop burns also happen. Formula doesn’t heat evenly, and hot spots will occur. I want you to know that even the experts have trouble with these problems. You’re not a bad person . . . just having some bad luck. 🙁
Second, it’s a really good idea if you can get this kid in to see a vet. Antibiotics will be important. And a ruptured crop might be able to be stitched. The important thing is not to wait. I wish I wasn’t writing this on a Saturday evening, when most places are going to be closed until Monday. Please get the chick in to be seen tomorrow, because he’s going to need some help. Don’t wait until Monday. There’ll be a wicked infection by Monday.
Third, pigeons are not native to the continental US, so there are no laws against keeping them. You will not be cited by Fish & Game for having one, even if his parents were wild birds. If you had a native bird (meaning anything but a pigeon, a starling, or an English sparrow) then they’d ask you to surrender him. But nobody can legally demand that you give this guy up. You probably already know this, but anyway I thought I should mention it.
Pigeons are tough little birds. I’ve had them pull through some nasty stuff (including one bird that landed in a hot, idling fighter jet engine). They can heal up a lot of things once the infection is stopped. Please take him, Sunday, to a vet that sees birds and let them try to help him. The wildlife rehab group can surely help you find a good vet. It’s worth a go.
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