Do vets take care of pigeons? ?

Question

i found it i dont know if its injured or what is wrong with it, it doesn't fly, it kinda tilts over when it tries to walk. can i take it to a vet or somewhere. will they charge me. maybee the bird is just old or something but i dint want to put it back in the street for some dogs to attack it. what should i do? d vets take in pigeons? i dont know nothing about birds, i felt bad for it cause it was just there in the side of the stree when i went in to work then when i came out it was still there-no water no food, 106 degrees, very hot out side, thats why i brought it home, but now i dont know how to provide for it.

Answer 1

Yes vets can treat pigeons. They are perfectly capable. It does not have to be an avian vet, just one that has an interest in birds.  Many times this is all an avian vet is anyhow.  Many of them advertise as avian vets, but are not actually members of the AAV.   Call around to see if you can find a rehaber, or a bird rescue agency.  They will take care of him and have him treated...

Answer 2

Yes, there are vets who are avian specialist, but they're very expensive.

There's a fungal infection that affects pigeons (can't remember the name of it) and that's a probable cause of the problems with this bird.

There are two things you can do, but you'll need to do it quickly:

1) Birds have a very high metabolism and can suffer from lack of food and water much more quickly than humans. You need to get some liquids into the bird. The best thing is Pedialite, or similar product. You can usually get it at the grocery store - it's sold to keep sick infants from getting dehydrated. DON'T try to use Gatorade or oe of the sports drinks, they have ingredients that are harmful to birds.

2) If there's a well-stocked pet store in your area, you can buy a liquid form of sulfa drug. This may help and it's not too expensive.

Getting these liquids into a wild bird that is unaccustomed to being handled by humans is going to be difficult. Be very careful not to squeeze the bird too hard while trying to hold it. You may have to force the beak open and administer liquids via a eye dropper. It may be easier if you wrap the bird up in a towel.

Good luck.