Pigeon nearly made me throw up! (pics)

[Ashling]

I found a pigeon in the aviary so I caught it and was going to let it go before I noticed its foot was mutated. I looked closer and found a piece of string wrapped so tightly around that it had cut into the foot, the skin had grown over it and the foot had swollen and rotted in some places. YUCK! So I took the fellow inside, grabbed the scissors and cut one piece of the string. It didn't come away easily and I had to tug at the poor thing's foot. I unwrapped the whole piece of string, having to cut it at a few places. Finally the flesh started to crumble away. Ew. I picked some of this rotted flesh out with my fingers and it left gaping holes/ gaps in the bird's foot. This is where I nearly threw up, and I am NOT a queasy person. I completely cleaned out the gaps and smothered it in sterile saline solution. I got some pics cause I happened to have my camera handy. I don't like wild pigeons at all, but I couldn't just leave his foot to rot off!

String wrapped tightly in and around the foot, with a bit sticking off. One toe already missing.


He's actually a spotted turtle dove but around here we just call them pigeons. I love his eyes.


Top of the foot, all fixed up.


Bottom of the foot


Looking good, mister pigeon!


Free again

[sailorkelly]

Your other birds must have told him you would help him. lol

[brdfvr]

Great job Mel! He surely would have lost that other middle toe if it wasn't for you! I'm surprised it didn't bleed!

[EmilyGrace]

Poor little guy! That must have really hurt! Kudos to you for helping him!

[usamma]

Wow!! I cant believe he still has that middle toe with good circulation and color! Poor thing!

[Ashling]

haha Kelly they would have been telling him to clear out quick, I'm always shooing the damn pigeons away cause they eat my chicken feed and give them lice! This one was lucky I guess.

brdfvr and usamma- I thought the middle one was going to drop off any second! It looks so precarious, I think it might actually fall off if the skin doesn't regenerate. I actually got down to blood, but only an ant's head sized drop and it didn't "bleed."

Thanks Emily, I think it must have hurt when I was pulling out the string cause he started breathing heavily but hopefully it was pretty numb already due to the blood circulation being reduced and nerve endings dying.

[Sandybottomsmn]

I find stray animals and injured wild life all the time...I really think they have some other sense on where to go when they need help. Good job!!! Hes a lucky guy. Although all the pigeons in MN are missing toes and parts of their feet, if not the whole foot! We call them sky rats, I think they can recover from anything!!

[Ashling]

Yeah pigeons and seagulls always have missing legs/ toes! They are quite hardy. Here we call them rats with wings :) I like them as individuals, but I have no fondness for flocks of feral pests.

[xafsmom]

He'll lose two of those toes, but he'll adapt. He'd be far worse off if you hadn't helped him! He's adorable! Good job, doc!

[xafsmom]

Originally Posted by Ashling

Yeah pigeons and seagulls always have missing legs/ toes! They are quite hardy. Here we call them rats with wings :) I like them as individuals, but I have no fondness for flocks of feral pests.

That's how I refer to the Teenager's friends!!