Health guide
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Not every sick pigeon fits an infectious-disease label. Poisoning, nutritional imbalance, organ disease, tumours, overheating, starvation and other conditions can produce similar signs.
How to recognise it
- Any persistent change in appetite, weight, droppings, breathing, posture, balance or behaviour deserves assessment.
- Neurological signs can result from trauma, infection, toxins, nutritional disease or organ failure.
- Photos, video, daily weight and fresh-dropping samples help a veterinarian or experienced rescuer triage the case.
Usual treatment approach
- Start with safe containment: a ventilated, dark, quiet box, minimal handling and separation from other birds.
- Treatment depends on the cause and may require bloodwork, faecal/crop tests, imaging or toxicology or maybe trial broad-spectrum antibiotics if the vet considers it necessary.
- Collapse, seizures, open-mouth breathing, active bleeding, inability to stand or rapid decline are emergencies.
Sources and further reading