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Having treated a Rock dove for a ruptured air sac last week, I thought the problem was solved.
Two days later he came back to the door with his balloon neck again filled with air from the rupture !
I thought there was no way he would walk in the door again after the first experience, but I was astonished to see him come in the doorway for the second time! Since then I have extracted the air twice a day and given him a course of antibiotics as well. Initially I was taking out a dozen syringes full of air twice a day, after a week I am now only getting 1 syringe full once a day.
This rupture must have been severe and I think he has been hit by a vehicle on the left side, half his tail feathers are missing, and he has a bare patch on the left underside as well.
I am fairly certain he is almost healed and hopefully can let him rejoin his flock soon, I am lucky I got a second chance to solve the problem .
Meanwhile he is confined to the Aviary and looking much better, as the pics show.
For the past 10 days I have noticed a Rock dove in the garden with what appeared to be a huge growth on it's neck or crop. I mentioned this to trust member and pigeon man Paul Thomson, and he said it may have been in collision with something and this could have ruptured the air bags within the neck causing the inflated crop.
Today while feeding the garden birds I got the surprise of my life when the injured rock dove ventured into my front doorway. I slowly closed the door and trapped it on the window ledge.
Mindful of my recent bout of pneumonia caught from close contact with pigeons, I quickly put on a special mask I bought before wrapping the bird in a towel. I could feel no tumour growth so came to the conclusion that this was indeed trapped air from an accident.
Having had a collapsed lung myself about 13 years ago, I remembered how the doctors in Raigmore hospital re-inflated the lung by inserting a needle into the chest cavity and drawing the air from the chest with a syringe.
Using a syringe from my wildlife medical kit I basically did the same to the rock dove - except I was deflating the crop area. After drawing 3 syringes full of air, the crop size was reduced by more than half.
The rock dove was content and seemed to realise I was helping it, now feeding and acting normally where previously it could not,
because the air filled area was pushing it's head to the right and blocking it's sight on the left with protruding feathers.
On release it walked out the door and immediately started eating normally...job done, it made my day !!
