Baby pigeon or dove, legs not functioning, paralysed, limp, metabolic bone disease

Baby pigeons and doves  (specially wood pigeons and collared doves) that have a calcium and vitamin D3 deficiency will be unable to use their legs, sometimes the legs will trail behind them as they try to use their wings to drag themselves along. Other common symptoms of this condition are a “rubbery” beak and feathers that delay in coming out of their sheaths, so that they look like little “tufts” at the top of a stalk.

Case history : Doveling

When this little dove was found her legs were completely limp and she was dragging them behind her as she pulled herself along with her wings.   I   placed her legs in the right position using the same method that I used for Gonzo. then I made little tubes of self adhesive bandage, placed her feet around the tubes as if she was perching and taped them into place with more self adhesive bandageWhen working with doves it is important to work slowly and gently and to watch out for signs of stress (eg open beaked breathing) because they can die of a heart attack if they are stressed.  As soon as the bird shows any signs of stress stop working on it and leave it alone and quiet.

I gave Doveling Calcivet and access to natural sunlight.  The tremendous improvement in the state of her legs is apparent in this video, Doveling is in the foreground.