Sugar, 2 weeks old

On Thursday, June 12th, when SFACC shelter veterinarian Dr. Chris Anderson called asking for help with a splay-legged baby pigeon surrendered to them the day before, I almost burst into tears- not for Sugar, but for the impossibility of the situation. We are asked to help more birds than we have resources. We couldn’t help her- we already owed thousands of dollars in vet bills for Truffles, Speckles, Fluffball, Donut, Fella, Stella, Penny… And we couldn’t not help her. Because of her leg deformity, she was stranded flat on her tummy, unable to walk or even stand up. She would be euthanized as unadoptable.

Splay-legged baby homing pigeon Sugar unable to stand

Sometimes splay-legs, if treated early enough, can be corrected inexpensively with hobbles (and pain meds) to force and hold the legs in place until the muscles are able to take over, but not always. It depends on the positioning and structure of the bones. Sometimes surgery (always expensive) is required to break, rotate and reposition the bones. Without knowing what Sugar would need but knowing we couldn’t afford either, Medical Center for Birds generously agreed to try and help Sugar pro bono. I picked Sugar up from the shelter and one of our volunteers drove her the 60 miles (one way) to Oakley.

Severely deformed

Sugar’s case was difficult. She appeared to need breaks in both legs which would prolong surgery and increase the risks. And her bones were too small for threaded pins which would complicate recovery and lessen the likelihood of a successful outcome. The vets studied the baby pigeon, conferred and debated the possibilities. On the morning that she was scheduled to have surgery, Dr. Kane tried, against logic, to see if Sugar could tolerate being hobbled and taped into standing position on a snowboard style fixator. And, if she could, what it might achieve.

Sugar’s feet beneath her for the first time

To everyone’s surprise, they were able, despite her funky physiology, to get a potentially functional posture. She was monitored and rebandaged every day.

Sugar, June 20

Sugar stands proud, June 21

Once Sugar found her feet, she never looked back.

Dr. Kane & Sugar, discharged June 27

So much preening to do!

Sugar helping with E-mail

That’s a lot of E-mail!

Sugar’s hobbles working great!

Sugar rocking her cute baby fuzz

Sugar’s first humane education presentation

Sugar on a hobble-free break

Looking forward to a happy future

MickaCoo is a volunteer-powered, donation-supported project of Community Initiatives. If you can, please support our work with a tax deductible donation.

Thank you for helping MickaCoo to help Sugar and so many others.

Sugar thanks you!

Aurora in need of rescue

If Aurora could write this post, I imagine it would go something like this:

Thank you for helping me! My name is now Aurora. As a young racing pigeon on one of my first flights, I got injured and grounded. The people who found me were well-intentioned but uniformed and they kept me in an unsafe and uncomfortable enclosure. They never got me any help for my broken, backward leg and, while I healed the best I could on my own, I was miserable. I was in pain, scared and lonely.

But not any more. Now I am safe! On the Fourth of July, even though MickaCoo is full, their volunteer appeared to truly rescue me. She held me carefully with loving hands and spoke gently to reassure me. She took me to her home in a crate lined with an extra soft towel to provide relief to my tortured feet and aching legs. She scritched my head and loved on me and the very next day I was at the vet getting expert care.

While I have a long recovery ahead of me, I already feel so much better! I’m getting proper food, lots of love, vet care for my wounds and pain medicine to help me through. I’ve been x-rayed and the doctors at Medical Center for Birds are conferring about how best to surgically repair my leg. There is hope that I will be able to walk again! I am so happy that they are having a hard time keeping me from celebrating with baths in my small water dish. I am saved! None of this would have been possible if not for your generous support. Thank you!

When “MickaCoo is full”, it means that our foster homes and aviaries are full up, that we have more expenses than funding and more work than people-power to get it done.

And we are full. But on Friday, July Fourth, when I received emailed photos showing two pigeons being kept in completely unsafe and inhumane conditions, we had to save them. I reached out to MickaCoo volunteer Jill and, despite the holiday, she dropped everything to help.

Jill picks up the story:

Arriving to pick up the pigeons, there were dogs, big and small, milling about the front yard, barking and jumping. When I picked the broke-leg racing pigeon now named Aurora up off the wire cage floor, I could immediately see that she was dealing with not only a broken leg healed wrong but a ‘good’ foot/leg that was seriously compromised. Her racing band was cutting into her swollen leg and I was not surprised to see she had bumblefoot, a condition common among birds and rodents housed on wire. It’s very painful.

Broke-leg racer kept standing on wire in unsafe cage

The wing-injured pigeon housed in the backyard (now named Indy) had been attacked by the neighbor’s dog. Despite the lack of treatment, her injury has healed, though she can’t fly. She was kept in a makeshift cage fashioned out of chain link fence, boards and wire leaned together haphazardly. There were huge gaps and it’s a miracle she wasn’t killed by predators. 

Wing-injured racer in unsafe, make-shift enclosure

 Aurora seemed to know I was there to help her. As soon as I put her in the padded crate, she went crazy eating pigeon feed! Yay! Good and proper pigeon grub! After getting this little bird home, she quickly settled into a nicely padded cage and welcomed neck scritches gratefully. I can only imagine how good it felt to have some relief and proper care. 

Aurora’s untreated broken leg healed backwards

Her ‘good’ leg was swollen, infected and painful

Aurora loving Jill’s loving care

Indy has settled nicely in one of my aviaries and is now defending ‘her territory’ with great fervor. She’ll be married (if she is really a hen) soon I imagine, since we have lots of bachelor pigeons.

Indy is safe & happy now

The very next day, Jill was at Medical Center for Birds with Aurora. MickaCoo depends on your donations to fund this work and we really need your help to pay for Aurora’s veterinary care and surgery.

Foster volunteer Jill comforting Aurora

Aurora’s too tight band was Dremeled off her swollen leg

Radiographs show multiple breaks

Aurora’s infected feet are treated & bandaged

Aurora underwent surgery to rebreak and correctively reposition her backwards leg on Wednesday, July 9th. I’ll post that chapter of her story in the coming week.

Aurora hospitalized pre-surgery

Please help us to help birds like Aurora when there is no where else for them to turn. Please support our work with your life-saving donation.

TO BE CONTINUED: Aurora’s Triumph