Odd lump on neck

[Hamster Girl]

Hey all -

 

In my neighborhood, we are prone to injured birds via cars or summer heat waves. Upon finding them, my neighbors kind o fcorral them until I can be found an dthen tell me about it. Being the bleeding heart I am, I am bound by unwritten rules of empathy to atleast go look at the birds.

 

Yesterday, my neighbor's dog Abby got ahold of a pigeon, and they were all freaked that it might have been one of mine. Luckily it wasn't but true to nature, they passed the bird off to me. Now, it seems fine, albeit, a few less feathers than it had before. S/he survived the night, ate some of the seed I have for my birds right out of my hand, and drank deeply of the water I provided.

I grabbed it this morning since it seemed more frisky - and I noticed that it could easily flap the right wing, and could only extend, to an extent, the left. This is not a big concern, I figure it was damaged yesterday atleast a little when Abby was mouthing on it.

My concern falls on it's neck/upper throat area, about an inch below the eye, maybe less than an inch.. There is a bulbous, wart like protrusion - much too large and it sticks out way to much to be a simple lump.

 

Now, it could well may be a wart, but is there anything else, in your collective knowledge of what it could be?

 

 

Thank you in advance,

 

HG

 

If I can get photo's of it later on, after I get home from work, I'll do so and attach them.

[Guest]

Bird's ear is around there. Its just an open hole in the neck lightly covered by feathers. Maybe been damaged in the attack?

[Hamster Girl]

Possibly, though, if it were damaged, would the ruptured (I assume) drum protrude through the hole?

 

I'll be right back, I'm going to run out back and check.

[Hamster Girl]

No, it isn't the ear/drum...

Going diagonal, right ear drum down towards the crop, perhaps a half inch away.

 

Thanks though for the suggestion, Bruno.

[sammy]

bird not extending wings completely means there is something else lurking and would hazzard a guess as being salmonella  

[Hamster Girl]

But that's the thing, were it salmonella, are there other things I can look for?

 

And, could a possibility be that it can't open it's wing entirely because it was hanging out in a dogs mouth for a period of time?

It's only the one wing, as when I held it this morning, it flapped on of them fine trying to get away from me, and it struggled to extend the other, got it about halfway before it gave up.

[Simeon Turner]

bird not extending wings completely means there is something else lurking and would hazzard a guess as being salmonella  

 

That's what I was thinking Sammy, it is also possible for lumps to appear on the neck of pigeons if it is the dreaded Salmonella / P:aratyphoid - I would monitor the pigeon over the next few days and see if it improves - definately don't put it in your loft just in case, and throughly was your hands after handling it - you never know.

[Guest]

Must admit I did not consider illness, reckoned it was injured and that was down to the dog's attack. But then again, how did the dog catch it? Was it already lame perhaps from a previous tussle with something?

 

The fact that the bird is eating & drinking well takes me back to thinking its an injury rather than illness. The lump has me stumped, unlikely to be a canker node in throat, otherwise the bird would have bother swallowing. Pic job I think.  

 

But agree with last post  - remember the rules - keep it isolated from your other birds and always deal with it last.

[Hamster Girl]

Righto, thanks gang! I went out to see it this morning, and actually let it out of the cage/pen I have it in and it tottered about a few steps, then ran all over my back yard - which must have made for an interesting sight for my dad through the living room window.. As I am wearing bright pink plaid pajama pants and fuzzy slippers while trying to catch the bird, running around the whole back yard, one end to the other, and hoping it doesn't fall in the pool.

{No way was I jumping in after it, water's down to like 50 degrees F, and I have been sick the past few days. It would have to hope it would float long enough for me to dig up the net.}

 

Anyhow, photo's will be taken soon, and posted either now, or when I get home from work -  

I know with Avian Botulism, they lose the ability to unclench their feet, and don't recognize the need to blink their eyes when something is getting too close.. So are there any calling cards of said salmonella?

[Tony C]

Take a look at this site, it may help

 

http://www.nwhc.usgs.gov/publications/field_manual/

[Hamster Girl]

Based on the map shown on that link (thank you, by the way) there has been no outbreak where I am from 1983 to 1997 - and granted that was ten years ago - give or take a few days - but found that in February/March of '07, Peter Pan and Great Value Peanut Butters, beginning with the serial code of 2111 contained, or atleast seemed to make people ill with, foodborne salmonellosis.

 

Deelishus.

 

Will be photographing soon.

[Hamster Girl]

These are of the lump, full-view for best effect - my camera is not the greatest at five years old. =/

 

 

[Hamster Girl]

And, for some of the wing, taken from both sides of the bird in it's makeshift shoe-box nest..

This is why I think it's an injury versus salmonella - though the wart-thing on it's neck has me a bit nervous.

In both photo's, it's the same wing - both seem to show the bird carrying it lower than it does the right wing.

 

 

[Hamster Girl]

Unfortunately the bird died over this weekend before I could get him in to the biology professor on my college campus. She told me I could bring him in and she would check out his lump, and see if there was anything we could do about his wing.. But, the fellow passed on during a rain "storm" we had on Saturday.

 

In a sense I feel like he was better off, as he was wild and IMO if his wing couldn't heal - he'd imprint on me. Not something that would be good for him..

 

So I guess his death was both a benefit and a loss.

Reh... Well, that's a closed case now.

 

Thanks all for the suggestions and advice.