Hi Annker
Well my day has just deteriorated as the hours have passed!
My little dove slept all morning in the box provided and seemed to perk up a bit. Went out for a shopping trip with daughter this afternoon and on return the little dove seemed to be on his way to recovery.
As I approached the box it flew across the garden straight into the fence and lay lifeless once again. Unsure of what to do, I put it back in the box and rang the vet – who I have to say was completely disinterested!
So I rang the Kibworth wildlife centre who were nothing short of BRILLIANT and they agreed to take him in.
It didn’t take them long to diagnose the problem. The dove had canker in its crop and the poor little thing must have been exhausted, because it was literally starving to death!
They advised me that canker is a fungus, that grows in the crop when the birds eat damp/wet seed. And as if that’s not bad enough, they pass the fungus on to their babies.
Apparently if it’s caught in time the canker is very easy to treat, with successful outcome. But my little dove was just to poorly to have a tablet or a pipe put down it’s throat , so the only option was to put him out of its misery.
That poor little dove had two chicks this year and the are often in my garden. At least now I know what was wrong with the adult, I am better equipped to recognise the problem in others.
And I will be bringing all the bird seed into the house whenever there is a threat of rain!
Who knew damp bird seed is a killer!
You take care
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