Dealing with wild pigeons in practice. Part 1: triage, handling, housing, first aid and euthanasia

Background : Pigeons and collared doves (from the family Columbidae) are two of the most frequent species of wildlife casualty in the UK. Common reasons for admissions include injury, including being caught by cats, and being ‘orphaned’. In a 10‐year study of bird admissions to a UK wildlife hospital, 41.3 per cent were due to human‐related causes (such as cat or dog attacks, poisoning, or pollution), while 26.9 per cent were the result of being orphaned. Despite the frequency of admission, knowledge of how to triage and provide care for wildlife is inadequate because wildlife veterinary care is often not included in veterinary education. Aim of the article : Part one of this article will look at triage, assessment, handling, housing, first aid and euthanasia of pigeon species admitted to veterinary practice. Part two will focus on basic diagnostic techniques and common clinical conditions. Wound cleaning and fracture immobilisation is also first aid but will be covered in part two.