My dove has an infected eye. How can I treat it without a vet?

Skin part needs to be treated as it was infected. Disinfection with diluted betadine solution or salted water. Antibiotics may be needed as well, depending on the severity of it. I would anyway recommend a check up at your local vet. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation (where you can post pictures ) if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

It would be best to try and bring the bird to your vet ASAP to have it treated as the eye and beak both look like there may be a pox or other sort of infection irritating it. You can use a clean washcloth to remove any debris from the eye to help keep it open and more comfortable. Making sure to keep the bird away from any other pets or people is also a good idea to prevent the spread of any illness until it can be treated by your vet.

The eye is quite badly damaged and I would not expect it to return to normal. Chlamydia psittaci is an infection that can cause eye disease, but I would expect that the other eye or nose would be affected as well if this was the primary problem. My suspicion is that the eye was damaged by something. This often happens when they bump it into something or are fighting. The doxycycline is OK at that dose and rate. I would give this for only five days. You can help keep the eye from getting infected and help it heal by getting a good medicated eye drop from the pharmacy. A broad spectrum antibiotic/antifungal/antiinflammatory would be best. It's best to apply it to the eye six times a day, or as much as you can. Give this until the outside of the eye does not look red and swollen. Also, gently wipe away the crusts around the eye with warm water once a day. The eye will continue to have changes and will probably look worse and more sunken as time goes on, but they can adapt to this condition. If you are able to bring the bird to a veterinarian, they can offer other treatment options. I hope that helps and the bird gets better soon.

Thanks for reaching out about Bacon. Systemic antibiotics could be helpful. Keep the wound clean. Offer small amounts of food and water, at frequent intervals as to not over-extend the crop. Good luck.

No. The best course of action for small wounds is to keep the area clean and dry, and to prevent Tweety from picking at the area (you can Google how to make a bird-sized Elizabethan (cone) collar.) If the wound appears infected, is oozing debris or bothersome, or isn't healing, then the best course of action is to have it looked at by a vet in person so it can be cleaned thoroughly and antibiotics given.

Unfortunately, there isn't much other advice I can give over the internet. If the infection hasn't been clearing with current treatment, it may be time to try and seek out a specialist in your area, or perform additional tests such as blood work or X-rays to try and rule out other issues such as tumors, growths or underlying illness that is preventing it from healing. Keeping your bird separated from other birds, and applying an Elizabethan (cone) collar (they have these for birds or you can look up online how to make one) can also help the area to heal without allowing your bird or other birds to continue picking at it and making the infection worse. Keeping the area clean and treated can also help until you can find the ultimate cause of it.

Keep it clean and dry. You can dab it with diluted Betadine or chlorhexidine (Hibiclens) daily. If it doesn't begin to heal in a few days or is actively bleeding, see your veterinarian or an experienced avian vet. Monitor for lethargy, loss of appetite or loose droppings. These are also symptoms that should be addressed by your vet.