A dying sparrow

[Jose Diablo]

Walked to the mailbox and noticed a sparrow in the drive. The sparrow was panting hard and even when turning it upside down continued to just pant like trying to get more air. Didn't even try to right itself.

I am in the greater Atlanta area. Not to be an alarmist, and only in the interest of reporting something unusual, could this be the avian flu thats been in the news lately.

I've never seen a bird act like this in the past. Don't birds generally go someplace out of the way to die? Had to hit it very hard very fast to end up just parking itself on my drive. The neighborhood is loaded with cats, can't imagine a bird just sitting right out in the open.

Anyway, I'm gonna go move the bird to a more out of the way place.

[BillZBubb]

Could be West Nile or a bird that flew into something.

Any houses with large plate glass windows nearby?

The Avian Flu at this point is only known to be in Asia so far.

[MuseRider]

1. West Nile?

Call your county extension office and see if they take in dead birds. Ours does and then they test them.

[Tanuki]

2. West Nile Virus

afflicts birds in your area and is a more likely possibility. Then again, sparrows, like anything else, have a limited life span, so maybe it just died of "old age"!

[electron_blue]

3. It might have been attacked by a hawk, I've seen that before

It's probably not the flu. But where I work, we report all dead birds we find to "the authorities". For west nile, not for avian flu. I'm sure you could report it if you wanted.

Poor birdie.

[Horse with no Name]

4. Don't touch the bird with your hands

It is probably West Nile. Call your county extension agent and ask if they want the bird.

[Atman]

5. You should give it mouth-to-mouth

Then snuggle it close to your chest for warmth.

Oh, no, wait...probably don't want to do that. Never mind.

[Jack from Charlotte]

53. Mouth to beak......*

[jeanarrett]

6. Google panting bird.

I did and mostly it says overheated or dehydrated. Must get into shade or cool off in a birdbath. Apparently, birds can commonly get overheated and pant.

[kick-ass-bob]

7. heart attack.

that is not uncommon in birds, I had a large bird die in my driveway and that was the most common explanation I got (and from DUers)

[Jose Diablo]

8. The bird is still alive

Can't be a heart attack and its cool in Atlanta today. I doubt it's overheated. No large glass windows nearby.

I am not gonna call the extension service and I moved the bird back closer to the woods and made a small nest with pine needles for it. Wore rubber gloves, BTW.

I am gonna forget about it, but like I said, never seen a bird do this before. For me it's a new experience seeing a bird die like this.

[kick-ass-bob]

9. just curious, but how do you know it can't be a heart attack?

These are the warning signs for humans:
# Uncomfortable pressure, fullness, squeezing or pain in the center of the chest lasting more than a few minutes.
# Pain spreading to the shoulders, neck or arms. The pain may be mild to intense. It may feel like pressure, tightness, burning, or heavy weight. It may be located in the chest, upper abdomen, neck, jaw, or inside the arms or shoulders.
# Chest discomfort with lightheadedness, fainting, sweating, nausea or shortness of breath.
# Anxiety, nervousness and/or cold, sweaty skin.
# Paleness or pallor.
# Increased or irregular heart rate.

Since the shortness of breath is basically the only thing you could tell from looking at a bird, how can you know that?

[Jose Diablo]

10. I don't 'know' it's not a heart attack

Just figured that if it was in flight or in a tree and vapor locked it would die very fast and generally if it fell from a tree it would be under the tree. It was in front of the gargage door, no trees within 25 feet or so.

I guess it could have pulled a Fred Sanford and managed to land.

It's probably nothing, just a dying bird. Like I said, it's never been seen by me before so it seemed unusual.

[insane_cratic_gal]

43. I have seen that

Bird die of a heart attack. My cat got a hold of one once. There were no puncture marks it was merely stunned and scared stiff. I could pick it up and everything it just panted like you stated.

It took awhile for it to die. A good 30 mins at least before it just ceased to breathe any longer.

[AirAmFan]

11. Latest WH application of Marketing 101: BIRDS are their new "psychological

ANCHOR" for a decades-old message -- only the Republican Party can protect you from ... ???

(the bogeyman of the moment). The new one is ... BIRDS! Especially dead birds, or sick birds, or birds seeming to be administered injections by gloved people in white coats.

"Terra" doesn't cut it any more--look at Dubya's poll numbers. And World Communism long ago was strangled by infections of capitalist greed.

What better new bogeyman than bird flu? A guest on CNN today gave middle America the ultimate scare: When the 1918 influenza epidemic hit WWI troops, their bodies were so devastated that it often was impossible to tell whether a corpse was BLACK or WHITE!

Millions who succumb to this new propaganda will shudder whenever they see a sparrow, starling, pigeon--ANY BIRD! ... Then they'll find comfort in thoughts of Big Brother Cheney, or of Little Brother Dubya. Their security blankets, even though they've squandered trillions of dollars to actually DESTROY strong pre-2000 disaster protection and relief capabilities.

TV "news" producers can get into this game simply by showing birds in flight or -- better yet -- birds being examined by ornithologists. Extremely cheap stories to produce--all that you need is a camera and a bird.

[Catrina]

17. You're so right

After the Nightline show the other evening, a friend called and was totally upset by it. I saw the show, and since it had Sen. Frist as an 'expert' on bird flu, instead of to explain his problems with insider trading, I dismissed it.

I told her that once the Bush regime tells me anything, I do not even listen, let alone believe it. She despises the Bush regime, thinks it's the most corrupt in our history, but still got mad at me for not taking the bird fly story seriously.

So, it works, terrorizing people is easy. And as you say, they can't use 9/11 anymore, it's outgrown it's usefulness as a political tool, due to over-saturation, and so much other horror brought to us by the neocons, not to mention Katrina and Rita.

A new terror attack won't work, he already has lost his carefully crafted PR picture of being the 'security president' after Katrina. Another attack would finish him.

But who can blame him for 'Bird 'fly'? Personally, I know that even if it is true, in their hands, it will be way worse than it needs to be.

A real president, concerned about his country, would immediately order that enough vaccine be made available, whatever it takes, buying up patents, whatever!! But what does Bush do? He talks aboug coralling it with the Military!!!

I called my friend, and said 'I told you so'. She is wavering, not sure what to think. But she's a liberal, imagine how terrified the fundies will be.

And remember that Scooter told Judith she would be covering such things when she came 'back to work ~ and to life'.

Sorry about the sparrow, but it's not unusual for them to die like that. People in the country often find dead or dying birds. Poor little bird! :crying:

Glad you moved him and gave him a quiet place to die. Maybe he won't. Sometimes they revive and fly away ~

[AirAmFan]

19. 'No animals were harmed in the production of this "news" segment'... It may

be only a matter of weeks or months before we see such a "crawl" across the bottom of a screen ....

[FlaGranny]

12. It could possibly we West Nile.

Or the bird could just be old and dying. It is very strange when you think about it - we rarely actually SEE animals that have died from old age or illness, do we? When they feel bad, I guess they hide themselves away and the scavengers get to them first, before we ever see them.

[pitohui]

18. yes west nile can cause neurological effects

as can other forms of encephalitis such as avian or st. louis encephalitis

the person can't tell just by looking

the gloves were unnecessary, you can't catch any of these diseases from the bird only from the mosquitoes

[neweurope]

13. Can't you please kill it? I hate it when animals suffer.

A large stone or a shovel ought to do.

------------

Remember Fallujah

Bush to The Hague!

[pitohui]

16. why not give the sparrow a chance

i have seen birds hit their heads & spasm w. panting from the impact, yet if i take in the bird for a few hrs it can safely fly away, i've done this w. species from flicker to a little chickadee

agreed, if it IS west nile the bird will not survive but you don't KNOW it's west nile, give it it's chance

older birds do have strokes etc. altho this i have only observed stroke w. captive birds, but wild birds can live a surprising amt of time

avian flu & avian encephalitis certainly do impact the usa southeast including atlanta but you could not catch these diseases from the bird so i see no reason for panic on part of the human

put the bird in a warm, safe place protected from predators like cats for a couple hrs, if it's a head injury it could be ready to fly away by then

[kestrel91316]

38. Had this happen with a hummingbird once, knocked himself out cold

hitting a window, and 5 minutes later he came to in my hands and righted himself, looked at me for a little bit, then flew away normally.

[Jose Diablo]

23. Sorry, but I cannot kill this little bird, update included

it is now 8:30pm where I am at, and the bird is still breathing. It is not overheated or any of those other things, I think it has something wrong with its lungs and cannot get air, thus it's just getting enough air to pant and live.

I'll keep yopu posted throughout the night checking-in every hour or so.

BTW, the nest seems to have it kept hidden from those evil cats in the neighborhood.

[Mojorabbit]

14. Look up wildlife rehabilitators

in your phone book and put it in a small box and take it to one. They can patch it up or euthanize it if needed. There are several things that can cause a bird to fall ill.

[Leftist_Warrior]

15. You never know

It's best not to touch or handle sick wild animals. God only knows what you can catch. If you did touch it, wash up immediately!!!

[AlienGirl]

30. Not much you can get from just touching a bird, AFAIK

The biggest danger, at least around here, is raccoon roundworm.

Zoonotic diseases are actually pretty rare; if you follow normal hygiene (wash before you eat, and after handling animals) you should be okay.

Tucker

[Ladyhawk]

34. Psittacosis (or chlamydiosis) is the main zoonotic disease

you can get from birds, but it doesn't pass easily from birds to humans. There are, as yet, no cases of the new bird flu in the New World. Let's hope it stays that way!!!!!

Raccoon intestinal worms are nas-TEE. In animals that haven't evolved with raccoons--people and other "Old World" animals--the roundworm gets "confused" and instead of settling in the intestines, it travels to the brain. And yes, there is a high mortality rate. Luckily, people aren't often subjected to raccoon shit. :)

I would never have had three pet raccoons as a kid had I known this little factoid...oy! It must be a fairly difficult disease to contract because around 80% of all raccoons carry this particular intestinal worm. I was almost certainly exposed if the worms existed back then and there's no reason to suspect they didn't.

(I'm just winging this from memory. For the straight facts, GOOGLE is your friend.)

[kestrel91316]

39. That Baylisascaris sure is a nasty one, huh?

[AlienGirl]

41. I *like* my brain...and the idea of parasites in it scares me!

It scares me more than rabies, because there's a series of shots that can keep you from getting rabies if exposed...last I heard, there was no good treatment for worms-gone-amok.

I'm feeling creepy-crawlies just thinking about it... :scared:

Tucker

[kestrel91316]

42. Baylisascaris can kill normal, healthy adults, which makes it a MAJOR

public health issue. If any DUer has any raccoon "latrines" on their property, contact your public health dept for help in getting rid of them. Do not attempt to handle raccoon s--t without proper protection.

Rabies is pretty damned scary, too. I got exposed once and don't care to repeat it.

[MadHound]

20. Could be anything from what you've described.

Could have bounced off of somebody's car when they were driving by, could be the sparrow got into some pigeon poison, attacked by an animal, anything. I wouldn't panic terribly about this, but if you're curious, take it to a vet and find out.

[DS1]

21. A cat probably snagged it, played with it, and left it

[elfin]

22. Watch it closely - do not handle with bare hands

*If it dies, pop in ziploc and place in freezer and call an Agric. extension or university or natural history museum or something related to CDC to see if they want it to test it.

I do not know how West Nile or possible avian flu manifests itself in birds. Usually crows are the ones I associate with West Nile.

[pitohui]

24. fridge not freezer

never put a dead bird in the freezer, they're telling us to put them in the fridge now, but realistically in many areas where west nile is already confirmed they have discontinued testing dead birds for west nile, they have sufficient human cases

they no longer test birds in my parish for west nile, maybe not anywhere in the state

they can just test the humans who report symptoms

[kestrel91316]

40. Thank you, pitohui. FRIDGE, not freezer, please.

Nothing worse than trying to thaw out frozen remains and then trying to find out what that pile of STINKY MUSH died of.

[Jose Diablo]

25. Hourly update

Went to the store and got a six pack of Dos Equis XX Amber. Last time I was in Montreal I found out about this stuff. It's the best IMHO.

As for the sparrow, I have decided to give its vitals with each update.

Respiration = 90b/min approx. (its hard to count but I think it's about 3 breaths each second)

Temperature =101.3 deg F, is this normal for a sparrow?

Getting the temperature was hard to figure out, but I used my wifes rectal thermometer, she won't need it anyway. It was kinda hard to do this as there was no light except the flashlight, so I set-up my work lights (they are those dual 500 watt floods on a "T" stand you see in Home Depot generally used to work on automobiles). Set-up the lights on a 100 foot extension cord, gives plenty of light for tonight.

The sparrow seems more lax now, before it was holding it's head upright, now its more straight out. Maybe its snoozing?

No cats in area and that crummy republican dog from next door is locked in her house. So there is no predator problem, even with the lights.

Going to the garage for another DOS XX and prepare for the next vitals. To bad I cannot figure out a way to take the pulse.

I hope this isn't west nile, but the mosquitos are pretty much done this year down here so I doubt WNile can do much damage this time of year.

[BeHereNow]

26. Sounds like cat scratch fever-

Poor little thing.
Try to make her comfortable, but don't
put yourself at risk by handling her with out a towel
or gloves, just in case.
BHN

[AlienGirl]

27. Please find a wildlife rehabilitator--or go to the veterinary ER

Wildlife rehab centers have vets who can help the bird either get well, or provide it with a painless death. A wildlife vet will know things such as the proper body temperature for a sparrow.

This is highly unlikely to be bird flu. Life for wild birds is often difficult; they are prey to a variety of predators, plus there are the dangers humans cause. Most times when I've seen a bird panting and acting shocky, it was the result of trauma (from flying into windows, etc.) or of eating poison. (In some areas, "pest" species like sparrows are intentionally poisoned.)

That the bird's lying more flat is a very bad sign. :-( How far up its cloaca did you put the thermometer? You could have caused internal damage.

You can take the bird to a local veterinary emergency room, and they should be able to get it to a rehab center.

Tucker

[Crunchy Frog]

45. Yes, PLEASE take it to a rehabber.

I've worked in wildlife rehab for several years. They see lots of sick birds and may very well be able to tell what's wrong with this one.

For God's sake please don't use a rectal thermometer on the poor thing again.:scared:

[Mojorabbit]

28. Good grief!

There are wildlife rehabbers everywhere. I am one. They might be able to save the bird. People bring me birds all the time though I specialize in small mammals. At least give it a chance. Get out your phone book and call one.

[Darth Lib]

29. Found a dead dove this monring

in my backyard. Called the city. They said that they didn't care about it anymore.

[AlienGirl]

31. Also could be a busted keelbone, or fume exposure, or...

Panting in birds can have lots of causes. Along with lungs, birds have a series of air sacs throughout their bodies. Their respiratory systems are *ultra*-delicate: Febreze can sicken or kill birds.

The bird could have a broken bone and shock (my first guess, as it sounds like it's acting shocky), poisoning from fumes (anyone painting their house?), an infection from a cat scratch, internal injuries--the list goes on and on of things that are more likely to cause these symptoms than any human-contagious disease.

Please take it to a veterinary ER or wildlife rehabilitator.

I raised a sparrow from two-day-old chick to release last year; they're fun little birds.

Tucker

[Jose Diablo]

36. I've never thought too much about birds before

For some strange reason I paid attention to this one. Overall, I feel pretty good about this one pulling through. I think if I had just passed it by, it would have never made it. A cat would have got it or maybe it would have just died. Makes me wonder if sometimes all it takes is a little attention and living things somehow get better, not so much with medicine and stuff, just pay a little attention.

[texpatriot2004]

50. Jose Diablo you did a good thing helping the sparrow. Did it

make it? You are right that sometimes living things just need a little attention. I am sure it was no accident that the bird caught your eye. I love birds. Cardinals are my favorite but I like them all. I can't imagine living in a world without birds; not only do they serve a purpose (great gardners, birds and bees and all) but they are beautiful to watch and to hear.

[0rganism]

32. Not the avian flu, it's just another metaphor for the American Dream

Not to worry, unless you have a dream.

[meisje]

33. BIRDS DIE!! IT HAPPENS!!!!

I was painting my house and one flew right into the window and died instantly. Maybe it was mad bird disease? I think not.

[Jose Diablo]

35. Hourly update

I should have got 2 six packs of XX, only have about 1 and a half left. Gonna run out before the nights out.

Big progress on the sparrow though.

Respiration about the same, 90 breaths/min.

Tried to use a stethoscope but was unsuccessful in getting a heartbeat.

Big progress on the temperature reading though. It is still 101.3 deg F, but when I was taking the temperature the sparrow became much more lively. It turned it's head around and tried to peck me. Good thing I had those thick rubber gloves like for washing dishes. Fortunately for me, the gloves were not penetrated. I don't think sparrows like having their temperature taken with a rectal thermometer.

Anyway I held the sparrow firmly, careful to not squeeze it, but it kept squirming. Anyway when I finished and put the bird back in the nest, it defecated, a lot.

It then turned and looked at me, and hopped off into the woods.

Do birds get constipated? I don't think it had the flu.

Anyway, I think the vigil is over. I am gonna toss back the last of the beer and call it a night.

[Crunchy Frog]

46. Please don't use the rectal thermometer on the bird again.

There is no useful information you can get from it and you are at least traumatizing and at worst injuring the bird.

I have worked in wildlife rehabilitation for a long time and we would never do that in a million years.

[kestrel91316]

37. I don't know if sparrows get West Nile, but that comes to mind.

Maybe you should contact your county health department or county veterinarian (if there is one, lol) to see if they want to test it for anything.

Maybe they are doing surveillance for avian influenza - you never know.

[Crunchy Frog]

47. Yes, pretty much anything can get West Nile.

We've had tons of it the past couple of years in Colorado. It won't be of any interest to the health department unless you haven't already had it in your area.

If the mosquitos are no longer active, it most likely will not be West Nile, but there are alot of viruses that birds get.

[kestrel91316]

51. Cats don't get it. At least they don't get sick from it, but I think they

DO seroconvert.

[Crunchy Frog]

55. I didn't know that.

At the place I worked in Colorado, pretty much everything that we got, both birds and mammals, were coming in with it. Several people got it too, but not badly enough to get seriously ill.

[Beausoir]

44. Just when I think I've seen it all...

I read a post like this.

Jesus. Birds die. All the time. I love birds. But they die.

You obviously have a good heart...please put it to good use and volunteer to deliver Meals On Wheels.

[AlienGirl]

48. Incidentally, though you're probably sleeping it off now...

Body temperature actually tells you very little about the health of a bird, and then what you're usually looking for is to make sure the bird (if young or ill) is not too cold. The way you tell a bird's body temperature is by FEELING ITS FEET AND LEGS. The only time I've ever heard of an internal temperature (up the cloaca) being taken on a bird by a vet is during surgery.

If you ever find yourself caring for a wild creature again, PLEASE take it to a rehabilitator. If you don't know where your local rehab center is, find a veterinary emergency room--they will know.

Tucker

[FlaGranny]

49. I resuscitated a drowned

bird once. It fell into the horse's water while trying to get a drink I guess. I held it upside down and gave it gentle chest squeezes/compressions. You wouldn't believe all the water that came out of that bird. It began to recover and after about 10 or 15 minutes it flew away. I was very surprised it recovered, but glad I took the time.

[shance]

52. Experienced the same thing happening with crows here in Los Angeles

about a year ago. It was said to be West Nile. I saw quite a few crows walking around and then dying. It was sad to watch, even though Im not a crow lover. What was interesting is it only seemed to effect crows and not any other bird species.

For those that say birds die, I say spare us the simplistic waste of words. This is not the same thing.

Possibilities? It could be an initiation "trial" on various birds or other creatures, or it could be a natural phenomenon, although the whole sudden occurrance of seeing crows walking around and then dying was quite unnatural. Also, why not other birds? I find that interesting.

Again, it really doesnt take a rocket scientist to see this Administration pushing fear every day, and then here we go again, conveniently begin the campaign of mandating a "quarantine" for areas hit by a flu pandemic? What novels have they been reading? Thats not to say they couldnt make it happen, Im sure they could. And, if it happened, I would frankly look at this Administration for involvement. We cannot continue and turn our head to what is happening and what is being done to us, and to others around the world by this Administration.

In addition, with the intentional, consistent 'sky is falling' mentality with the Administration, not to mention interesting, disturbing connections with vaccine makers (Donald Rumsfeld and Gilead, Searle), one again might conclude there is an intriguing connection with someone inflicting influenzas on isolated areas and isolated species. Whatever the case, it warrants further investigation.

Once again like so many other things, the timing of such "doom and gloom" is impeccable.

[savemefromdumbya]

54. call your local government health office

report it