This week brought us a little unexpected avian adventure. We returned home the other day to find an injured pigeon sitting in the drive to our apartment. The front-facing neighbors had kindly put out birdseed and a water dish for him, so I returned him to their stoop, but I was filled with worry....
I thought it probably wasn't healthy for him to just be eating bird seed - it didn't seem like a sufficiently varied or natural diet, so I looked for some supplements around our apartment. I was wondering aloud whether blueberries would be good for him when Pickle noted that since "he isn't going to last long anyway - the best you can do is give him some good tasting food". This was an attempt to ease my concern about the appropriateness of his dietary supplements and to make me feel better about making the best of his doomed little life, but unfortunately, the message did not have the uplifting impact Pickle had anticipated. Now I was distraught. Of course his little wing wasn't going to heal itself! And even if he did make it for quite awhile, there's no quality of life being confined to a little stoop, no matter what you get to eat! This was not an adequate solution. I suggested the idea of calling a vet or an animal rescue...Pickle noted, unenthusiastically, that we would probably have to pay for this option, as "it's not like there's Medicare for pigeons". This quip was not well received, and Pickle, being the good guy that he is, immediately offered to call a local vet who, lo and behold, DID offer to provide free care to our friend in need and send him on to an animal rescue center. (Score one for Australia for public healthcare for birds.) So I gently coaxed him onto our pigeon platform, transferred to the passenger vessel (Pickle's laundry basket) and loaded him into the car. We arrived just 10 minutes later to the Kogarah Veterinary Hospital, where he was admitted for care.
I would like to thank Pickle for his time, effort and support (and for the use of his laundry basket, which our nervous little friend pooped in...twice). He actually had a lot of work to do that evening, and this was not part of his plan. I appreciate having a partner who is willing to go to so much trouble to ease my mind about a pigeon. He's truly a good one ♡