Understanding what injuries and problems we may face and what to do about them¶

This page brings together many years of experience from swift rescuers in different cities and countries. All treatment plans and recommendations have been tested over the years. Do not change anything because you "think it would be better that way" without consulting a veterinarian or experienced experts!

Examining the swift¶

If you picked up an adult swift, gently rock the bird in your palm. Does the swift open and fold its wings symmetrically? Is there any blood on the feathers, body, wings, under the wings, or inside the beak? Are the eyes open and clear, with no signs of swelling on the eyelids?

Any fresh or dried blood should be a warning sign¶

Put a couple of drops of hydrogen peroxide on the area, then clean off the dirt with a cotton swab moistened with peroxide. If it fizzes, add more. Use peroxide only as a last resort, when you need to remove dirt or a blood clot from a wound.

If there is no blood or dirt, then use only chlorhexidine or miramistin for treatment.

If the feathers around the wound are too dried and stuck together, it is better to carefully trim them with small manicure scissors. After that, continue rinsing the wound a couple of times a day with room-temperature chlorhexidine or miramistin.

Do not use peroxide if bone is visible in the wound and you do not plan to remove it, otherwise you may cause periostitis (inflammation of the periosteum). Peroxide not only burns badly on an open wound, it also damages tissue and skin along the wound edge. The wound will never heal properly that way. Peroxide does not heal, it burns everything, both good and bad, and prolongs healing time.

Fifteen minutes after treating any open wound with Peroxide/Chlorhexidine, once it has dried, apply Levomekol or Levometil ointment (for purulent formations and as an antimicrobial), or sprinkle with Ranosan powder. The veterinary drug Monclavit also helps wounds heal well. You can prepare a wound powder yourself: mix one packet of streptocide with one crushed tablet each of metronidazole and furacilin. Even badly rotten wounds tighten up with this powder.

If you picked up a chick¶

Check for injuries and determine the degree of exhaustion.

If the chick is definitely exhausted and definitely has no injuries or TBI, you can start giving fluids to relieve dehydration and restart the GI tract.

Regidron is suitable for this and is sold in any regular pharmacy. Dilute according to the instructions and give 0.1 ml into the beak from an insulin syringe every half hour. 4-5 feedings are enough. You can also use Ringer-Locke solution or 5% glucose solution, or at worst Ringer solution, saline, or plain water.

ATTENTION! Use rehydration solutions only for emaciated chicks, when they have already gone hungry in the nest and everything inside has dried up.

For all other wounds and injuries, especially in adult birds, fluids should be given only as medications and a tiny amount of water, so that the total is no more than 10 drops per day.

All injured swifts must be given PAIN RELIEF: meloxicam or amelotex, or Movalis in ampoules (10 mg/1 ml), with dosing calculated for a 40 g bird. Actovegin can be added to the pain relief to support circulation.

For moderate injuries

Meloxicam or Amelotex tablets 7.5 mg.

Dissolve ½ tablet in 4 ml of boiled water, water for injection, or saline.

Meloxicam or Amelotex tablets 15 mg.

Dissolve ¼ tablet in 4 ml of boiled water, water for injection, or saline.

Store the solution in a syringe in the refrigerator for no more than 2 days. Shake and warm it in your hand before use.

Meloxicam or Amelotex or Movalis in ampoules.

0.1 ml + 0.9 ml water for injection, saline, or boiled water. Give the diluted medication into the beak at 0.01 ml for every 10 g of the swift’s weight, 2 times a day.
For severe cases

For the first two days, increase the dosage to 2 mg/kg. Starting from day 3, give pain relief according to the moderate injury plan.

Meloxicam or Amelotex tablets 7.5 mg.

Dissolve 1 tablet in 4 ml of boiled water, water for injection, or saline.

Meloxicam or Amelotex tablets 15 mg.

Dissolve ½ tablet in 4 ml of boiled water, water for injection, or saline.

Meloxicam or Amelotex or Movalis in ampoules.

0.1 ml + 0.45 ml water for injection, saline, or boiled water.

Give the diluted medication into the beak at 0.01 ml for every 10 g of the swift’s weight, 2 times a day.
For circulation

Actovegin injection solution 40 mg/ml.
It speeds up capillary blood flow, lowers capillary tone, improves cognitive function, and helps limb injuries heal better. Transfer the drug from the ampoule into a sterile syringe, expel all the air, and store it in the refrigerator for 7 days. Give 0.04 ml into the beak twice a day after warming it in your hand. Course length is 7-14 days, then according to condition.

Labeling syringes with medications¶

When treating a bird, the refrigerator quickly fills up with syringes containing different medications. Not only can many of them look visually similar, but their storage times also differ.

To avoid keeping terabytes of information in your head, getting medications mixed up, or forgetting expiration times and risking giving a swift expired medicine, it is better to label the syringes in a simple way: wrap a strip of paper with the name of the medicine and the dilution date written on it around the syringe and secure it with a stapler.

You can also use masking tape for this by sticking it lengthwise along the syringe, or use paper-based adhesive bandage tape.

Labeling syringes with medications

Giving medication to a swift¶

You will need an insulin syringe to measure the correct amount of medicine. These are often much cheaper from large online marketplaces than in a pharmacy.

Syringes come in different types

Use the picture as a guide depending on which syringe you bought. To give liquid medications into the beak, you need syringes with a removable needle.

The most convenient syringe for swifts is the U-100. Each mark on this syringe equals 0.01 ml. Accordingly, 2 marks = 0.02 ml, 4 marks = 0.04 ml, and so on. The number 10 on the syringe scale corresponds to 0.1 ml, 20 = 0.2 ml, etc.

For injections, it is better to use the BD Micro-Fine Plus DEMI 0.3 ml syringe. It has a short and very thin non-removable needle that does not tear muscle tissue but parts it. After the injection, the needle can be pulled out with pliers and the syringe can be used for giving water or Thiamine.

Types of insulin syringes

How to give medication to a swift¶

In the video, avian veterinarian Maria Markina shows in detail how to give a swift any liquid medication, and thiamine in particular, because we need to be sure that the swift actually swallowed the medicine and did not just flick it off the tip of its beak.

Using this method, you definitely will not break the beak, pull out feathers, flood the breathing openings in the mouth, or have the swift spit anything out. The bird will swallow the full dose.

How to give liquid medicine to a swift¶

watch this video on YouTube

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) in a swift¶

First, let’s determine for sure whether our rescued bird has a TBI.

Carefully review the list of TBI signs.

A bird with a concussion must be kept in the dark and disturbed as little as possible.

Signs of TBI in a swift¶

Not all signs of TBI have to be present. Every organism is individual. One bird may have 5 signs, another only one; in some they may be stronger, in others weaker. So if the bird, chick or adult, shows even one sign of TBI, treatment must begin immediately.

Pay attention to the droppings. If something brown appears in them, it may be clotted blood. Drop some peroxide on it. If it fizzes, then it is blood and there is internal bleeding.

In this case, give 0.03 ml of Vitamin C from an ampoule into the beak as a one-time dose. It reduces vascular permeability, helping stop the bleeding and the leakage of large amounts of plasma from the bloodstream.

Injuries, hematomas, or blood on the head or in the mouth.
In a dark room, for example in the bathroom, shine a flashlight into the bird’s eyes one at a time and compare how quickly the pupils constrict. If the speed is noticeably different, the bird has TBI.
One possible sign is an unnatural squint, especially if only one eye is squinting.
Lethargy, drowsiness, poor coordination. Lethargy and drowsiness can also occur with exhaustion, so pay attention specifically to the coordination problem.
Pupils of different sizes and unfocused eyes.
The bird leans to one side, tucks the leg on the side it is leaning toward, grips poorly with that foot or does not grip at all, clenches it into a fist, and lets the wing droop as if it cannot keep it against the body, even though there are no visible injuries to either the leg or wing.
The bird unnaturally throws back or twists its head.
Swelling of the eyes, puffy eyes.
It "watches trains" with a large or small amplitude, moving its head from side to side as if counting the cars of a passing train.
There may be vomiting.

This is what a swift with severe TBI looks like. It cannot even move normally, it keeps toppling over and flipping. Its head is lowered with its beak to the floor. Movements are chaotic and unsteady.

Treat this according to the severe TBI protocol (see below). Do not delay!

Swift with severe TBI¶

watch this video on YouTube

Bird stabilization protocol for TBI¶

Emergency actions are aimed primarily at stabilizing the bird in the first few hours and days. B12 is involved in restoring the nervous system and in blood formation, and it has an overall anti-inflammatory effect. Calcium acts against shock and inflammation and also corrects hypocalcemia, which always develops in birds with severe trauma.

For TBI of any severity, it is essential to place bolsters around the bird so it can rest its head on them instead of sitting with its beak on the floor. The head should be positioned at a 35-45 degree angle so fluid does not rush to the brain but instead drains away.

1. Oxygen

Oxygen therapy is especially important in the first hours after a bird with TBI is found. Birds have a special anatomy and find it very difficult to breathe without movement, especially while lying down, and in critical conditions respiratory function decreases sharply. During the first day, and especially in the first hours, oxygen is absolutely vital.

It is sold in almost all pharmacies. An oxygen canister + a container or shoe box = an oxygen chamber.

5-10 minutes after being placed in the oxygen chamber, give calcium and B12.
2. Vitamin B12 and Calcium

The dose for all these medications is 0.01 ml for every 10 g of body weight, 2 times a day for the first 3 days, then once a day from day 4 until release. The swift should be weighed. If it weighs 42 g, for example, then give 0.04 ml of calcium and 0.04 ml of B12. These drugs are not antagonists, so they are given almost at the same time, one after the other, into the beak. If Vitamin C was given, then B12 can only be started after 24 hours, so give only calcium at first and add B12 the next day.

Watch the video on how to do this correctly so the swift does not aspirate.

Calcium gluconate can be stored in the refrigerator for 3 days. Pour the remainder from the ampoule into a regular sterile syringe, expel all the air, and wrap the syringe in foil.
B12 does not keep. Any leftover from the ampoule can be poured into your plants, rubbed into your hair, or injected into yourself.
Draw borgluconate by puncturing through the rubber stopper; store until sediment appears or until the expiry date.
3. Pain relief

Baralgin in ampoules. Baralgin must always be diluted. Dilute 0.5 ml from the ampoule in 10 ml of water for injection or saline and give into the beak at 0.01 ml for every 10 g of bird weight once a day for 3 days, then according to condition. It can be given right after B12 and calcium.

The diluted medication, as well as any pure leftover medication from the ampoule, should be stored in a sterile syringe wrapped in foil with all air expelled, in the refrigerator for 3 days.

Severe TBI¶

With severe TBI, many reflexes disappear, including the swallowing reflex, so there is no point feeding during the first day. In this condition the bird has no strength to digest food, and the risk of aspiration is very high, especially if the swallowing reflex is reduced or absent. With severe TBI the risk of death is very high, so food is not the priority.

The exception is severe emaciation. In that case, feed only after the initial emergency measures and only with squeezings, which do not need to be swallowed because they will slide down on their own.

Immediately place the bird in an oxygen chamber.

After 5 minutes, give an intramuscular injection of Furosemide. If you cannot inject, Furosemide also works well through the mucous membranes, so you can give it into the beak at the side of the tongue.

Furosemide is given as a single dose. It relieves overall internal swelling. Within 10-20 minutes the bird should start reacting to its surroundings and should produce droppings.

Ampoule form 10 mg/ml (injection or into the beak) --- 0.02 ml for a 40 g swift.

Tablets 40 mg (into the beak only) --- dissolve 1 tablet in 10 ml of water, give 0.06 ml into the mouth.

The solution works faster than the tablet.

If the swift is emaciated, give a subcutaneous injection of 0.5 ml saline.

After 3-5 hours, begin the main treatment described above.

What NOT to do with TBI!¶

Do not give the swift a lot of water!

Too much water can cause brain edema and lead to death. Therefore water must be given very sparingly, literally 10 drops a day. Let those drops be the medications rather than plain water.

Do not warm the head!

Heat destroys tissue, causes pus to form, and spreads infection.

Seizures

When the swift twists up specifically as a consequence of TBI, smear a little Sulfocamphocaine near the nostrils and give 1-2 drops into the beak.

Oxygen chamber¶

It is quite easy to make an oxygen chamber at home. You need an airtight container or shoebox, an oxygen canister from the pharmacy, and a tube.

Make a hole in the side of the container or box for the tube. In the lid of the container, make a couple of holes with an awl to vent carbon dioxide. No holes are needed in a cardboard box.

Line the bottom with paper towels, napkins, toilet paper, basically whatever the swift will lie on. Put the swift into the container and snap the lid shut. Insert the tube. Spray 1 puff per minute until the canister is empty.

Another oxygen chamber option: a shoe box and an oxygen canister with a mask. Indira shows in detail in the video how she does it.

Oxygen chamber for TBI. watch this video on YouTube

Store all diluted medications in the refrigerator. The number of storage days is given in the descriptions of the dilution protocols. Before drawing from a syringe to give the swift the medicine, shake the syringe with the solution so it becomes uniform. Warm the insulin syringe with the drawn medication in your hand so the medicine becomes warm.

Vitamin B1 (Thiamine)¶

What are the dangers of thiamine deficiency or excess for a swift? Why does a swift need Vitamin B1? And how should it be used? This section contains a brief summary from medical encyclopedia descriptions of thiamine properties, studies on the effects of thiamine deficiency and excess in farm birds, and the practical experience of swift rescuers.

Symptoms of B1 deficiency in swifts

--- loss of appetite
--- weight loss
--- fluffed-up plumage
--- falling over to one side, unsteady gait
--- lethargy, apathy
--- the swift sits with its beak on the floor
--- the swift cannot swallow food and chokes
--- trembling, head tremor, head bobbing
--- seizures

The first signs of thiamine deficiency in a swift

watch this video on YouTube

With vitamin B1 deficiency, a swift may begin having seizures

Birds are especially sensitive to deficiencies of B vitamins.
Vitamin B1 (thiamine) is a water-soluble vitamin. It is a biologically active compound necessary for normal metabolism, energy production, and proper functioning of the neuromuscular system.

Thiamine is not synthesized by the body. It enters the body with food. In home rearing conditions using frozen insects, in which thiamine is destroyed, thiamine deficiency develops. When feeding live insects, thiamine is given only occasionally, only when the bird shows lethargy or anxiety.

What seizures in a swift due to vitamin B1 deficiency look like

wat ch this video on YouTube

B1 deficiency is characterized primarily by damage to the nervous system, atrophy of skeletal and cardiac muscle, and pronounced pathological anatomical changes

If the food contains too little thiamine, deficiency develops, which can appear in two clinical forms: hypovitaminosis and avitaminosis. Hypovitaminosis is a moderate deficiency, while avitaminosis is a deep vitamin B1 deficiency. Hypovitaminosis of vitamin B1 causes metabolic disturbances. The biological role of vitamin B1 is its participation in carbohydrate metabolism. Thiamine is part of the enzyme carboxylase, which regulates the breakdown of keto acids. When thiamine is lacking, the breakdown of pyruvic and lactic acids is delayed, and they accumulate in tissues, mainly in brain cells. Excess of these acids reduces the ability of brain cells to take in oxygen and carry out normal oxidative processes. As a result, nervous system function is disrupted and polyneuritis develops (multiple nerve lesions).

Thiamine avitaminosis causes seizures and can lead to the bird’s death.
Thiamine is found in all tissues and organs of birds

The highest amounts are found in the liver, kidneys, heart, and brain; moderate amounts in muscles; and small amounts in the lungs. Once it enters the body, it is used immediately and directly where needed. Excess thiamine in a bird is easily excreted in the urine portion of the droppings. Since this micronutrient is a water-soluble compound, it is not stored in the body, does not accumulate in tissues and organs, and has no toxic properties. Even with long-term use of high doses of vitamin B1, no side effects on the nervous system develop. Excessive thiamine supplementation is not a problem, because the toxic dose is 700 times higher than the standard level.

The presence of mycotoxins and parasites can also contribute to thiamine deficiency. Endoparasites such as coccidia and helminths (worms) compete with the host for thiamine, so parasite infestation may be decisive in nutrient deficiency.

Since vitamin B1 cannot accumulate in tissues and form any meaningful reserve, normal body function requires regular intake with food. Therefore swifts must be given vitamin B1 calculated as follows: 0.01 ml for every 10 grams of body weight into the beak every one or two days. The dose is given at once, or it can be divided into two parts: morning and evening.

B1 mixed with Taufon (taurine eye drops) in a 1:1 ratio is absorbed better when given orally. In addition, taurine is a substance that improves metabolism.

But what if the moment was missed and the swift started having seizures? What should you do?¶

You must react immediately! Urgently give 0.1 ml of pure undiluted vitamin B1 into the beak and put the bird in a dark place. On the first day, give another 3-4 doses of 0.05-0.1 ml. On the following days, give it 2-3 times a day depending on the bird’s condition.

During severe seizures, it is important to warm the swift in your hands and straighten its neck so it does not suffocate. The warmth of your hands helps relax the muscles and reduces pain. Thiamine in the beak does not work immediately, so with severe seizures it is better to give a 0.04 ml intramuscular injection of Thiamine.

Attention! Intact breast muscles are very important for flighted swifts, so injections should be given only in the most critical situation.

Intramuscular injection for a swift¶

For intramuscular injection, it is better to use the BD Micro-Fine Plus DEMI 0.3 ml insulin syringe. It has a short and very thin needle that does not tear muscle tissue but rather parts the fibers. If you do not have one at home, you can use a regular insulin syringe.

In the video, Elena Traitak explains in detail how to give an Eleovit injection. Any medicine the swift needs at the moment is injected the same way. The main thing is to calculate the dosage correctly by weight.

At the beginning of the video there is the Samara scheme on a napkin showing where to inject. Feel for the keel with your fingers, mentally divide the keel in half vertically, step 1 cm away from the keel, and inject deep into the muscle in the upper half.

Intramuscular injection for a swift

watch this video on YouTube

Important! An opened ampoule cannot be stored! Once opened, thiamine breaks down within 10 minutes. So each time open a new ampoule. Give one drop to the swift and use the rest on yourself, either intramuscularly or by mouth.

Store unopened packs of thiamine ampoules in the refrigerator.

Which manufacturer’s thiamine should you buy?¶

Not all thiamine preparations are equally effective, so let’s look at which one we need.

Thiamine made in Yerevan
Moskhimfarmpreparaty named after N.A. Semashko
Borisov Pharmaceutical Plant
The Far Eastern one often turns out to be useless, so it is not recommended for swifts.

ATTENTION! Swifts should be given only thiamine! Do not give swifts Milgamma!

During treatment with antibiotics and sulfonamide drugs, the thiamine dose is doubled and given 6 hours after the medications.

For cat bites¶

Death from pasteurella infection can occur within a few hours, so it is essential to start giving the swift an antibiotic as soon as possible. Even if the cat only held the bird in its mouth and there are no visible wounds, an antibiotic is still urgently needed. Sometimes there are microscopic wounds that cannot be seen. But even if there are none at all (for example, a toothless cat), pasteurella is dangerous even if it enters the GI tract. If it enters the bloodstream, it is deadly; if it enters the GI tract, it is moderately dangerous.

For an adult swift

Ciprofloxacin at a dosage of 30-40 mg/kg twice a day. There are many brand names, so look at the active ingredient (Ciprofloxacin).

Dissolve ¼ of a 250 mg tablet in 5 ml of boiled water, water for injection, or saline and give 0.1-0.12 ml into the beak 2 times a day. The solution keeps in the refrigerator for 3 days.

Treatment course: 21 days.
For a chick

Amoxiclav (Amoxicillin/clavulanate). Dissolve ½ of a 500 mg Amoxiclav tablet in 5 ml of water for injection or saline and give 0.1 ml 2 times a day. The solution keeps in the refrigerator for 5 days, after which a fresh batch must be made. The standard dosage given is for a 40 g swift. If the bird weighs less, divide 0.1 by 40 to get 0.0025 ml per 1 gram of body weight. Multiply by the swift’s weight to get the required amount. Example: 32 g x 0.0025 = 0.08 ml.

Treatment course: 21 days.

All calculations are for the prevention/treatment of pasteurellosis. For other infections, dosages may vary within other ranges.

Starting from day 2-3 of antibiotic treatment, add antifungal medications

Fluconazole/Diflucan 50 mg is a broad-spectrum systemic antimycotic against yeast fungi. Dissolve 1 capsule in 5 ml of water. Give 0.04 ml into the beak (calculated for 40 g body weight) 2 times a day. Store the solution in the refrigerator for no more than 24 hours.
You can dilute ¼ of a capsule in 1.25 ml of water, which will make enough for two doses plus a little extra you will not mind throwing away. OR

Nystatin is a broad-spectrum antifungal medication.
Dosage:
- 100,000 units/kg: dissolve 1 tablet in 1.2 ml
- 150,000 units/kg: dissolve 1 tablet in 1.3 ml
- 500,000 units/kg: dissolve 1 tablet in 4 ml
Calculations are for a 40 g bird. Give 0.1 ml into the beak 2 times a day between meals. Continue antifungal medications for 4 more days after antibiotics are finished.

Important! After the antibiotic course is completed, a probiotic should be given to restore beneficial bacteria in the body. This can be Linex. Dip the insect in the powder and give ½ capsule per day.
A hepatoprotector is also given during antibiotic treatment to support the liver

Hepatovet suspension is sold in veterinary pharmacies and also on Ozon and Wildberries. Dosage: 0.05 ml 2 times a day. Hepatovet is more effective than Carsil. Carsil is more of a supplement, while Hepatovet is recommended by avian veterinarians. Heptral (from a regular pharmacy) has also proven very effective. The injectable form (in ampoules) is a two-component preparation consisting of dry substance and solvent. Mix both components and immediately divide into insulin syringes in 0.1 ml portions: 1 syringe = 1 dose, and freeze them.
Heptral tablets 400 mg. Crush one tablet and dissolve it in 5 ml of water, then also freeze in insulin syringes in portioned doses.
Before each use, thaw the dose naturally, warm it in your hand, shake it, and give it warm 2 times a day. DO NOT REFREEZE! The dosage is calculated for a 40 g bird.

ATTENTION! During antibiotic treatment, thiamine is absorbed very poorly. Double the thiamine dose or give it daily to avoid deficiency.

ATTENTION! When giving liquid medications, keep a one-minute interval between drugs so the bird does not aspirate. Aspiration may go unnoticed, but it can cause pneumonia. Insert the insulin syringe with the medication deeper than the breathing openings, as shown in the video at the beginning of this page.

GI problems¶

Any disruption of the GI tract can lead to death. A swift is a very small bird, so you need to act quickly.

Poisoning in a swift¶

Poisoning can happen because of poor-quality food. If measures are not taken in time, the swift will die from intoxication.

The droppings smell bad (normally they are odorless), the swift often wants to drink, puffs up, becomes weak, and lies with its beak on the floor.

Be sure to give the swift more water to drink! Warm it in your hands or under your clothes against your body, this is important in poisoning.

Enterosgel (or Enterodes): dilute a pea-sized amount about the size of a match head in 3 drops of water and give it deep into the throat 2 hours before feeding. Do this 3 times a day.

You can squeeze that pea into a syringe, then draw up 0.08 ml of water, shake it, and give it. You can also place it directly in the mouth with a finger and then let the bird drink water.

Be sure to read the storage instructions. Keep it tightly wrapped in a bag, because this drug absorbs everything even from the air.

Activated charcoal (very weak and much less effective than Enterosgel): hide small pieces of the tablet in food. Over 4 hours, feed half a tablet.

Indigestion in a swift¶

For indigestion, Motilium or its analogues are given. It makes the esophagus contract, helping the swift chick swallow food.

Shake Motilium and give 1 drop. After 15 minutes give 1-2 squeezings with Mezim and a couple of drops of saline. An hour later give 1 drop of liquid paraffin. Another hour later give Motilium again. After 15 minutes give 1-2 squeezings with Mezim and again a couple of drops of saline. After another hour to hour and a half, give Enterosgel and leave the bird alone for 4 hours on a heating pad.

All squeezings and medications must be given warm!

The swift swallowed a thread¶

This is why the home page at the very beginning of the site, when you have just found a swift, emphasizes that bedding in the swift’s temporary housing should be arranged without using fabric, especially fabrics from which a thread can easily be pulled and wound around a leg.

What should you do? A regular pharmacy sells liquid paraffin (see below). Exactly the oil! Give two warm drops from a syringe every 2 hours behind the tongue deep into the throat, as shown in the video at the very beginning of the page.

Oil does not "soak in" anywhere in animals, but it helps remove foreign bodies. Do not pull the thread! After the thread comes out, give Enterosgel.

Constipation in a swift¶

A swift should have droppings after every feeding. If there is constipation, you need to act quickly. Constipation may appear either as a complete absence of droppings or as completely white droppings without the black component. The white part is urine, and the black part is what was not digested. So droppings must be monitored very closely.

The first signs of constipation in a swift are not always easy to recognize. It may seem that nothing is happening, the swift is not anxious, but it is not lethargic either. If in the morning the swift has no capsule, or it is very small, or there is only the white part and no black component, that is a reason to check the cloaca. If it is sticking out even a little, these are already signs of constipation. Measures must be taken immediately.

Watch the video carefully. The swift is sitting in one place with its wings spread, leaning its rear backward as if it cannot move forward, backing up, and squeaking at the same time. It is straining but unable to pass anything. This behavior should alert you.

The first signs of constipation in a swift

watch this video on YouTube

Immediately feel the abdomen and check the swift’s cloaca. In a normal state it does not protrude anywhere, is almost invisible under the feathers, and cannot always even be found by touch. At the very beginning of constipation, swelling appears.

Your actions depend on the scale of the disaster you find, but they must be immediate.

If you discover constipation at an early stage, then:

1. Give 1-2 drops of lactulose syrup from an insulin syringe (this may be Duphalac or any other lactulose-based laxative sold in pharmacies), and after an hour give 1 more drop. Between doses of Duphalac, give several drops of warm water, massage the belly clockwise including the cloaca, and place the swift on something warm: a warm electric mat, a heating pad, or even a hot tea bag, which holds heat well. If things start moving well, then the second dose of lactulose syrup can be given not after one hour but after two.

Also continue massaging the abdomen and cloaca and keep the bird warm so the rear can relax.

photo 1: cloaca in a normal state; photo 2: slight bloating indicates constipation

2. If the first step did not help or the situation is already advanced, give an enema. Feel the abdomen to determine by touch the scale of the problem and where the blockage is. The amount of enema solution depends on where the blockage is. If it is far from the cloaca, use 0.1-0.15 ml; if it is close, 0.05 ml.

Mix liquid paraffin with warm water. NOT HOT! Draw the amount appropriate to the location of the blockage into an insulin syringe WITHOUT A NEEDLE. Lubricate the tip of the syringe with oil so it can enter the cloaca. Wrap the bird in a napkin, leaving the tail and rear exposed. Turn the bird onto its back and gently insert the tip of the syringe into the cloaca. Do not inject it all at once, but little by little, in small pushes. Keep holding the bird belly-up and gently massage the abdomen in the area of the blockage, pushing the stone out by pressing from the sides. Do everything very carefully because the area is filled with solution.

Turn the bird back into its natural position and it will have a reflex to empty itself. The droppings soften in warm water or oil and come out like sand.

photo 1: bottle of liquid paraffin for oral use; photo 2: first portion of passed droppings; photo 3: second portion; photo 4: completely passed plug

The syringe tip is quite thick, about 5 mm, and it is difficult to get it into a swift’s cloaca. So for an enema it is better to use a urinary catheter or a butterfly needle set. You can buy them at a pharmacy, on Ozon, or on Wildberries.

Catheters come in different sizes, marked by a letter abbreviation with numbers, for example Ch/Fr 14. You need Ch/Fr 6, whose thickness is only 2 mm.

You can also use a butterfly needle set for blood collection. The needle itself should be cut off and only the "tube" used. The thickness of this "tube" is about 2.5 mm.

Both devices have a special cap that fits onto the tip of the syringe.

photo 1: butterfly needle; photo 2: butterfly needle attached to a syringe; photo 3: urinary catheter

If urine (the white part of the droppings) is visible at the exit, you need to reduce its volume by breaking it apart with a--- layout: default title: Medicines icon: material/medical-bag description: About the use of medications. lang: en is_home: false

What injuries and problems can we face, and what should we do about them¶

This page brings together many years of experience from swift rescuers in different cities and countries. All treatment protocols and recommendations have been refined over the years. Do not change anything because you “think it might be better” without consulting a doctor or experienced experts.

Examining the swift¶

If you picked up an adult swift, gently rock the bird in your palm. Does the swift open and fold its wings symmetrically? Is there any blood on the feathers, body, wings, under the wings, or inside the beak? Are the eyes open and clear, with no sign of swelling on the eyelids?

Any fresh or dried blood should be a warning sign¶

Put a couple of drops of hydrogen peroxide on the spot, then clean away dirt with a cotton swab moistened with peroxide. If it fizzes, keep applying more. Use peroxide only as a last resort, when you need to remove dirt or a blood clot from a wound.

If there is no blood or dirt, then use only chlorhexidine or Miramistin for treatment.

If the feathers around the wound are too dried out, it is better to carefully trim them with manicure scissors. After that, continue rinsing the wound a couple of times a day with room-temperature chlorhexidine or Miramistin.

Do not use peroxide if bone is visible in the wound and you do not plan to remove it, otherwise you may cause periostitis (inflammation of the periosteum). Peroxide not only stings badly on an open wound, it also burns the tissue and skin along the wound edges. That prevents the wound from ever closing properly. Peroxide does not heal, it burns everything, both good and bad, which only prolongs healing time.

All open wounds should be treated 15 minutes after Peroxide/Chlorhexidine, once the area has dried, with Levomekol or Levometil ointment (for purulent lesions and antimicrobial action); you can also dust with Ranosan powder. The veterinary product Monclavit also heals wounds well. You can prepare a powder yourself: mix one sachet of streptocide with one crushed metronidazole tablet and one crushed furacilin tablet. Even badly rotten wounds can close with this powder.