My Poor, poor Sam.
Five days ago, he brought up his breakfast and has been lethargic ever since. He is restless, clearly in pain and has absolutely no appetite, at all, which is so weird as he is an utter foodie.
Four days ago I took him to a vet, and insisted on a bowel and stomach X-ray, fearing he may have swallowed something and now had a blockage. He almost died in 2012, before he was even twelve months old due to swallowing a bone, fortunately, surgery saved his life.
It was SO quiet and strange without him, given he’s always under my feet, and doing things he shouldn’t be doing….how I missed him.
The X-ray results were viewed by two vets who couldn’t see any blockage, but they both agreed that didn’t necessarily rule one out. The X-ray did reveal that his stomach and bowels were filled with gas.
Since then, Sam is just the same, he has been back to the vet and checked, his temperature is normal and he looks to be in good health, despite being utterly miserable, and clearly in pain. He is due back again tomorrow morning.
This weekend has all been about getting tiny, tiny morsels of food into Sam. Endless patience and lots of coaxing are needed, and I’m keeping a tally of whatever I can get him to eat. Not enough to keep body and soul together, but enough to keep him going, and thankfully he is pooping, which rules out a total blockage.
I am hoping for a Christmas miracle….it’s so hard to see him suffer so.
On a more positive note, Percy pige has come on in massive leaps and bounds and is now flying well.
Well enough for me to take a guy up on an offer of moving him to his barn, to give him more time, and room to practice flying. Sadly, it wasn’t suitable for Percy pige as he is now flying well and the barn wasn’t secure. The chap was just lovely, he has rescued so many wood pigeons and feral pigeons that have been shot in the wing and can’t fly, even while I was there his neighbours were shooting.
He said the strangest thing…..I suppose it gives us all something to do, they shoot them, I rescue the survivors, gives us all something to do instead of arguing about it. That sure had me thinking!
So, I rang the rescue and suggested that Percy pige move to their bigger aviary to practice his flying and socialize with other birds with a view to me eventually releasing him. Unfortunately, there is an outbreak of something or other, so that was ruled out. So here he shall stay, until I can release him. He is out day and night now and cleaning up after him is something of a challenge, but he’s more than worth it.
I did find time to buy a pop-up Christmas tree, no mess or fuss, just pop the lot over a pole, and… mother nature donated a rather splendid pine cone, which has pride of place in front of that black candle holder, Christmas cards are on the walls so it is saying Christmas around here….no time for ivy and holly deccies though.
Food has been bought and I’m on-track…ish…just hoping that Sam improves!
And Finally….
Thank you Anne and Amy, for your wonderful gift, that sure had me smiling. The cards are exactly how Heidi, my little pygmy hedgehog looks like. Oh…you gals….
And…
to all of you who read my little blog, have yourselves a wonderful, merry little Christmas. It’s a pleasure to know you all.xxx
Thanks in return for sharing all your wonderful posts. I’ve enjoyed them all a lot. And it’s a pleasure to know you too. Hope your Christmas has not been that unpleasant with Sam to worry about. Happy New Year!
Hope you and your family, Sam and the other animals had a great Christmas. Have a Happy New year.
What a lovely tree! And I love pine cones too. Do hope Sam is on the mend very soon. Hugs to you for 2019 xx
It’s heartbreaking to read of Sam’s affliction. I am waiting and hoping to get word of his recovery. Hope the rest of you had a very good Christmas, and are enjoying the winter as much as possible.
I hope Sam is ok! Poor guy. :o( Merry belated Christmas to you, too!
Poor Sam! I hope he feels better soon. Otherwise, Merry Chrstmas and Happy New Year to you and your family.
I hope Sam is feeling better now and that you and your family are enjoying a wonderful Christmas. My very best wishes for a fabulous New Year.
Poor Sam. I’m hoping he has shown some improvement since your post. Roomie and I do pray he’ll be more comfortable soon. It’s so sad to see an animal dejected and in pain when one can do so little. Glad to see you have got Christmas cheer otherwise. Love to all of you, not least of all, Sam.
I hope Sam gets well soon … it is awful when a pet is sick. Best wishes for a lovely Christmas & New Year! 💐🎉💕
Oh, dear. We’ve gad guests all day, so I am catching up and now I am crying imagining poor sweet Sam suffering. Such a dear lovebug; I am so sorry, Dina, for his pain and for yours. I so hope for good news and soon; yes, a Christmas miracle, if we ever needed one.
Bless you for your care for Percy; my, what a difference you make in all these lives.
Your home looks perfectly festive and welcoming. I love your tree! I have no idea how that works, but it’s lovely.
I am holding Sam in my heart and prayers, sending him smooches and hugs from here to there, at the speed of light; to you, too. Gentle peace and swift healing.
Love,
Kitty
There’s nothing worse than having a pet who’s ailing, and not being able to just ask, “Where does it hurt? What’s wrong?” I hope by now he’s doing better, and that you’re feeling less anxious about it all. I had to laugh at Percy, making himself quite at home. I’m glad he’s flying, but I hope that he doesn’t cause too much havoc flying about the house.
I think your little tree is lovely, and I especially like the pine cone. I’m fond of them myself, as is a friend. She has a pair of what I believe are called sugar pine cones. They’re enormous — more than a foot long, by far. They’re from California, though, and not native here.
I hope your Christmas feast is festive! I’m going to put out an extra portion of see for the pigeons tomorrow. Of course I know that will only encourage them, but it’s Christmas, after all!
So sorry to hear about Sam, I really hope he soon recovers. Good to hear that Percy is improving and will soon be able to be released. Wishing you and your family and all your animals a wonderful Christmas and I hope you have better news for Sam in 2019.
Special thoughts for Sam. Sounds like he is working on perking up.
Percy Pige is an interesting rescue isn’t he. You’ve had quite a number of feathered friends with their quirks and foibles over the years.
Pop up trees? Gone are the days when you had to plug in branches and set up bases, not to mention decorate it and hope it would remain standing. Then there were the plonk in a long box variety, unfolding the branches for use, and folding them upwards neatly so as to secure the box lid when the festivities were done. Pulling it in and out of annual storage required a year of weight traIning!
Wishing you and your family a lovely festive time and a good 2019. Xxxx
I read something tragic.In the blitz in 1940 many pigeons were set on fire.I know they used pigeons to carry messages but there are lots here anyway.It gave me yet another image of what the wildlife and people suffered with the bombing.Pigeons are super intelligent and I love doves cooing… roll on spring
I do hope Sam gets better soon.
Good to read the news about Percy.
I think the Christmas tree looks lovely 🙂
Merry Christmas wishes to you, and all good wishes for 2019.
All the best Jan
So sorry to hear that Sam is unwell but hope that your next post will bring better news. I wish him a speedy recovery, it must be so hard to see him in pain and unable to offer any relief. Your pigeon rescuing chap sounds like he has a very even tempered view of life but it beats me why people feel the need to shoot pigeons (or any birds) at all! Wishing you a very Happy Christmas, Dina, and all the best for 2019. Caro x
I hope Sam is soon on the mind – I know how worrying it is when they are ill. Why must people kill things for fun? I hope you have a Happy Christmas
Poor Sam, I’m so sorry he’s not well and I’m hoping he is better very soon. I’m wishing you and yours a very happy Christmas.
I hope Sam gets better very soon. So glad that Percy has the right place with you to get stronger with his flying. As always hoping you have time to relax in between your animal caring. Thank you for your good wishes and blog friendship. A blessed Christmas to you and your family. xxL
Oh no, poor Sam, I hope he recovers soon. I think the worst thing is not knowing why he’s like this but at least you know that if things are passing though, it’s not a total blockage. I suppose it’s a case of ruling things out whilst waiting for him to recover, it may just turn out to be a bug. Fingers crossed. Good news about Percy, you know what I said though, you should get that aviary built, that would give him (and others) somewhere to fly, ha ha. Wishing you and your family a very merry Christmas and hoping that Sam picks up soon.
My sympathies, I hope that Sam recovers soon. It’s good to know that Percy is doing well.
Thanks, and for you too. Likewise! xx
Before several months I saved an injured brown squirrel, maybe a big bird or a cat attacked him. When I see your pigeon, I remembered that. Btw you’ve done a great job saving a pigeon 🙂 Have a peaceful and wonderful Christmas.
Oh, poor Sam. I really hope that he gets better quickly. I’m sending well making thoughts your way. Glad to hear that Percy is doing so well. I’m sure it will soon be time for the big release. Wishing you and your family a wonderful Christmas and best wishes for 2019. xx