(a) Remove all yellow pus patches with cotton swabs. Then paint area with a mixture of iodized oil and sulfanilamide powder. The iodized oil is prepared by using 1 gram iodine, 1.5 grams potassium iodide, and 2 ounces light petrolatum. The iodine requires some time and frequent shaking to dissolve. Make a small cotton swab on an applicator stick, dip it into the oil, roll it in the sulfanilamide powder, and then apply to cleaned trichomoniasis (canker) lesion. Daily treatment, rest, and an abundance of good feed are necessary.
(b) Clean off exudate by local applications of tincture of iodine, or a mixture of one part iodine to three parts glycerine; at the same time lesions will respond to such treatment. Silver nitrate may be used either in stick form or in solution.
(3) Prevention. Sanitation is the best preventive.
(a) Correct predisposing causes such as wet floors, nests, and perches.
(b) Try to isolate infected birds, provided the number is not too large.
(c) Attempt to control spread of parasitic infestation by using a parasiticide like copper sulphate in the drinking water. This is used in a 1-2000 solution.
d. Tuberculosis. This is an infectious and highly contagious disease caused by a highly-resistant germ which can live in soil for 2 years.
(1) Symptoms. The young die suddenly and old birds waste away. Grayish white nodules appear in liver and spleen, basket ulcers in intestines, and yellow nodules in all parts of the body.
(2) Treatment. There is no treatment for tuberculosis. Destroy all affected birds and thoroughly clean and disinfect loft.
(3) Prevention. Keep all stray pigeons out of loft and maintain sanitary conditions at all times.