gosling hurt by dog & won't move--broken back?

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A stray dog ran through here yesterday and grabbed a 4-week-old gosling before my eyes. I made him drop it right away; this was a goofy young black lab who was playing rather than being outright vicious. But the gosling, who seems otherwise fine, won't/can't stand up. He was grabbed from above, across the back. If his back is broken I guess I should put him out of his misery, but how do I tell for sure? He drinks and eats, and moves his neck & head all around. Grateful for any advice.

-- Elizabeth in E TX (kimprice@peoplescom.net), April 16, 2002

Answers

Elizabeth, maybe trip to the Vet? Or, I know it is next to impossible to diagnose "long distance" but maybe dialog with one of the online poultry vets at the poulty forums? There at least two forums that offer this service, one is www.poultryconnection.com and the LINK INDEX there will take you others. Good Luck, LQ

-- Little Quacker (carouselxing@juno.com), April 16, 2002.

Thanks so much, Little Quacker! I didn't know about the online vets! I want to do right by this little fella; he seems content enough and doesn't seem to be in pain (but how do you tell with a goose) and I certainly don't want to put him down if he's going to be allright, but don't want him to suffer either.

Thanks again; I'm on my way to check it out!

-- Elizabeth in E TX (kimprice@peoplescom.net), April 16, 2002.


LQ, I went to the poultryconnection site but could not find the vet, so I just posted on the waterfowl forum there.

-- Elizabeth Price (kimprice@peoplescom.net), April 16, 2002.

hey LQ. believe it or not, I've tried to find the online vet you've mentioned as a feature accessed via ThePoultryConnection too and like Elizabeth couldn't find it. how about some more specific directions? sounds like a valuable resource.

-- B. Lackie - Zone3 (cwrench@hotmail.com), April 16, 2002.

touch/poke its feet,, if the flinch or move, maybe its just in shock,, if it doesnt move them at all,, then your guess may be right,, and its time to put it down

-- Stan (sopal@net-pert.com), April 16, 2002.


Okay guys, go to this link: http://www.poultryconnection.com/quackers/links.html This is Quackers Home Page. Go to LINKS # 1. Scroll down to Health & Science, the fourth one down is VETERINARIAN CONSULTANT. Also, if you go and spend some time checking out other message board off those links you will other Vet links. Time consuming I know and so many places to go! It is a jungle out there! LOL Hope this helps and don't forget to turn on your speakers when you go to Quackers Home Page, I just love "Rubber Duckie". LOL LQ

-- Little Quacker (carouselxing@juno.com), April 16, 2002.

It's harder to break a bird's back - they're fairly-well welded into other bones. I suspect the gosling may be shocked, bruised, maybe even have broken ribs; but I think it's unlikely to have had it's spine broken. I'd give him a few days nursing first before I made any decisions.

-- Don Armstrong (darmst@yahoo.com.au), April 16, 2002.

I second Don's reply. If it is eating and drinking, it doesn't sound as if it is in great pain. Animals know what they need to do to get well when sick or injured. They often know when it is time to die too, and will take means to effect that end. Sometimes, the best thing their humans can do is get out of the way - -and let them get well!

Give her food and water, and watch her for a few days. She is probably just being still and quiet while she heals.

-- Judy (JMcFerrin@aol.com), April 16, 2002.


Aside: interesting how we both started off with non-gender references, then slid off into our own gender.

-- Don Armstrong (darmst@yahoo.com.au), April 16, 2002.

let us other goose newbies know how it works out if you would please - and hope there is a happy ending.

-- B. Lackie - Zone3 (cwrench@hotmail.com), April 16, 2002.


Is he still going to the bathroom? If he is parylized then he couldn't move anything from the chest down or so. Last spring my 5 year old son stepped on our 3 week old goslings neck, I mean he fell and stepped across the whole neck. The gosling flipped around for a second and I picked him up, he sort of threw up and layed there. Oh no! But then he was fine! Took a few days to get back to his old self, he's still here this year.

-- Tricia (rosie71@alltel.net), April 17, 2002.

The gosling died last night. During the day yesterday he was still eliminating, and when I sretched out his leg a little, he pulled it back under him, so it must have been internal injuries. Such a sad waste. The remaining three goslings I am going to keep penned up until they are big--I had started letting them roam free in the yard during the day, and this is the second one I've lost (not to the same dog).

It is funny about the gender references--I called it a "he," even though there is nothing at this stage to distinguish them. By the way, baby goslings are so cute and so much fun, although terribly messy of course. I'm thinking if these guys grow up to be mean and aggressive we'll just sell them and get some more babies. Or have goose for Christmas dinner!

Thanks to you all for advice and encouragement. I ask a lot of questions here but have often neglected to come back and thank those who responded to my queries. I have had so much real help from you guys on this forum; I've gotten advice I've been able to go and put into practice. Thanks again!

-- Elizabeth in E TX (kimprice@peoplescom.net), April 17, 2002.


Rude words! Pity about that.

Do you have what should be an adequate fence? Sounds like you would have, or you wouldn't be letting them wander. How do the dogs get in? Would it be worth your while to put in an electrified wire? Of course, you couldn't do that right at the front fence on a suburban lot, but maybe you could set things up so a stray dog couldn't get through to where the livestock is. What is the situation? If it's rural or semi-rural, things are different. However, whatever, the "goofy young black lab" needs to be restrained, or it will start killing deliberately, rather than just playfully. Either way doesn't help whatever it's killed; but one way means the dog needs to be killed, and the other means it can be corrected if the owner cares enough. Financial penalties make dog owners care. Who owns the dog that killed your bird? Have you asked them for compensation yet?

Of course, theoretically, you shouldn't need to fence your place at all. Whoever owns the intruding animals should be responsible for keeping them retrained. However, we've got to be reasonable here. If you don't fence adequately, then it only takes one idiot out of 20,000 to fail to restrain their killer dog, and you (and your animals) suffer.

-- Don Armstrong (darmst@yahoo.com.au), April 17, 2002.


Well, last week one was killed by our own dog; I had inadvertantly put the "gosling tractor" with one side over a hole in the ground, and the gosling got out under the side. That dog is now restrained. This black lab that came on to our property doesn't belong to anyone in the area. Our next door neighbors say it showed up at their house the morning after a thunderstorm. They've been feeding it and wouldn't mind keeping it but don't want to build a pen for it because, as they told me, "it gets so hot in the summer!" Well, they aren't home during the day so he gets bored and comes over here to spend his days. I now have him chained and have called a lady who is going to try to place him for adoption.

I have several adequately fenced smallish pens (about 20'X50') but enjoyed seeing the goosies free around the house. I relied on our two dogs to alert me to intruding dogs, which they usually do. I'm at fault here and wish very much I had kept these little guys penned up safely. We still have three and I'm going to do my best to keep them safe from here on.

-- Elizabeth in E TX (kimprice@peoplescom.net), April 17, 2002.


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