22 y/o goose - bleeding internally?

[cdclark]

I heard my 22 y/o male goose make a couple of high-pitched honks this morning, so I went out to look. He was sitting and fairly passive (not usual for him), and while I was petting him, he shook his head and a few drops of watered-down blood came out of the inside of his beak. I tried to open his beak to see what was going on inside his mouth, but his muscles are still too strong.

As I kept petting him, I noticed that the edges of his beak would get water there, like he was over-salivating.

About a month ago, I saw that the top of his beak had "old age" spots on them (for lack of a better phrase).

Otherwise, he seemed fine... hasn't changed a bit in 22 yrs. We should all age so well.

I'm thinking that there's something going on internally. Anyone have a similar experience?

Thanks.

Carol

 

[scratch'n'peck]

Poor guy, sound like you have taken great care of him considering her is 22 years old. Maybe he swallowed something jagged and it is stuck in his crop.

 

[cdclark]

Hmmm... that hadn't occurred to me. He's in a welded wire dog run, has straw on the ground, and no sharp objects available to him, but you never know.

He's a joy...

Carol

 

[scratch'n'peck]

If he doesn't free range that makes it less likely that he swallowed something sharp. I am not sure if those symptoms could be consistent with worms or not.

 

[cdclark]

Didn't realize geese could get worms. I've been keeping an eye on him. He stands sometimes, but isn't drinking the fresh water I gave him when I first went out this morning (which is unusual for him). I didn't see any more watery blood, but he made that high-pitched noise a couple of times.

Thanks for your support.

Carol

 

[cdclark]

Sadly, I had to make the decision to euthanize my Goosey Goose two days ago.

When I saw him that afternoon, he was lying on his stomach with his neck straight out, beak resting on the ground. Never seen him like that. He couldn't stand and he wasn't interested in food, water, or trying to nip me.

The vet said his left air sac was full, his craw was full (so he wasn't digesting food), he'd lost weight and muscle mass, which she said can happen quickly, and his breathing was audible (birds don't make noise when they breathe). When she tried to open his mouth, he fought her -- I've never seen him like that, either -- and ended up puking a little brown liquid, which she said was regurgitated food.

She said that although we might be able to cure the pneumonia that he probably had, that he probably had something more serious underlying that, like a tumor in his digestive tract. As I wrote above, a couple of weeks ago, he showed signs that there might be something wrong, but he rallied after a few days, so I thought he was fine again.

The vet didn't rush me to make a decision and I stayed with him for a long time, petting him and talking with him. Finally, given his age (he would have been 23 on Jan 1) and physical condition, I made the tough decision to let him go.

It was a peaceful euthanasia -- they gave him anesthesia through a mask so he would be asleep when he was injected. I was with him. I took him home and buried him in the back, overlooking the trees. I'm still very sad and weepy, but I know it was the best decision for him... the decision couldn't be based just on me wanting him to still be here.

Of course... I think about the "what ifs" -- what if I'd taken him to the vet a couple of weeks ago? Would he still be alive? I've been told by friends that second guessing myself isn't a good thing, and that probably his underlying condition was severe enough at that point that it would have been difficult and expensive and, most important, stressful for my goose to cure, if it was in fact curable.

I know that all of you who read this understand the bond between us and the animals in our lives... perhaps it's the unconditional love that makes these relationships so special.

Here's a link to a few photos of my guy.

Carol

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

i'm so sorry, Carol. He was a beautiful goose, and you were so lucky to have each other for all those years. It's so hard to watch our loved ones suffer, and then to be the one to make the decision to let them go. That is the difficult part of having beloved pets. As your vet said, he probably did have something very wrong inside that couldn't be fixed. Perhaps he had cancer. In any case, it sounds like there was nothing you could do but help him out of pain and onto his next step.

Most sincere condolences on your loss.

 

[silkiechicken]

Sorry for your loss. At 22 almost 23, sounds like he lived out his life as far as a healthy goose normally goes. If he was not loved and well cared for, he'd have never lived so long that you had to decide it was his time.

 

[Ksane]

We aren't ever ready to lose a favorite. Did you have him all that time? 22 yrs is an impressive age for a goose.

 

[toadbriar]

I'm so sorry. I wonder if he had a blockage occurring from some sort of tumor. I really enjoyed the photos, especially of him perching on the edges of things. They can be such characters. It looked like he had a very happy life with you