6-year-old goose limping -- getting worse. Advice appreciated.

[NEgoosegirl]

I have not had a gander for about a year now, although I think the two females did a little tussling/play-mating earlier in the spring. I think that may be what started this problem again.

It's definitely possible that's she's not resting enough. I haven't tried penning her up, mostly because that would be really complicated, and also because I only have the two geese.

Yeah, I've been wondering if it could be arthritis -- maybe from that really old injury that she had when she was less than a year old, and now aggravated by something. That especially seems to make sense to me since the limping was bad while she was sitting on a nest (with fake eggs -- poor Jena) earlier this spring. If it was an injury, I would have thought it would have gotten better because she was resting.

Thanks again for the questions and suggestions!

 

[Miss Lydia]

If you have a vet you maybe able to get some Meloxicam and see if that helps if it does then at least you know it could be arthritis from an old injury.

 

[NEgoosegirl]

If you have a vet you maybe able to get some Meloxicam and see if that helps if it does then at least you know it could be arthritis from an old injury.

Thanks for the suggestion! Unfortunately, a vet isn't really an option for me. I've taken geese to a local general vet a couple of times, and found that -- though they did their best and it was a good experience -- it wasn't really worth the expense. There are no avian specialists in my area. But I'll look into arthritis some more.
Thanks, Miss Lydia!

 

[Miss Lydia]

you can try aspirin rec is 1 325 mg per gal of water or 1 baby aspirin to 1 qt. Every 4-6 hrs.. Ibuprofen .23 ml per pound 3 x a day.

 

[NEgoosegirl]

you can try aspirin rec is 1 325 mg per gal of water or 1 baby aspirin to 1 qt. Every 4-6 hrs.. Ibuprofen .23 ml per pound 3 x a day.

Thanks so much! Sorry I didn't see this sooner! I really appreciate the dosage info.
My goose seemed a little better for a couple of days, but today she was hobbling pretty badly again. She's pretty perky, though.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Bless. If they could just tell us where it hurts. ❤

 

[Goosebaby]

I think it does sound like arthritis messing with an old injury. Egg laying and nesting will bring it on worse from depleting the calcium stores in her bones to lay and then lack of nutrients while she’s choosing to go without while nesting.
Giving her the dummy eggs is smart of you to keep her from laying to much, but sitting and starving herself like they do is hard on her health, “honestly how do you tell a goose to stop going broody though?”

A vet put my gander on meloxicam to treat possible pancreatitis and he seemed to benefit from it so I’d say it’s a safe painkiller for geese, unfortunatly it does require a prescription.
I suppose you could try natural pain killers like tart cherry juice and turmeric which I’ve heard can help relieve pain.

 

[NEgoosegirl]

I think it does sound like arthritis messing with an old injury. Egg laying and nesting will bring it on worse from depleting the calcium stores in her bones to lay and then lack of nutrients while she’s choosing to go without while nesting.
Giving her the dummy eggs is smart of you to keep her from laying to much, but sitting and starving herself like they do is hard on her health, “honestly how do you tell a goose to stop going broody though?”

A vet put my gander on meloxicam to treat possible pancreatitis and he seemed to benefit from it so I’d say it’s a safe painkiller for geese, unfortunatly it does require a prescription.
I suppose you could try natural pain killers like tart cherry juice and turmeric which I’ve heard can help relieve pain.

Thanks so much for the advice and natural pain killer suggestions! I hadn't thought about the calcium depletion having an effect on arthritis.
Yeah, getting my two females to quit it with the nesting thing has proved difficult this year! They are still laying -- or at least one of them is! I had this problem last year too. My ploy with the dummy eggs was a vain bid to get them to move on with life once I took away their nest and eggs, but I guess I'll have to try a different (and healthier) tactic in future if necessary.
I have oyster shells available for them whenever they want. And I'll keep seeing what I can do with vitamin and brewer's yeast supplements -- in moderation so as not to overdose them.
Thanks again for your help!

 

[NEgoosegirl]

Bless. If they could just tell us where it hurts. ❤

Very true! Thanks, Miss Lydia.