Gander seems sick again with gasping - what to do?

[GEESES Peanut Butter Cup]

Update after an avian vet visit on December 31:

Still not sure the cause, so we'll take him to another vet on January 2nd to check for fungal infection, gape worm, etc. and have X-ray exam if needed.

The current avian vet subscribed 150 mg Doxycycline per time, 2 times per day.

His breath sounds heavy, but the vet said she did not hear noise. Not sure if his breath is OK or not.

He has mucus.

He got the 150 mg Doxycycline administered around 12:10 PM in the hospital. Since then, he drank some plain water and brown sugar water but hasn't eaten anything as around 1:30 PM.

He ate soil and some grass seeds between 12AM on December 31 and 10AM December 31, so on the trip to the hospital, he had some semi-soild semi-liquid feces, but still not his normal feces.

 

[JRies]

Update after an avian vet visit on December 31:

Still not sure the cause, so we'll take him to another vet on January 2nd to check for fungal infection, gape worm, etc. and have X-ray exam if needed.

The current avian vet subscribed 150 mg Doxycycline per time, 2 times per day.

His breath sounds heavy, but the vet said she did not hear noise. Not sure if his breath is OK or not.

He got the 150 mg Doxycycline administered around 12:10 PM in the hospital. Since then, he drank some plain water and brown sugar water but hasn't eaten anything as around 1:30 PM.

He ate soil and some grass seeds between 12AM on December 31 and 10AM December 31, so on the trip to the hospital, he had some semi-soild semi-liquid feces, but still not his normal feces.

If he is eating dirt do you have some grit you can put out for him? I think thats a little of a good sigh.

 

[GEESES Peanut Butter Cup]

If he is eating dirt do you have some grit you can put out for him? I think thats a little of a good sigh.

We're going to pick up new grit and will make them available in their dining area.

 

[GEESES Peanut Butter Cup]

Sounds like this has been going on for 2 years? What do you mean he eats grass seed? are you still grinding up pellets? or did you stop that per the vet's direction? Mine will sneeze at the dust that comes off the feed out of the bag.

They need access to grit, are you providing that? and unless you're giving seed as a treat or for laying I don't think a gander needs it. Mine live off pasture, any feed they get is a treat (with the exception being winter and I do not grind anything for them.)

Goosebaby knows more about your particular situation so you might try to reach out to them.

We're going to pick up new grit and will make them available in their dining area.

 

[AGeese]

It's Top Choice Economy Pasture Seed Mix (https://www.farmstore.com/product/top-choice-economy-pasture-seed-mix-25-lb/).

I don't think it's the pasture seeds' issue as he has eaten this for years.

The vet won't be available until tomorrow. Will keep this post updated.

Oh God... no why? "This item cannot be sold in the following states: California" the reason why is California is obessive about PFAs. Look at the bag and there will probably be a list of all kinds of crap he should not be ingesting regularly. These are most likely coated and will expose him to metals, and other carcinogins or it wouldn't have that warning on it.

I get California is obessive on this, but we don't eat grass seed, and most seed that has some form of coating you might wear gloves or not handle it directly. Definitely not breathe it.

Give us a snap shot of the bag ingrident list if you can. They may not even list and probably why it's banned in California.

I would find a local feed mill and get some actual poultry feed and get him off that grass seed.

@Goosebaby @U_Stormcrow @Perris @BDutch

 

[GEESES Peanut Butter Cup]

Oh God... no why? "This item cannot be sold in the following states: California" the reason why is California is obessive about PFAs. Look at the bag and there will probably be a list of all kinds of crap he should not be ingesting regularly. These are most likely coated and will expose him to metals, and other carcinogins or it wouldn't have that warning on it.

I get California is obessive on this, but we don't eat grass seed, and most seed that has some form of coating you might wear gloves or not handle it directly. Definitely not breathe it.

Give us a snap shot of the bag ingrident list if you can. They may not even list and probably why it's banned in California.

I would find a local feed mill and get some actual poultry feed and get him off that grass seed.

@Goosebaby @U_Stormcrow @Perris @BDutch

I'll check the label, but I think this pasture foraging specific grass seeds is safer than those used in the garden (which usually has unconsumable coating) as they have eaten them for several years and a dog eats it, too. If it has a problem, it's more likely something like a chronic poisoning than rapid issues as seen this time.

We brought the grass seeds to the vet today, too. The vet is concerned about the gander's diet balance but didn't raise an issue with the grass seeds, so if it has a problem, it's probably not, at least, highly associated with the symptoms we saw this time.

Still, it's not impossible a bag was contaminated and caused the gander to get sick

 

[GEESES Peanut Butter Cup]

Around 2AM or 3 AM PST on December 31, he had liquid poop without visible solid content.

Below is his feces from sometime between 10 AM PST and 11 AM PST on December 31 (when we were on the way to the vet).

He ate soil and a little grass seeds since the midnight, but he hasn't resumed to his normal eating amount and frequency.

He still washes and preens himself.

He's ~ 7 kg (~ 15 pounds), measured in the hospital.

 

[Jenbirdee]

Oh dear when you said he ate grass seed I assumed you were planting a lawn and he was getting to some of the seeds - but you are actually feeding him grass seed? You think it’s ok because he’s been eating it for a long time? The negative effects may have been gradually building up. Please feed him regular all-flock pellets, or a waterfowl or duck feed.
also - Grass seed is much more expensive than Waterfowl feed , at least 4 times the price here where I live. So I wonder, why did you start feeding him that?

 

[GEESES Peanut Butter Cup]

Oh dear when you said he ate grass seed I assumed you were planting a lawn and he was getting to some of the seeds - but you are actually feeding him grass seed? You think it’s ok because he’s been eating it for a long time? The negative effects may have been gradually building up. Please feed him regular all-flock pellets, or a waterfowl or duck feed.
also - Grass seed is much more expensive than Waterfowl feed , at least 4 times the price here where I live. So I wonder, why did you start feeding him that?

We'd rather have them on a normal waterfowl diet. The story was kind of weird.

One time, when we took a break from spreading the grass seeds, we left the container with grass seeds somewhere, and the geese ate them. Then they demanded grass seeds from time to time. They were still on a normal crumble diet back then except the occasional grass seeds. Then somehow the crumbles' recipe changed, they stopped eating it entirely. After a while, we started offering them constant gras seeds. We kept offering normal food for a long period, but none was touched. Even now, I still offer normal food or at least typical scratch grains, worms, and normal poultry snacks, but they still touch none of those.

We also tried not offering grass seeds at all. Still, they would rather not eat anything... When a goose got sick, the goose might still eat grass seeds but never touched normal food.

Not that I think it's fine, but I don't know how to get them back to normal diets other than syringe/tube feeding them all the time Any tip on how to get them back to the normal diet is highly appreciated.

In summer, they do eat grass, but now in winter, the grasses are hibernating (except those we grew indoors), so they eat a lot more grass seeds.

(P.S.) When they were on a normal diet, they had Purina Flock Raiser Crumbles and semi-grinded (they refused to eat the pellets) Mazuri Maintenance feed.

 

[AGeese]

I'll check the label, but I think this pasture foraging specific grass seeds is safer than those used in the garden (which usually has unconsumable coating) as they have eaten them for several years and a dog eats it, too. If it has a problem, it's more likely something like a chronic poisoning than rapid issues as seen this time.

We brought the grass seeds to the vet today, too. The vet is concerned about the gander's diet balance but didn't raise an issue with the grass seeds, so if it has a problem, it's probably not, at least, highly associated with the symptoms we saw this time.

Still, it's not impossible a bag was contaminated and caused the gander to get sick

I think the concern about the balanced diet your vet has is part and partial to the grass seed you're giving him.

That grass seed is not organic, and it's specially engineered to sprout for livestock which means it probably has some form of treatment to ensure it does so they can market it that way.

Now if you had been washing it, and sprouting it as fodder, that would be an entirely different thing.

The seeds either contain or were processed with known toxins that are carcinogenic to people. If they weren't they could sell this in California so that's once strike against it.

The other fact is that you have no idea what the the nutritional content of the seed itself is, and this has been a repetative issue for 2 years.

I think we're at a point where you do need to look at his diet and start feeding him what's recommended. I thought maybe you were doing this out of cost, but looking at the price tag I don't think you're getting any deals at all. Poultry feed is not nearly as expense.

Don't take this as condescending. I'm just a little surpised at your choice of feed, and the situation this goose has been in for some time. I give you credit for coming online and opening up about it.

Edit: I just noticed your post as I replied.