Goose attacked...Looking for advice

[teresagreen81]

We are first time goose owners. 18 weeks old. We thought we lost Dozer to the fox but this morning she came home. She has a large gash across her belly and the skin has pulled away making a pouch. We have cleaned it with water (geese don't like to be inverted lol), applied neosporin, and bandaged to push her skin back to her muscle. I am waiting on a call back from the vet. Hoping to get some antibiotics. She is walking fine but I'm worried about her pouch. Will it reconnect to her muscle with proper care? Any tips on caring for her? We built a temporary enclosure around her house to keep her calm and still.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Best case would be having a vet stitch it back up. If the skin is still alive it may reattach I believe, otherwise the flap will die and new tissue will need to grow in. The vet is definitely the best option for something like this.

 

[teresagreen81]

Best case would be having a vet stitch it back up. If the skin is still alive it may reattach I believe, otherwise the flap will die and new tissue will need to grow in. The vet is definitely the best option for something like this.

Thank you! So far the vets we talked to said they don't treat geese. Frustrating. We bandaged in an X pattern across the wound to hold it close to the original spot to hopefully help the healing. The flap is still attached on 3 sides so I'm hoping it is still getting good blood flow into the skin there.

I'm calling a vet further out of the city tomorrow to see if we can find some help. Very disappointing reactions so far (i.e. waiting to call us back until 6pm, not willing to talk to us at all once they hear goose).

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Most vets won't see any birds. It's frustrating for sure. I recently tried to get a vet to see my parrot and was told no by all. Thankfully my dog vet finally helped. Hopefully you can find someone. Otherwise what you are doing is second best. Just watch for flies in the wound.

 

[teresagreen81]

Most vets won't see any birds. It's frustrating for sure. I recently tried to get a vet to see my parrot and was told no by all. Thankfully my dog vet finally helped. Hopefully you can find someone. Otherwise what you are doing is second best. Just watch for flies in the wound.

We just found an exotic vet that will be on duty in the morning.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

That's great news.

 

[hayley3]

We just found an exotic vet that will be on duty in the morning.

I went to PoultryDVM.com and found one.
Let us know how everything goes. I love geese, I've had mine for 14 yrs.
I hope Dozer is safe from the fox now, because it will be back.

 

[teresagreen81]

I went to PoultryDVM.com and found one.
Let us know how everything goes. I love geese, I've had mine for 14 yrs.
I hope Dozer is safe from the fox now, because it will be back.

I agree the fox will be back. They have a secure night time house. But now we are going to build a secure run for them. The advice I was given was they were too alert and too big for a fox during the day. Clearly not the case. So we are working on plans for a run and tractor.

 

[hayley3]

I agree the fox will be back. They have a secure night time house. But now we are going to build a secure run for them. The advice I was given was they were too alert and too big for a fox during the day. Clearly not the case. So we are working on plans for a run and tractor.

Dozer is very young, she is still learning her world. Geese are intelligent and alert but their weapons are wings and a beak and are no match for a determined fox. Did you see the fox attack her? Carry her off? She managed to escape the fox somehow because she made it back, so she is very lucky.

 

[teresagreen81]

We did not witness the attack. We assumed the fox because we seen it about 6 times in the past year (when we moved here). The neighbor has free ranged chicken and caught the fox killing a chicken. The only other predator they have an issue with is hawks. Since Dozer's wound was belly we don't think it was a hawk. Always possible a random dog but our area is fenced well for larger animals. (Fox jumps vertically over the fence.) At the end of the day, we knew it could happen and we gambled with their safety. So we will make sure to give them the best care we can with a proper vet visit and a secure run from now on.