Goose ripped into by dog, breathing raspy. Need advice

[Honk and Tonk]

Update:
We are now over 40 days into the recovery process and Honk is doing great. Or he was until yesterday, when we hit a bump in the road (see attached photos)..

Honk adamently refused to eat for nearly 2 weeks. And I mean everything. I learned that geese are very opinionated little creatures and a very "tough sell" as my kitchen turned into an experimental workshop of blended strawberries, romaine lettuce, soaked chicken food, scrambled eggs, yogurt and cottage cheese, freshly cut grass, mealworms, and anything else I could find to try to get him to eat. Ya just can't out stubborn a goose, I guess.

On day 4 I tried to syringe feed (epic fail). You guys posted video and anatomy info for me and on day 5 we had success, so syringe feeding it was.

Day 10 he showed a little bit of interest in what was in his bowl but wouldn't partake. Day 12 he nibbled on some meal worms. Day 14 he dived into cracked corn. Now he eagerly awaits his romain lettuce and corn and grass and whatever else I offer.

Fluff is starting to grow in where his injuries were and the stubborn slow-healing bite wounds under his wings have finally closed up. The gaping chest wound is also healing well so I now suspect that it was more of a deep puncture and tear wound rather than a chunk of flesh that was bitten out.

Honk did well in his t-shirts and going to the barn most nights with me to see Tonk seems to have helped his attitude. His first true full-throated "honk" came more than 30 days in and it was an arrival greeting to Tonk. My heart soared that night!

Honk's poop is finally starting to look more normal, though it still tends to be soft. My goose education included learning that (a) like horses, geese "download" when stressed and (b) one should not stand close to the southbound end of a northbound goose as said downloads are extremely projectile in nature (adjacent county has been warned!)

So I want to thank everyone who posted on this thread as going into this I was really clueless about geese. YOU ALL saved his life. I just followed instructions.

So now I need your help again. Last night at the barn I picked up Honk to carry him over a gate and suddenly there was a trail of bright red blood dripping down the gate and my clothes. It was coming from his foot. Then I noticed one of his legs looked somewhat swollen. I also found a big black lump on the bottom of his foot.

I had never heard of bumblefoot before but I've spent the last 40 days reading this website daily (who knew there was so much to know about chickens!!) and keep coming across references to it.

Does this look like bumblefoot? Does bumblefoot bleed? Does it look advanced? Does he need antibiotics? How should I treat? Most of the info I'm finding pertains to chickens rather than geese and, especially with regard to antibiotics and dosages, I don't want to make assumptions. All I've done so far is soak his foot in Epsom salts. I picked up clear iodine but haven't used it. Will get more Vetricyn tomorrow. I can probably find penicillin at the feed store but I'll need dosage guidance as it will most likely be for large animals.

Fortunately he's still home with me so a clean environment is possible. I'd probably have taken him back to the farm to stay by now but the dog who mauled him killed one of the barn cats 2 weeks later so we have to mitigate that issue before he goes back for good. But that's another story.

Attached are photos of the bottom of his feet. Thoughts?

 

[superduckrescue]

Congratulations on your work so far!

Now for the bumblefoot. Most definitely a bad case. If the leg is already got, you might consider antibiotics. It can go from bad to worse overnight.

1. Soak at least 20 minutes three times a day in Epsom salt water.
2. Here there are a lot of choices...
Vet for antibiotics or surgery (very expensive)
Clear iodine put over the whole swollen/black part of foot
Prid on bumble
Antibiotics on your own. There are many types. You might want to stick to those you can tube feed him since you already know how to do that. We have used augmentin (I can't remember the animal version name). We get it free from a wildlife rehab place. You can also do injections
You can also do your own surgery. we have tried this numerous times and have been about 50% successful. There are a lot of forums on how to do this and how to treat bumbles. It looks pretty bad though so you might want to consider antibiotics as your first choice

 

[Squishychicken]

Soak In warm water and epsom salt for 5ish mins everyday you can even do twice day. After a few days the scab will soften up. This is really a 2 person job. Wrap him up in a towel so he cant flap everywhere. Secure the foot in your hand and ease the scab off make sure all the infection is out. Once the scab is off get the bleeding to stop if any. Spray with some antibacterial spray pack it with this poultice https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/durvet-epsom-salt-flow-gel-20-oz?cm_vc=-10005
Put a square of gauze on the wound and wrap with vet wrap and medical tape. If she picks at her foot wrap with a strip of duck tape over the vet wrap. Wrap tightly but not to tight. Put him in a seprate crate with food and water. Unwrap and redress the next day.

 

[Squishychicken]

Soak In warm water and epsom salt for 5ish mins everyday you can even do twice day. After a few days the scab will soften up. This is really a 2 person job. Wrap him up in a towel so he cant flap everywhere. Secure the foot in your hand and ease the scab off make sure all the infection is out. Once the scab is off get the bleeding to stop if any. Spray with some antibacterial spray pack it with this poultice https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/durvet-epsom-salt-flow-gel-20-oz?cm_vc=-10005
Put a square of gauze on the wound and wrap with vet wrap and medical tape. If she picks at her foot wrap with a strip of duck tape over the vet wrap. Wrap tightly but not to tight. Put him in a seprate crate with food and water. Unwrap and redress the next day.

 

[Honk and Tonk]

I picked up the only antibiotic (Bactricillin G) I could find at the local feed store. Photo attached. Does anyone know if this is safe to use in geese? If so, I could use help determining the appropriate dosage, please.

Also, how/where does one inject a goose? What is the preferred needle gauge? I have no problem injecting dogs, cats, and horses but have never done a goose.

 

[superduckrescue]

I can't see the whole label but it looks like Pen G Procaine. That's what we used. I used another thread to figure out the dose. I gave our ducks an injection in their breast with a 22 gauge. The solution is really thick, though, so you will needed an 18 to draw.

I'll search for the forum I used

 

[superduckrescue]

https://www.google.com/amp/s/thechi...-for-wound-care-in-poultry-and-waterfowl/amp/

Found this. Gives how to give shot and dosage. I would double check the drug you have because mine actually said pen g on it, not bactacillan

 

[superduckrescue]

Keep soaking and wrapping every day too. See if you can squeeze it out.

The drug is very tough on their stomach. I gave our ducks yogurt but I'm not sure if that really helped. Just make sure there is plenty of water available. Expect projectile diarrhea.

Good luck and keep us updated!