Goose With Hot Hock and Worsening Limp

[BlackRaven27]

Hello all,

I have a young gander and 4 young hens that all wander around my property under mild supervision during the day. My gander developed a slight limp about 4 days ago, and one of my hens developed a limp 2 days ago. My gander is now limping very noticeably, the hen not so much. I inspected both of their feet immediately upon noticing the limps, but found no cuts, abrasions, or foreign objects imbeded in either of their feet. After a day of them having a limp I inspected them again and found that both of their hocks are hot, but not swollen. I can only guess that they may be sprained as we do like running (flapping?) up my driveway together, and they are young and growing so joints are trying to catch up I suspect.

I will be purchasing a larger pool for them today (they have one but they have out grown it) so that they can comfortably swim, and I have isolated them in their pen so that they are resting their legs. Both are eating, drinking, and pooping regularly. I may consider adding a poulvite to their water supply if they do not improve soon. Antibiotics are a last resort for me, as they are expensive and hard to get where I live. I also don't like using that unless absolutely necessary.

Any diagnostics or advise from those who are more experienced with geese? They are Pilgrim Geese if that makes a difference, and I am a first time owner.

Thanks!!

 

[Goosebaby]

Hello all,

I have a young gander and 4 young hens that all wander around my property under mild supervision during the day. My gander developed a slight limp about 4 days ago, and one of my hens developed a limp 2 days ago. My gander is now limping very noticeably, the hen not so much. I inspected both of their feet immediately upon noticing the limps, but found no cuts, abrasions, or foreign objects imbeded in either of their feet. After a day of them having a limp I inspected them again and found that both of their hocks are hot, but not swollen. I can only guess that they may be sprained as we do like running (flapping?) up my driveway together, and they are young and growing so joints are trying to catch up I suspect.

I will be purchasing a larger pool for them today (they have one but they have out grown it) so that they can comfortably swim, and I have isolated them in their pen so that they are resting their legs. Both are eating, drinking, and pooping regularly. I may consider adding a poulvite to their water supply if they do not improve soon. Antibiotics are a last resort for me, as they are expensive and hard to get where I live. I also don't like using that unless absolutely necessary.

Any diagnostics or advise from those who are more experienced with geese? They are Pilgrim Geese if that makes a difference, and I am a first time owner.

Thanks!!

This is exactly how my Gander Roxbury’s paralysis bouts started. My vet wouldn’t listen to me about his hocks being hot, she said it was just a sprain and not related, but his hocks would get hot, he would develop a limp, and three days later he wouldn’t be able to walk, and by day 4 he couldn’t stand.
He had three of these episodes, he was on cipro, Doxycycline, cephelexin, and amoxicillin plus poultry cell at various times.
His tests for metal toxicity were all negative and his CBC was normal.

If your geese continue downhill I would suggest getting them tested for mycoplasma, I don’t know if that’s what my Gander had because the vet didn’t bother to listen but mycoplasma can cause swollen or hot hocks and doesn’t always have the typical bubbly eyes that chickens get. It can cause secondary infections too.

Antibiotics can be purchased without a prescription if you buy them as fish antibiotics, mycoplasma though is better treated with denegard or tylan, cipro has an effect too but I thin the Tylan and denegard are more effective according to what I’ve read.

 

[BlackRaven27]

This is exactly how my Gander Roxbury’s paralysis bouts started. My vet wouldn’t listen to me about his hocks being hot, she said it was just a sprain and not related, but his hocks would get hot, he would develop a limp, and three days later he wouldn’t be able to walk, and by day 4 he couldn’t stand.
He had three of these episodes, he was on cipro, Doxycycline, cephelexin, and amoxicillin plus poultry cell at various times.
His tests for metal toxicity were all negative and his CBC was normal.

If your geese continue downhill I would suggest getting them tested for mycoplasma, I don’t know if that’s what my Gander had because the vet didn’t bother to listen but mycoplasma can cause swollen or hot hocks and doesn’t always have the typical bubbly eyes that chickens get. It can cause secondary infections too.

Antibiotics can be purchased without a prescription if you buy them as fish antibiotics, mycoplasma though is better treated with denegard or tylan, cipro has an effect too but I thin the Tylan and denegard are more effective according to what I’ve read.

What ended up happening with your goose?

 

[Goosebaby]

What ended up happening with your goose?

He is still on his feet, he seems to have beat whatever was causing his lameness, though he and the rest of my flock have a respiratory illness I haven’t been able to identify, it causes white diarrhea though so I suspect mycoplasma as it went away and then returned.

 

[BlackRaven27]

He is still on his feet, he seems to have beat whatever was causing his lameness, though he and the rest of my flock have a respiratory illness I haven’t been able to identify, it causes white diarrhea though so I suspect mycoplasma as it went away and then returned.

Okay, well I will look into that then. Thank you for your input

 

[GranderTheGander]

Antibiotics can be purchased without a prescription if you buy them as fish antibiotics . . .

It looks like Thomas Labs is no longer manufacturing and selling fish amoxicillin, such as Fish Mox and Fish Mox Forte.

 

[Goosebaby]

It looks like Thomas Labs is no longer manufacturing and selling fish amoxicillin, such as Fish Mox and Fish Mox Forte.

You can try this site https://www.countrysidepet.com/collections/fish