Help w. injured goose, please (spec. can I give her aspirin in her feed instead of her water?) Thx

lovedbygeese

In the Brooder
5 Years
Jul 31, 2014
62
4
43
Hi,

I tend a small family of abandoned geese (have for years upon years) and their wild Canada family members, one of which has stayed over a triple-digit to stay w/ her husband and sister-in-law (with a family that kind, protective, familiar and loving, I guess I would, too...actually, I have, lol.)

The primary location for these birds is a wickedly vicious park. People take delight on siccing their dogs on the waterfowl probably 20+ times/day. They take delight in making their dogs happy (like Romans at the Colosseum.) When it's not dogs, it's children trying to kick or beat the heck out of them with switches. When it's not kids it's fishing people leaving tangles of fishing line barbed w/ multiple hooks, plastic bait, spinners, lead sinkers, bobbers and split shot. The birds are so terrified of fishing people (who like to set up in the areas where they preen and sleep) that they flinch, *hard* when someone even makes a motion like a pole being cast. They live in terror and it pains me that they I can't bring them home.

Yesterday a family member came home from the library near the park saying the geese were screaming their heads off. When I went down to see them, 2 geese were o.k., but my little Canada bride has a leg injury. If I had to guess, I'd say a dog got her but she got away in time to save her life. It hurts for her to put pressure on that leg or step. She keeps it outstretched from her whenever she can. She has full mobility, but it's really paining her.

The local wildlife rescue does not care for waterfowl. The park is even more nihilistic.

How on earth can I help her (besides telling her to keep close to the water and stay btwn her husband and sister in law...which, so gladly, she hears my words and understands them!)?

I've read about aspirin water, but my birds only like the taste of the water they live in (and I haven't been successful getting them to drink even that from a bowl---they eat from bowls, though, since it keeps them from having their mouths and tongues stung by fire ants.)

Can *anyone* think of a way I can get some aspirin into her? Maybe into her feed?

She trusts me--for which I owe a great debt of gratitude--but I've no other way to help her except to feed her, check on her multiple times/day (and keep people from torturing her) and guarding her during the most vulnerable times.

I can't know exactly what the injury is, but I'd like to be able to help her ease the pain. Aspirin could help. (Food-wise, I'm going to amend her food w/ a little extra protein--roast, unsalted, shelled sunflower seeds are well received as is barley, and I'll try to find some B vitamins down at the feed shop.)

Thanks so much
 
How terrible! Those peoples' actions need to be made known publicly to shame them into not being so heartless. Is there any way they can all be re-located?

I don't know the effect of giving aspirin to geese, but I think you're right to try to put it in the feed.
 
Can you consult an avian vet?

I would say if it is the leg that's hurt it's unlikely it was from a dog. It would be hard to catch a goose by the legs unless it was trying fi fly off. I would honestly say it was probably a snapping turtle, and their bites can lead to horrible infections.
 
crushing a baby aspirin up and putting it in her feed might be one way of getting some in her as long as she ate all the feed to make sure she got the aspirin too. maybe a small amount of feed along with the baby aspirin so she'd be more likely to eat it all. My heart breaks when I read things like you posted here about how cruel people are towards the geese. If your in South East Why not contact Carolina water Fowl out side of Charlotte NC they do water fowl rescue and may be able to help..
 
I'll have to try the baby aspirin in her feed tonight, thanks Miss Lydia.

Yeah, these beautiful birds (and I) live in AZ and the best vet I know (my little one's until she passed at home a little over a month ago--still not over her being gone, I don't think it's possible) is changing practices. My baby was his last patient at the old practice (he'll be opening another practice in November.)

There absolutely are red eared turtles in their pond, Carrosaur, and catfish...

(I love the Carolina waterfowl rescue, esp. their shirts: http://carolinawaterfowlrescue.com/store/shop/give-geese-a-chance-brown/)

Hugs to you all!

I'll write back as soon as I get home from looking in on her.

(((Thank you!)))
 
I'll have to try the baby aspirin in her feed tonight, thanks Miss Lydia.

Yeah, these beautiful birds (and I) live in AZ and the best vet I know (my little one's until she passed at home a little over a month ago--still not over her being gone, I don't think it's possible) is changing practices.  My baby was his last patient at the old practice (he'll be opening another practice in November.)

There absolutely are red eared turtles in their pond, Carrosaur, and catfish...

(I love the Carolina waterfowl rescue, esp. their shirts: http://carolinawaterfowlrescue.com/store/shop/give-geese-a-chance-brown/)

Hugs to you all!

I'll write back as soon as I get home from looking in on her.

(((Thank you!)))


Great that you know a vet! And definitely talk to the wildlife rescue, save those birds! You've done so much for them already, they need you still!
 
I'll have to try the baby aspirin in her feed tonight, thanks Miss Lydia.

Yeah, these beautiful birds (and I) live in AZ and the best vet I know (my little one's until she passed at home a little over a month ago--still not over her being gone, I don't think it's possible) is changing practices. My baby was his last patient at the old practice (he'll be opening another practice in November.)

There absolutely are red eared turtles in their pond, Carrosaur, and catfish...

(I love the Carolina waterfowl rescue, esp. their shirts: http://carolinawaterfowlrescue.com/store/shop/give-geese-a-chance-brown/)

Hugs to you all!

I'll write back as soon as I get home from looking in on her.

(((Thank you!)))
I have that tee shirt I love it. If they can't help since your west they may know of a group that can.. I hope you can get her to eat some feed with the baby aspirin in it.
 
Please keep us posted about your geese family. I'm (we're all) concerned about their safety and hope they can get to safe place. You're an angel for taking care of them. It's guardians like you all over the world who make things better.
 
Last night I spent time w/ my gander whose brother had insisted that he move to a secondary site last winter. I'd planned on seeing all the geese before Halloween eve, but when you've a sweet heart calling you back about 5 times to keep you from leaving, you come back each of the 5 times and sit a little more. He ate well (Nutrena scratch, feather fixer, sunflower seed hearts and tender, baby grass) and I love him dearly. 5 mosquito bites on one hand, one for each curtain call. Totally worth it.

This morning I got out to my injured goose, her sister (in-law) goose and her husband. That foot's really sore (I don't see any punctures, bites or tears, but there are so many things it could be...) She's had a touch of arthritis/rheumatism in the other leg from last year, so having to stand on that foot to preserve the other isn't easy. I took advantage of the cooler morning weather to see that she'd eat as much of her feed as she wanted (same mix as above--feather fixer, thankfully, has pre- and probiotics--except I gave her more sunflower hearts to balance out the medicine.) Gratefully, my girl ate w/ ardor & likely ate most all of her mixed in, powdered, cherry baby aspirin (any gain's a gain, it doesn't have to be 100%).

When she was full, she stepped into their other "room" of earth for preening and napping. My beautiful girl is wise: she tucked herself into an unreachable spot before tucking her beak into her back for a snooze. After a little while, her sister and husband called her over to a still small, but sunny spot, near enough to the water that they could flush if people lunged w/ their dogs.

When the people did, I was cleaning up their shoreline for dangerous bits--fishing ephemera, hooks, line, etc., long, thorny acacia and mesquite branches fishing people had broken off to hold their rods, then thrown back into their habitat when done. When people let their dogs lunge on their leashes, I just made a point of cleaning up btwn my 3 and the cruel people and shook my head in shame for our species. They walked on.

Somewhere btwn 3 and 5 fire ant stings from this morning. Totally worth it, esp. if she's had any peace from the pain today. I hope to look in again tomorrow. (O.k., I really *do* despise fire ants, but she is, they are, worth it.)

Besides, there's pure joy in birds and an animal-hearted person drawing to each other like magnets, or having bonny little ducks stand atop your shoes to be first in line for food (or tickle your sides w/ their beaks as though you were a feed ATM.)

I'm hurting from being in the light today, but, my stars, are the little ones are worth it.

(However...If *anybody* knows a good way to fend off fire ants (I cover from head to toe), I'd be in your debt <3 )
 
Last edited:

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom