I acquired a gosling a week ago from a woman who's husband was going to kill it because it could not walk.
The lady told me on facebook that it could not walk and was having trouble with it's legs. It is approximately 3-4 weeks old.
Obviously I could not let this happen so I agreed to take the gosling and try to fix it's legs. I was not prepared really for what she was going to bring me.
This is what she brought me. This poor baby had been dragging itself around in a rubbermaid tub on it's belly. Had sores on the inside of it's knees and on the tips of the wings all of the fluff was worn off.
The woman had been feeding her medicated chick starter and the poor thing had NEVER had greens at all.
So, I splinted her legs for splayed leg like you would a baby chick with vet wrap and made her a sling chair that she could sit up in and stand on her feet to eat and drink.
I put her on Brewer's yeast and a mixture of grower feed and a bit of layer mixed in for the calcium for her bones. She is also getting polyvisol without iron.
It is amazing what has happened in just one week. She has nearly tripled in size and can now walk across my living room without the splint.
We go outside every day in the yard and go for walks and she eats TONS of grass and I give her greens inside too.
Here she is on one of our outings.
She still requires the bracing all day and night to keep her legs in after a week. I do let her walk some without it and swim without it but she still goes into the splits if she tries to go too fast.
I am hoping that if I am just patient and keep her splinted she will get stronger and be able to hold her legs in.
Her knees are turned outwards a LOT which makes her waddle a lot. I'm not sure if there is anything I can do about that.
Even if she has to be braced for life to walk I am prepared to do that and make her something more permanent as she grows with fabric an velcro.
She lives in my living room in a pack and play and rules the house. BUT my question is, does anyone possibly know what breed she could be?? I am not sure on sex either but that is not as important right now as breed is to me. Also, has anyone had experience with severe splayed legs like this in a gosling and had success fixing it??
Thank you.
Cat
The lady told me on facebook that it could not walk and was having trouble with it's legs. It is approximately 3-4 weeks old.
Obviously I could not let this happen so I agreed to take the gosling and try to fix it's legs. I was not prepared really for what she was going to bring me.
This is what she brought me. This poor baby had been dragging itself around in a rubbermaid tub on it's belly. Had sores on the inside of it's knees and on the tips of the wings all of the fluff was worn off.
The woman had been feeding her medicated chick starter and the poor thing had NEVER had greens at all.
So, I splinted her legs for splayed leg like you would a baby chick with vet wrap and made her a sling chair that she could sit up in and stand on her feet to eat and drink.
I put her on Brewer's yeast and a mixture of grower feed and a bit of layer mixed in for the calcium for her bones. She is also getting polyvisol without iron.
It is amazing what has happened in just one week. She has nearly tripled in size and can now walk across my living room without the splint.
We go outside every day in the yard and go for walks and she eats TONS of grass and I give her greens inside too.
Here she is on one of our outings.
She still requires the bracing all day and night to keep her legs in after a week. I do let her walk some without it and swim without it but she still goes into the splits if she tries to go too fast.
I am hoping that if I am just patient and keep her splinted she will get stronger and be able to hold her legs in.
Her knees are turned outwards a LOT which makes her waddle a lot. I'm not sure if there is anything I can do about that.
Even if she has to be braced for life to walk I am prepared to do that and make her something more permanent as she grows with fabric an velcro.
She lives in my living room in a pack and play and rules the house. BUT my question is, does anyone possibly know what breed she could be?? I am not sure on sex either but that is not as important right now as breed is to me. Also, has anyone had experience with severe splayed legs like this in a gosling and had success fixing it??
Thank you.
Cat
