Intro and question re: safe antibiotic use for foot infections

[ultasol]

I raise buff americans (4 geese, 2 ganders), sebastopols (1 male, 1 fem), and exhibition toulouse (1 buff gander, 1 buff goose, 1 grey goose- new to me as of last month- buff is holderread, others are from holderread lines). I have to say- I love geese! They are so easy, give them good pasture, access to fresh/clean water, and simple shelter and they practically raise themselves.

This year I plan on incubating all eggs to increase production (last year I allowed some natural brooding), and possibly replacing my Buff Americans with Embdens for more efficient meat production. I also am looking for others experiences with AI on large breed geese to increase fertility (in the exhibition toulouse).

We have some nasty weeds where I live, including tackweed. Although these are not prevalent where the geese graze, occasionally they manage to get one in their foot. Usually I notice and pick it out/apply betadine and there is no issue, however, I had a couple instances this past summer when an infection occurred (in the foot). I assume there is an injectable antibiotic safe to use in geese, same as in chickens. Does someone here have experience using antibiotics in geese? If so, what product/dosage?

Thanks!

 

[goosedragon]

Quote:
Sorry I always used external over the counter products for foot problems and they were the only ones my geese ever had. Try checking the turkey boards for AI on large birds, that is about the only way a broad breasted bird can breed.

 

[greathorse]

Make sure to really check into this. It seems that I have heard that geese do not tolerate antibiotics very well. But it could be a myth like many others I am far from an expert just letting you know that there is something in the back of my mind that tells me that.

 

[ultasol]

I have used tylan 50 and penecillin injectables in injured chickens in the past, but never needed any antibiotics for geese. Now that I have one of the 'extreme' heavy breeds, I am very worried about keeping their feet in great shape.

 

[Golden Valley Farm]

Baytril is very safe for geese. They have small animal Baytril. I have used it on the my geese and dosage was 2 and half to 3ccs IM twice a day .

 

[ultasol]

Baytril requires a veterinary prescription, does it not?

 

[goosedragon]

Quote:
yes some whole groups of antibiotics show greater toxicity in geese than would be suspected from chicken experience. I read one study that seemed to point to the liver function but it got too technical for me to follow. I should have taken some Biology in college, different terms than Chemistry.

 

[amity3520]

Since you have experience with this, this may be a stupid question, but how do you tell when the foot is healing well? One of our geese got his foot stuck under a door somehow (the problem has been remedied) so his ankle got a bit scraped up. There's no bleeding, no oozing, and it doesn't seem to be pussy at all, but the new skin is very light pink and I'm not sure if that's normal or not. We've been putting neosporin on it and covering it with bag balm, but I may go pick up some betadine soon. We haven't covered it with vet wrap or anything because we figure the geese will pick at it anyways. He is limping a tiny bit, but I don't know if that's the cut or maybe something he did internally to his foot, either way it's not a terrible limp, but I'm just not sure if there's anything additional I could be doing for him?

Thank you!

 

[Golden Valley Farm]

If he has more of scrape neosporin will be fine. I do purchase Baytril from a vet and they also make a large animal Baytril. It is quite pricey but when I have used it on the geese it works really well. Sometimes if the geese get a cut on the bottom of their foot they are more suseptable to and infection and staph, I have had that happen and the Batril works wonderful.