MG respiratory infection in geese?

[Goose_Goose]

Hello, I posted a while ago about my goose with a swollen face and eye. I took him to a vet and was told he had a bad case of conjunctivitis or pink eye. I know this is a symptom of MG, so I wanted to ask some questions.
He had the swelling on his face but his nose and eye were leaking fluid.
Is it possible for geese to get MG? How contagious is it to my other geese? He's seperated from the others but he was with them for a couple days, so I'm not sure if they have it too yet.
Is it curable for all geese, and will he remain a carrier of it even if he gets better?
Do I have to keep him away from the healthy geese all the time? And how does it spread? Should I keep my healthy geese far away from him? And are wild birds the cause of him catching it?
Lastly, if they have it, will they most likely pass away? Or can they survive it?
@Goosebaby
@JRies

 

[Goosebaby]

Geese and ducks can get MG but it’s important to note that severity of symptoms depends on numerous factors including age and sex of the bird and what particular strain of it they got.
For some reason it seems that larger birds and males seem to be affected worse than others.

Overall geese don’t tend to get symptoms as severe as chickens but the facial swelling is usually one of the worse symptoms, if he’s behaving normally and eating that’s a good sign.

So for the bad news but also good news “depending on how you want to look at it,” once he has it he’ll have it for life and spread it, also your other geese are more than likely already infected. Mycoplasma spreads very slowly but it’s asymptomatic until a stressor weakens the immune system and then mycoplasma symptoms appear. So by the time you notice it in one bird, it’s almost a guarantee that everyone has it. Some birds may not show it for ages and when they do their symptoms may not be very noticeable, other times it rears its ugly head and causes what’s going on with your gander.

MG and MS are present in a lot of backyard flocks, it’s so prevalent that it’s hard to prevent infection unless you keep your birds under strict bio security protocols and keep a closed flock. There are vaccines for it but most of those I’ve seen are live vaccines, so essentially you’re giving your birds the kiddie pool version so that their immune system has a fighting chance at the nasty ones, but that presents its own issues.

Mycoplasma is hard to test for, there are tests for it but it’s a tiny sneaky sh* that likes to evade testing. Even still it’s good to test for it in the hopes of figuring out which strain to determine the best treatment.

Treatment for MG is usually Tylosin “which is also great for clostridium perfringens.” However it is not a cure. Tylosin beats it back until it hides and goes dormant again until the next stress event gives it the potential to emerge.

Stressors can be another illness, flock drama, fear, intense heat or cold, it doesn’t mean it will emerge every time he’s been stressed, but it could. His symptoms may not always have the same severity either, it could be worse, or it could be milder.

As for if it will affect his lifespan? That’s a hard one to determine. Mycoplasma is a constant wear on the immune system and whichever organs or part of the body it’s affecting worse so that can predispose him to illnesses and chronic issues, but he may still live a long life. Think of it like a chronic cold that shows up on occasion.

Treatment includes Tylosin and supporting his immune system, build his gut health with probiotics and prebiotics to bolster the immune system, a healthy varied diet will help him quite a lot so offering cabbage, peas, app,es, cucumbers, melons, lettuce, tomato, all sorts of things. Apple cider vinegar and vetRX can help alleviate some of his symptoms. Crushed garlic and a little cinnamon in their water can also help boost the immune system and the mycoplasma doesn’t seem to like it.

Tylosin comes in powder form and liquid. It’s typically more effective if given via injection but if you’re not comfortable with that it can be given orally. Tylosin is one of the most awful tasting things out there, I haven’t had much luck giving it in drinking water, because none of them will want to drink it. Oral administration via syringe is the only way to ensure they get it.

If your vet doesn’t have Tylosin you can get it from pigeon suppliers such as https://birdpalproducts.com/products/tylosin-powder-for-birds?_pos=1&_sid=f6350fc4d&_ss=r

 

[Goose_Goose]

Geese and ducks can get MG but it’s important to note that severity of symptoms depends on numerous factors including age and sex of the bird and what particular strain of it they got.
For some reason it seems that larger birds and males seem to be affected worse than others.

Overall geese don’t tend to get symptoms as severe as chickens but the facial swelling is usually one of the worse symptoms, if he’s behaving normally and eating that’s a good sign.

So for the bad news but also good news “depending on how you want to look at it,” once he has it he’ll have it for life and spread it, also your other geese are more than likely already infected. Mycoplasma spreads very slowly but it’s asymptomatic until a stressor weakens the immune system and then mycoplasma symptoms appear. So by the time you notice it in one bird, it’s almost a guarantee that everyone has it. Some birds may not show it for ages and when they do their symptoms may not be very noticeable, other times it rears its ugly head and causes what’s going on with your gander.

MG and MS are present in a lot of backyard flocks, it’s so prevalent that it’s hard to prevent infection unless you keep your birds under strict bio security protocols and keep a closed flock. There are vaccines for it but most of those I’ve seen are live vaccines, so essentially you’re giving your birds the kiddie pool version so that their immune system has a fighting chance at the nasty ones, but that presents its own issues.

Mycoplasma is hard to test for, there are tests for it but it’s a tiny sneaky sh* that likes to evade testing. Even still it’s good to test for it in the hopes of figuring out which strain to determine the best treatment.

Treatment for MG is usually Tylosin “which is also great for clostridium perfringens.” However it is not a cure. Tylosin beats it back until it hides and goes dormant again until the next stress event gives it the potential to emerge.

Stressors can be another illness, flock drama, fear, intense heat or cold, it doesn’t mean it will emerge every time he’s been stressed, but it could. His symptoms may not always have the same severity either, it could be worse, or it could be milder.

As for if it will affect his lifespan? That’s a hard one to determine. Mycoplasma is a constant wear on the immune system and whichever organs or part of the body it’s affecting worse so that can predispose him to illnesses and chronic issues, but he may still live a long life. Think of it like a chronic cold that shows up on occasion.

Treatment includes Tylosin and supporting his immune system, build his gut health with probiotics and prebiotics to bolster the immune system, a healthy varied diet will help him quite a lot so offering cabbage, peas, app,es, cucumbers, melons, lettuce, tomato, all sorts of things. Apple cider vinegar and vetRX can help alleviate some of his symptoms. Crushed garlic and a little cinnamon in their water can also help boost the immune system and the mycoplasma doesn’t seem to like it.

Tylosin comes in powder form and liquid. It’s typically more effective if given via injection but if you’re not comfortable with that it can be given orally. Tylosin is one of the most awful tasting things out there, I haven’t had much luck giving it in drinking water, because none of them will want to drink it. Oral administration via syringe is the only way to ensure they get it.

If your vet doesn’t have Tylosin you can get it from pigeon suppliers such as https://birdpalproducts.com/products/tylosin-powder-for-birds?_pos=1&_sid=f6350fc4d&_ss=r

Thank you so much. Do the symptoms he had sound like it to you? Or could it be a different respiratory disease? He was shivering a bit, had the runny nose. His face swelled and he had conjunctivitis in one eye. His saliva was very sticky and he had trouble swallowing. He also wouldn't eat and sometimes had a quiet raspy breathing.

He was given an injection of antibiotics at the vet and the eye drops for his eyes, since then the swelling has gone down and most of the other symptoms. His eye is no longer leaking fluid, but still closed.

 

[Goosebaby]

Tylosin powder dosage if 10 to 50 mg per kg, typically twice a day. You will need a gram scale. It can be tricky measuring the proper amount if you’re using powder, it’s easy to under or overdose but in birds Tylosin is more forgiving with overdosing. As a rule it’s never good to get the wrong amount because the grey area with some drugs could mean life or death, but Tylosin is forgiving.

Dosage depends on severity of infection and strain. I’ve treated my birds with it at 40 to 50 mg/kg, lower dosages weren’t affective, mind you this was for treating clostridium and not for mycoplasma.


Here’s some more info on mycoplasma https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poultry/mycoplasmosis/mycoplasma-gallisepticum-infection-in-poultry

 

[Goosebaby]

Thank you so much. Do the symptoms he had sound like it to you? Or could it be a different respiratory disease? He was shivering a bit, had the runny nose. His face swelled and he had conjunctivitis in one eye. His saliva was very sticky and he had trouble swallowing. He also wouldn't eat and sometimes had a quiet raspy breathing.

He was given an injection of antibiotics at the vet and the eye drops for his eyes, since then the swelling has gone down and most of the other symptoms. His eye is no longer leaking fluid, but still closed.

What antibiotic was he given? If he was showing signs of recovery afterwards that definitely points to something bacterial.
It could be mg, it definitely fits the symptoms. There are other things that can cause it but without testing it’s hard to say what.

 

[Goosebaby]

Also while he is sick keep him quarantined from the others on the chance it isn’t MG. If it is MG they probably have it already like I said but it’s best to be careful in case it’s something else.

 

[Goose_Goose]

What antibiotic was he given? If he was showing signs of recovery afterwards that definitely points to something bacterial.
It could be mg, it definitely fits the symptoms. There are other things that can cause it but without testing it’s hard to say what.

He was given Convenia as the injection. Then he got eye drops which were neomycin and polymyxin.

 

[Goosebaby]

He was given Convenia as the injection. Then he got eye drops which were neomycin and polymyxin.

I’ve never heard of convenia before, I can’t find anywhere that it treats mycoplasma, but it’s effective against a wide variety of things. One injection lasts a long time so if it’s working it will continue to, giving him another antibiotic might be unnecessary.

 

[Goose_Goose]

I’ve never heard of convenia before, I can’t find anywhere that it treats mycoplasma, but it’s effective against a wide variety of things. One injection lasts a long time so if it’s working it will continue to, giving him another antibiotic might be unnecessary.

Okay, i never mentioned to the vet that i though it was mycoplasma. I started researching about it after the vet visit. The vet only diagnosed him with conjunctivitis after looking at him.

 

[Goosebaby]

Okay, i never mentioned to the vet that i though it was mycoplasma. I started researching about it after the vet visit. The vet only diagnosed him with conjunctivitis after looking at him.

How’s he doing today?