How is your gander doing I can’t find your thread! @bluemerle
Pearl & Daisy
- Thread starter bluemerle
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- Thread starter
- #42
bluemerle
Songster
@Miss Lydia Oh! I mentioned you in that thread but apparently it didn't go through. 
Anyway: he's doing very well, considering! The morning after the injury, I couldn't get him to eat anything, but I made a soup out of his flock raiser and left it out for him and by afternoon his crop was a little round and he had obviously eaten some of it. He's now eating & drinking very well. Which was a big relief - I was so, so worried about him not wanting to eat.
He's a tough goose, for sure.
I feel so bad for him, though. He just hangs his head down and stares at the grass that he can't eat. I think, in time, he will learn how to graze again. But for now I think his beak is still too sore.
I've certainly learned my lesson. I've redrafted my coop plans and when I build their big coop, all windows will be above their heads where they cannot reach them and do damage. I never imagined he would shred his beak on the hw cloth like he did, but I will make sure nothing like that ever happens again. I still feel sick about it.
In the mean time, they are both sleeping in crates in the living room at night (Pearl is in a soft crate so as not to bump his beak on anything hard). They both love that. It does get loud when I first bring them in at night, though. They have a lot to say about it & a big voice to say it in.
Anyway: he's doing very well, considering! The morning after the injury, I couldn't get him to eat anything, but I made a soup out of his flock raiser and left it out for him and by afternoon his crop was a little round and he had obviously eaten some of it. He's now eating & drinking very well. Which was a big relief - I was so, so worried about him not wanting to eat.
He's a tough goose, for sure.
I feel so bad for him, though. He just hangs his head down and stares at the grass that he can't eat.
I think, in time, he will learn how to graze again. But for now I think his beak is still too sore. I've certainly learned my lesson. I've redrafted my coop plans and when I build their big coop, all windows will be above their heads where they cannot reach them and do damage. I never imagined he would shred his beak on the hw cloth like he did, but I will make sure nothing like that ever happens again. I still feel sick about it.
In the mean time, they are both sleeping in crates in the living room at night (Pearl is in a soft crate so as not to bump his beak on anything hard). They both love that. It does get loud when I first bring them in at night, though. They have a lot to say about it & a big voice to say it in.
I am so happy to hear he’s on the mend. That’s awesome! I bet it does get pretty controversial in the evenings when they are brought in. They always seem to have opinions about everything. Thanks for updating.
N ID Goose mom
Songster
Oh no. I didn’t see that thread. How did he get cut up on HC? I have some windows at their height for them to look out covered with HC. Yikes. I hate it when animals get injured and can’t imagine bringing the 4 of them back inside. But so glad he is healing and doing better. Keep us up dated. 
- Thread starter
- #45
bluemerle
Songster
@N ID Goose mom Oh, it was a nightmare. I'll describe the situation in more detail below: warning for those who aren't up to it.
I went out one morning - as I always do - to let the geese out, and I looked into Pearl's crate and he was covered from head to chest in blood. At first I thought something had gotten to him in the crate, or that he had cut his tongue off, but once I got him out and got a good look - he had grinded his beak against the hardware cloth front door and removed the tip of his beak.
It took me forever to get the bleeding to stop. I kept applying pressure with a wet cloth, then packing the wound with corn starch, then back to the wet rag. Over and over. I think it took me around four hours to get the wound to stop gushing, because every time I got it to stop, he'd violently shake his head - because of the blood in his mouth - and it'd start again.
After I got it to calm, I kept trying to apply bandages. I knew I couldn't tape his mouth shut, or block his nares, which made it incredibly difficult. I kept trying different applications of gauze, square band-aids, and tape. One method would work - until I had to give him a sip of water, because it was a hundred-degree day and I knew I had to keep him from dehydrating, and then the tape would come off and the bleeding would start again.
Eventually, the wound as a whole started to clot and scab, and my bandages were working better. This is when I decided to move him - and Daisy - into the bathroom for a make-shift hospital cage. I actually wished I had a bigger flock, because then I could have only taken Pearl into the house. But as it was, I could not leave Daisy all by herself, as it would both upset her and make her vulnerable to predators. So we packed both of them into the house.
It was exhausting and traumatizing and terrible. I've had to doctor my own animals before, but this was the worst wound I had ever encountered, and because we're rural I knew we were his only hope.
In hindsight, my mom pointed out that he probably saw a coyote walking by and went ballistic trying to get to it. I also think he probably got the little tooth at the very end of his beak - you know the one - caught in the tiny little mesh, and that's what brought first blood.
Today, the wound looks great. It has healed over, and is a bright healthy pink. No sign of infection. He is running around, and bathing (oh, was he happy that I gave him the big pool back today!), and talking, and eating. He still can't graze grass, but he keeps trying, and I think with time he'll get it.
I'll try to get a picture of his beak sometime and upload it. It's a lot shorter, and has a little divot on one side, but for the most part it is still a functioning beak that allows him to eat. I'm mournful that it happened at all, especially so young, but thankful that the situation is not worse than it is.
I'll describe the situation in more detail below: warning for those who aren't up to it. I went out one morning - as I always do - to let the geese out, and I looked into Pearl's crate and he was covered from head to chest in blood. At first I thought something had gotten to him in the crate, or that he had cut his tongue off, but once I got him out and got a good look - he had grinded his beak against the hardware cloth front door and removed the tip of his beak.
It took me forever to get the bleeding to stop. I kept applying pressure with a wet cloth, then packing the wound with corn starch, then back to the wet rag. Over and over. I think it took me around four hours to get the wound to stop gushing, because every time I got it to stop, he'd violently shake his head - because of the blood in his mouth - and it'd start again.
After I got it to calm, I kept trying to apply bandages. I knew I couldn't tape his mouth shut, or block his nares, which made it incredibly difficult. I kept trying different applications of gauze, square band-aids, and tape. One method would work - until I had to give him a sip of water, because it was a hundred-degree day and I knew I had to keep him from dehydrating, and then the tape would come off and the bleeding would start again.
Eventually, the wound as a whole started to clot and scab, and my bandages were working better. This is when I decided to move him - and Daisy - into the bathroom for a make-shift hospital cage. I actually wished I had a bigger flock, because then I could have only taken Pearl into the house. But as it was, I could not leave Daisy all by herself, as it would both upset her and make her vulnerable to predators. So we packed both of them into the house.
It was exhausting and traumatizing and terrible. I've had to doctor my own animals before, but this was the worst wound I had ever encountered, and because we're rural I knew we were his only hope.
In hindsight, my mom pointed out that he probably saw a coyote walking by and went ballistic trying to get to it. I also think he probably got the little tooth at the very end of his beak - you know the one - caught in the tiny little mesh, and that's what brought first blood.
Today, the wound looks great. It has healed over, and is a bright healthy pink. No sign of infection. He is running around, and bathing (oh, was he happy that I gave him the big pool back today!), and talking, and eating. He still can't graze grass, but he keeps trying, and I think with time he'll get it.
I'll try to get a picture of his beak sometime and upload it. It's a lot shorter, and has a little divot on one side, but for the most part it is still a functioning beak that allows him to eat. I'm mournful that it happened at all, especially so young, but thankful that the situation is not worse than it is.
You’ve done an awesome job getting where he is today. Aren’t they amazing how fast the heal and bounce back?
- Thread starter
- #47
bluemerle
Songster
Oh, and if anyone has any recommendations for products that will stop bleeding? I would love to hear them. An uncle told me about some kind of spray that superglues a wound, but I'll have to look into it more. The cornstarch was a blessing, and I'm glad I had it, but I would have loved something that was more effective for that amount of bleeding.
@casportpony do you have any recommendations?
@casportpony do you have any recommendations?
- Thread starter
- #48
bluemerle
Songster
It really is! It was so stressful, because he is a bird and I know birds are more delicate than, say, dogs or horses, but man he is a tough bird. He handled it like a champ, even though I'm sure he was in a lot of pain.
N ID Goose mom
Songster
I'm so sorry but proud of you. That must have been scary. I have 1/2 inch HC covering the windows I would hate to see them catch their beaks in it. It's probably a rare occurrence but it happens. He will figure out eating again.
There is powder you can buy that will stop bleeding like for clipping toenails too short, but if you don't have it in emergency then cayenne powder in your spice drawer will cause the blood to coagulate. That might not be good on the beak or face area since he might get it in his mouth. But we have used it in the past on humans , horses, and dogs. It worked great. Cover wound in powder and then apply a dressing over wound.
There is powder you can buy that will stop bleeding like for clipping toenails too short, but if you don't have it in emergency then cayenne powder in your spice drawer will cause the blood to coagulate. That might not be good on the beak or face area since he might get it in his mouth. But we have used it in the past on humans , horses, and dogs. It worked great. Cover wound in powder and then apply a dressing over wound.
Blood stop works like corn starch. I don’t think around the face cayenne would be so good to use.
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