Quick death in a goose

[theduckpalace]

Hey there goosey friends-

Sad question for y’all tonight. One of my one-year old Embden geese dropped dead pretty suddenly today. I noticed her looking a little wobbly when she left the coop this morning, so immediately went over to pick her up (she let me, without a fuss - highly unusual). Carried her to the swimming pool where she paddled around, drank a bit, & was able to exit by herself. I just didn’t like the way she looked- she seemed very still, & not interested in food. I went ahead & isolated her & gave her fresh water & food. Watched her closely throughout the day. She got more wobbly, had a harder time walking, slowly stopped showing any interest in water, moved her neck only very slowly, & eventually wouldn’t rise from her bed of shavings. I tried to feed her some B complex on treats, but she wasn’t interested at all. Slow activity of her third eyelid throughout the day, & definite lethargy. I saw her poop twice, so I think being egg bound is out of the question. When I checked on her this evening, she was dead (& seemed to have rapidly stiffened).

No symptoms in any other birds, & I’d say they live cleanly & well, with access to grass, good bugs, lots of shade, & plenty of swimming & drinking water. I’m pretty mystified. Any thoughts or similar experiences out there? Thanks in advance.

 

[Goosebaby]

Hey there goosey friends-

Sad question for y’all tonight. One of my one-year old Embden geese dropped dead pretty suddenly today. I noticed her looking a little wobbly when she left the coop this morning, so immediately went over to pick her up (she let me, without a fuss - highly unusual). Carried her to the swimming pool where she paddled around, drank a bit, & was able to exit by herself. I just didn’t like the way she looked- she seemed very still, & not interested in food. I went ahead & isolated her & gave her fresh water & food. Watched her closely throughout the day. She got more wobbly, had a harder time walking, slowly stopped showing any interest in water, moved her neck only very slowly, & eventually wouldn’t rise from her bed of shavings. I tried to feed her some B complex on treats, but she wasn’t interested at all. Slow activity of her third eyelid throughout the day, & definite lethargy. I saw her poop twice, so I think being egg bound is out of the question. When I checked on her this evening, she was dead (& seemed to have rapidly stiffened).

No symptoms in any other birds, & I’d say they live cleanly & well, with access to grass, good bugs, lots of shade, & plenty of swimming & drinking water. I’m pretty mystified. Any thoughts or similar experiences out there? Thanks in advance.

I’m very sorry for your loss!

It could be any number of things unfortunately, a necropsy could shed more light than we can.
Her sound either like some sort of hypoxia, heat exhaustion, or nervous system problem.

Did she appear to have any unusual behaviors or symptoms at all in the preceding days?
Could she have been startled by something? If something gave her a shock it could have triggered a heart attack. In healthy birds that isn’t something that would happen but if she had an underlying heart defect it could explain the sudden issues and all of the symptoms you described.

Another main concern is poisoning. Lead or zinc toxicity causes neurological issues, wobbling then paralysis also. Paint, bird shot, buck shot, galvanized wiring, soil and plants around old asphalt, certain foils or metal bits can all be sources.

Plant poisoning is also an issue, plants like moonflowers and foxgloves can induce symptoms of lethargy and weakness fairly quickly and they are lethal. One of my girls died after eating moonflower sprouts and her symptoms were pretty similar to what you described.

 

[Goosebaby]

Pesticides could be another possibility.

 

[Iain Utah]

Since it is a yearling female during egg-laying season, I would assume she laid a soft egg that broke inside. Unfortunately, it is not that uncommon. I'm very sorry for your loss.