Hello all my goose loving friends...here's the deal.. Let me start by saying I've already PM'd Pete55 but don't know when he'll be online again so I wanted to post here to see what advice I could get. I have a gorgeous big Dewlap Toulouse Gander named Gonzo. As I was putting everyone to bed last night, I noticed Gonzo was making a wheezing or sort of like a "heeerrrr" sound. This seemed to come literally out of nowhere as I check on the birds several times a day and he wasn't doing it earlier. I put them to bed, hoping and praying he'd be ok by this morning and he's not. He seems worse. He's making that sound, his breathing seems labored, he's shaking his head some, and I'm beyond worried sick. Although I love ALL my critters, if you know me, you know that my geese are my BABIES! I live in East Tn and I don't know if this has anything to do with it, but we've been hit with a sort of sudden and severe drop in temps the last few days and on top of that, it's been wet and nasty as well. Their coop is dry and pretty darn near draft free. The geese do spend the night with a few chickens and right now, because I have so many, a few ducks too. One thing I mentioned to Pete in the PM...We use Purina Flock Raiser as our base for their feed. We also give grains, some corn, and greens and fruit as well as a few pieces of bread as a treat...I know I know, I shouldn't give them bread..but it's JUST as an occasional treat. We normally buy pellets in the Flock Raiser, but they were out this past time so we got crumbles. I've fed them crumbles in the past but this bag seemed REALLY crumbly..almost powdery in texture. I don't know if that has anything to do with it or not, I just want to give as much info as I can. Whatever's wrong with Gonzo, certainly hasn't affected his appetite. This goose would rather eat than swim!!! I'm going out now to check and see if maybe he has a nasal obstruction of some kind. Glenn, my other gander had this happen once and exhibited some of the same symptoms but I don't remember him wheezing like this. Once the little bit of grain came out of Glenn's nostril, he cleared right up and was fine. So, what do you guys think... I've been searching online, probably the WORST thing a worried momma can do! It seems everyone has a different opinion and apparently, Gonzo could have Gape worms, tapeworms, a cold, a disease that will kill him and everyone around him...I'm just beside myself! The vet is closed and on top of that, we're BROKE and there's no vets here with any real waterfowl knowledge (that I know of at least). Here's what I have on hand at the house:
Tetracycline Hydrochloride Soluble Powder...(the yellow pack)
Sulmet (sulfamethazine sodium) Drinking Water Solution, 12.5% It's an antibacterial used for cows, pigs, chickens, and turkeys
I have another antibiotic here but can't find it just yet. It's an injectable liquid and comes in a fat little brown bottle.
I also have a vitamin supplement that I'm still looking for. I think it's VetRx but not positive on that.
The feed stores are open all weekend and I can run there anytime if someone will help me figure out WHAT exactly to get and how much to administer. Also wondering, should I treat only him or go ahead and treat them all? I would think I'd need to give individual doses because the birds have SEVERAL different watering holes, so to speak. Should I go ahead and worm too? If so, what wormer do I buy? When responding, please consider I'm out in the country and our feed stores don't have everything that some do. We have a TSC, a Mizes, and a local feed mill though, so surely one of them will have at least one of the antibiotics that you experienced geese people will suggest. I just want to be sure that whatever you suggest, you know for sure that it's safe for geese.
Thanks ahead of time for your help!
Tetracycline Hydrochloride Soluble Powder...(the yellow pack)
Sulmet (sulfamethazine sodium) Drinking Water Solution, 12.5% It's an antibacterial used for cows, pigs, chickens, and turkeys
I have another antibiotic here but can't find it just yet. It's an injectable liquid and comes in a fat little brown bottle.
I also have a vitamin supplement that I'm still looking for. I think it's VetRx but not positive on that.
The feed stores are open all weekend and I can run there anytime if someone will help me figure out WHAT exactly to get and how much to administer. Also wondering, should I treat only him or go ahead and treat them all? I would think I'd need to give individual doses because the birds have SEVERAL different watering holes, so to speak. Should I go ahead and worm too? If so, what wormer do I buy? When responding, please consider I'm out in the country and our feed stores don't have everything that some do. We have a TSC, a Mizes, and a local feed mill though, so surely one of them will have at least one of the antibiotics that you experienced geese people will suggest. I just want to be sure that whatever you suggest, you know for sure that it's safe for geese.
Thanks ahead of time for your help!