If it was a snakebite, it doesn't sound like it was a poisonous one, fortunately. Snake venom works pretty quickly and you'd be seeing the effects by now. I don't think it sounds like a snakebite, though. Puncture marks that are 2-2 1/2 inches apart would mean it was an enormous snake!

If your goose is eating and drinking, that's a good sign. I'd clean the wounds with Betadine or a similar antiseptic, and keep the goose in a clean, quiet area on clean towels or hay rather than wood shavings/chips. Waterfowl have a high natural temperature, around 105°, that helps to prevent infection.

Start with that, and see how it goes. Good luck!

Good advice from bethw, Coldiron. Sorry, but I can't remember where you are located. What kinds of snakes would be possibilities? Even a non-venomous watersnake can give a nasty bite... but I'm thinking perhaps a snapping turtle. As bethw will tell you, they can inflict considerable damage on a goose's foot. I'm thinking that perhaps the "beak" of the turtle inflicted the larger wound and the side of the mouth the smaller.

It is understandable that the goose collapsed once it was safely back in its home. "Thank goodness, now I can rest!" would about sum it up. It may be suffering from shock as well as the actual wound. I'd try to get some unflavoured Pedialyte into the goose or at least some sugar water.

I'd try to keep all the waterfowl away from the pond until you can check it out. Chances are the critter is still out there. Being unsure of your location, it is hard to speculate with any certainty, but snappers, large pike or muskies, and large snakes would all be possible suspects.

Hope your goose is doing better by morning... I know you must be worried about it.

Hi ya'll and thanks for the quick response. Just check on our goose (he's a Toulouse name Cloud) and he seams even more sick and disoriented, making a low grunting sound. I'm very worried!!! I ended up putting him in with the other female goose and ducks because he put up such a fuss with them not around (they're all good friends and very close) he's calm now but head and neck are wobbling and he doesn't seam to have any focus. Could an infection set in in just a few hours? He came up from the pond in this condition about 6 hours ago. We've cleaned the wound twice,
it isn't red, swollen or seem tender if I touch it.

Here in East Texas we have copperheads, cotton mouths, coral and some type of rattler and also snapping turtles.

Yikes, Coldiron, that doesn't sound good. You did the right thing keeping him with his friends... they get very stressed sometimes when separated and he doesn't need that.

I doubt that an infection would set up that fast. It does sound as though it could have been a venonous snake... but the fact that he is still alive makes me think that if that is the case he must not have got a full shot of venom. I don't know a lot about the symptoms of snake bite, but wouldn't the foot be very swollen if venom were present?

You think it is more than shock then, do you? Poor Cloud. Maybe your should call a vet or a poison centre for advice. Or perhaps google "snake bites waterfowl" or something like that.

I do hope he pulls through. Please post an update in the morning. If anything else occurs to me I will post it immediately.

Coldiron, how is Cloud this morning?

I do hope he is on the mend, but should you lose him, I strongly advise a necropsy to try to determine what happened - for the sake of your other waterfowl that may also be at risk of attack.

I did wonder if perhaps he lost a lot more blood than you originally thought. He could have bled freely in the pond for some time before it coagulated. I'm still leaning toward shock as a cause of his shaking and lack of focus, but I'm going on instinct here rather than experience. It does seem to me, however, that if venom was injected there should be swelling and discoloration at the site of the wound.

Hi, I'm happy to say Cloud has improved! I went to his pen rather timidly, affraid of what I might find. He still is very wobblely and disoreinted trys to walk, but falls on his beak after a few steps. He's eating and drinking fine and is drooling/vomitting much less than yeaterday.

I wanted to keep him and the flock in fom the pond today but the rest of flock wouldn't here of it. I tried to keep Cloud behind but he insisted on going too. When I wouldn't let him go he pitched a fit so, I carried him down, placed him in the water and stayed with him for a few hours. His wounds by the way are barely visible at this point so I wasn't too worried about infection. Seems like being in the water has helped too. He seem more aware, balanced and comfortable, he even took a good bath!

So I've taken a break but can see the pond from here, if he trys to come up to the house before I go back down I'll have to run and bring him up to keep him from battleing up the hill and losing his strength like yesterday.

I wonder now if the wound is related or if he ate something that has poisoned him. We don't use any chemicals on the property but have only been here 3 months and don;t know if the previous owners may have. Is there any vegetation he could have eaten that geese react too.

Will keep you posted on any changes.

Thanks for your caring info and advise.

Just want to give an update on Cloud. Cloud is fine and almost back to normal!!! "She" apparently had a bacterial infection called 'Young Ducks Disease', bought some 'Sulimet' to mix in with her water and she's doing great! Although it usually is found in ducks, geese and other fowl can get it too. I went ahead and treated my ducks and chickens just as a precaution.

But as luck would have it, while worring myself sick over Cloud, a preditor attacked and killed it's mate yesterday. My emotions are spent.

I suspect that it was a dog because only the neck was damaged and rest of the goose untouched. A "real" preditor would have eaten it, and I guess I would have felt better about that than it just being killed for the sake of killing.

So I'm off to see who has dogs nearest me and perhaps have a conversation (like it will do me any good) and work on a solution to prevent it from happening again before I increase my flock.

Thanks again Maggie and Beth for your help in all this.

How wonderful it is that Cloud is improving! Yay!

It sure is a mystery what happened, though. Glad to know he's on the mend:)

It IS good to hear that Cloud is much better and that you found the problem and a suitable treatment. How did you figure it out? I had never heard of "young duck disease" but intend to look into it in case I ever have problems of that sort.

That is really rotten luck that something killed the other goose. You are right that it sounds like a dog attack... You must be furious. Did you find out anything from the neighbours?

I know exactly what you mean about it being easier to accept losses to a wild predator than to a dog. I lost two of my mutt goslings (and a couple of old hens) to a mystery predator. Just gone without a trace. Brian did see and forstall one attack... a big hawk trying to make off with a hen. But the goslings, even half grown, were heavier than a hen, so not sure what happened. Could have been a coyote or a fisher... there is gossip about both in the area and several people have had losses.

In spite of these recent losses, I still prefer to live in a world that has all kinds of wild creatures. I am glad we still have coyotes and fishers and mink. Even raccoons. I believe that all the wildlife is healthier as a result and that except when humans upset the balance of nature, it works just fine.

Coldiron, didn't you have TWO pairs of geese and the ganders were fighting? What happened to the other pair? I was thinking that you could add Cloud to that pair and go with a trio.

Maggie,

As for finding the cure for Cloud, I have a book called 'Ducks & Geese in your Backyard' by Rick and Gail Luttmann. There is a section in there about 'Disease of young waterfowl' and thats where I found the symptoms for 'New duck syndrome'. I google for other diseases with those symptoms and found another disease, different name but same cure so, I went for it and it seems to have worked.

The Luttmanns also wrote two other books called' Chickens in your Backyard' and Gail Luttmann wrote 'Raising Milk Goats'. They are great books, easy to read and very handy.

As for the two pair of geese and the ganders fighting, that wasn't me. You may remember though, about 6 or 7 weeks ago my 4 year old steped on one of our goslings' flipper and you recomended the splay leg treatment if it didn't correct itself in a few days. fortunately it did correct it self but now can't remember if it was Cloud or Gossy.

So I'm in a tough spot with no male mate for Cloud and the hatchery I bought them from are out of Toulouse and any other geese until spring. I've been combing the hatcheries to see if I can get another 2 males and 2 females quickly so that in the fall thru spring, Cloud dosen't fly off looking for a mate. I'm in Texas and I'm not sure Toulouse geese would fly off anyway. She haas 5 other ducks the same age as she, and they're a very close group, to keep her company though.

Thanks again for being so supportive.

Maggie,

As for finding the cure for Cloud, I have a book called 'Ducks & Geese in your Backyard' by Rick and Gail Luttmann. There is a section in there about 'Disease of young waterfowl' and thats where I found the symptoms for 'New duck syndrome'. I google for other diseases with those symptoms and found another disease, different name but same cure so, I went for it and it seems to have worked.

The Luttmanns also wrote two other books called' Chickens in your Backyard' and Gail Luttmann wrote 'Raising Milk Goats'. They are great books, easy to read and very handy.

As for the two pair of geese and the ganders fighting, that wasn't me. You may remember though, about 6 or 7 weeks ago my 4 year old steped on one of our goslings' flipper and you recomended the splay leg treatment if it didn't correct itself in a few days. fortunately it did correct it self but now can't remember if it was Cloud or Gossy.

So I'm in a tough spot with no male mate for Cloud and the hatchery I bought them from are out of Toulouse and any other geese until spring. I've been combing the hatcheries to see if I can get another 2 males and 2 females quickly so that in the fall thru spring, Cloud dosen't fly off looking for a mate. I'm in Texas and I'm not sure Toulouse geese would fly off anyway. She haas 5 other ducks the same age as she, and they're a very close group, to keep her company though.

Thanks again for being so supportive.

Coldiron, where in Texas are you? I just moved to Missouri from around Houston. Before Houston we lived in Beaumont.

Suzie

Suzie,

I'm in Grapeland Texas, a small town of 1,450 people between Houston and Dallas. We just moved here from North Houston about three months ago. BIG CHANGE and we love it!