Types of Common Diseases in Domesticated Geese and Their Prevention and Treatment Methods

Geese have a short farming cycle, live on pasture grass and feed, have strong disease resistance, can be managed extensively, and involve relatively low risk, making them a good farming project. But they will always be affected by some diseases. So what are the common diseases of domesticated geese? How are they prevented and treated? Let's find out below!

I. Gosling Plague

This disease is an acute, septicemic infectious disease of goslings. Affected geese show symptoms such as listlessness, loss of appetite, diarrhea and ataxia. It can occur 3-5 days after hatching and can spread through the whole flock; geese older than 1 month of age generally do not develop it. The typical pathological change is the formation of a plug in the small intestine that blocks the intestinal tract.

(1) Symptoms: The disease can be divided into 3 types: peracute, acute and subacute. (1) Peracute type: sudden death from unknown causes. It mostly occurs in goslings within 1 week of age. (2) Acute type has symptoms such as listlessness, loss of appetite, severe diarrhea, and passing yellow-white or yellow-green watery droppings; the course of disease is mostly 1-2 days, and neurological symptoms appear before death. It mostly occurs in goslings 1-2 weeks of age. (3) Subacute type: mostly occurs in flocks over 2 weeks of age, with symptoms such as poor spirits, not eating, and diarrhea with watery droppings. Some geese recover on their own.

(2) Pathological changes: The main pathological changes are in the small intestine. In geese that die of the peracute type, the small intestine only shows septicemia phenomena such as intestinal mucosal congestion and hemorrhage. In geese that die of the acute or subacute type, the small intestine contains large amounts of a band-like pseudomembrane formed by exudate, appearing as a plug-like tubular mass that blocks the posterior segment of the small intestine, making the posterior segment of the small intestine look like a sausage.

(3) Prevention and treatment measures: (1) About 1 month before the breeding geese lay eggs, use the gosling plague vaccine twice in succession, so that the breeding eggs contain maternal antibodies, thereby allowing the goslings to develop passive immunity. (2) If the breeding geese have not been injected with the gosling plague vaccine, newly hatched goslings should be injected with an attenuated vaccine. If the breeding geese have already been vaccinated, an attenuated vaccine may also be injected as appropriate according to the local epidemic situation. (3) For diseased geese and geese in the same flock, high-immune anti-gosling plague serum should be used for prevention and treatment.

II. Fowl Cholera

Fowl cholera is an acute, septicemic disease of poultry, also called fowl septicemia. It is caused by Pasteurella multocida, and geese are also susceptible. It mostly occurs in autumn when geese reach sexual maturity. If preventive measures are improper, it occurs every year in epidemic areas.

(1) Symptoms: The disease is divided into 3 types: peracute, acute and chronic. (1) Peracute type: sudden death from unknown causes, mostly in the early stage of the epidemic. (2) Acute type: sick geese stand with eyes closed, dare not enter water, drink more water, are listless, completely lose appetite, and have loose diarrhea resembling grass-green color; body temperature is 41-43°C, the course of disease is 2-3 days, and death occurs quickly. (3) Chronic type: mostly occurs in the late stage of the epidemic; geese are emaciated, have diarrhea, and show arthritis symptoms.

(2) Pathological changes: Lesions in the peracute type are not obvious. In the acute and chronic types, there are hemorrhagic points on the epicardium and in the coronary sulcus, and congestion and hemorrhage in the intestinal tract.

(3) Prevention and treatment measures: (1) In epidemic areas, thorough disinfection should be carried out before the disease becomes prevalent, and recurrence of the disease should be avoided as much as possible. (2) Once an outbreak is found, treat it promptly. Sulfonamides, olaquindox and antibiotic drugs all have good effects. Generally, 0.02% compound sulfamethoxazole is mixed into the feed, and then a penicillin-streptomycin mixture is injected intramuscularly for 3-4 days, twice a day, which can basically control the disease.

III. Goose Influenza

Goose influenza, abbreviated as goose flu, mainly occurs in goslings. It is mostly caused by sudden climate changes, poor feeding and management, and goslings catching cold and becoming infected. It presents as respiratory symptoms. Because goslings have poor disease resistance, the mortality rate is relatively high.

(1) Symptoms: Sick geese show listlessness and poor appetite; goslings huddle together, have runny noses, difficulty breathing and shake their heads; when shaking their heads, the nasal mucus sticks to the feathers, and the feathers become dirty, wet and ruffled. The course of disease is generally 3-5 days, and severe diarrhea occurs before death.

(2) Pathological changes: Hemorrhage under the skin and in muscles, translucent exudate in the upper respiratory tract, pulmonary congestion, hemorrhage on the epicardium, and congestion or enlargement of the liver, spleen and kidneys, commonly with grayish-yellow necrotic spots.

(3) Prevention and treatment measures: (1) Keep goslings within 1 month of age warm and provide scientific feeding and management. (2) In areas where the disease frequently occurs, an inactivated vaccine can be injected for prevention. (3) For diseased flocks, intramuscular injection of penicillin and oral administration of sulfadiazine tablets have relatively good effects; at the same time, keep them warm and improve feeding and management conditions.

IV. Paratyphoid

Paratyphoid in geese is caused by Salmonella and mostly occurs in goslings. It is often caused by improper feeding and management. It mainly manifests as symptoms such as diarrhea, conjunctivitis and emaciation; symptoms in adult geese are not obvious.

(1) Symptoms: Sick geese mainly show diarrhea, with droppings like clear water, and the geese gradually become weaker. Sick geese lose appetite and have diarrhea; feces contaminate the rear part of the body and, after drying, seal the anus, causing difficulty in defecation. Adult geese show a chronic form, mainly emaciation.

(2) Pathological changes: The esophagus is empty, the liver is enlarged and congested, the mucosa is congested and hemorrhagic, the air sac membrane is turbid, the ceca are swollen, and the contents are caseous.

(3) Prevention and treatment measures: (1) Pay attention to feeding and management, do not feed spoiled feed, eliminate breeding geese with chronic disease, and in frequently affected areas attention should be paid to disinfection starting from the incubation of breeding eggs; strengthen feeding and management of goslings. (2) Using diaveridine in drinking water and mixed into feed has good effects.

V. Goose Lanceolate Tapeworm Disease

The lanceolate tapeworm mainly parasitizes the small intestine of geese. When the worms grow large, a large number of them accumulate in the small intestine and cause mechanical blockage of the intestinal tract, affecting the digestion and absorption of geese, thereby affecting goose growth and even causing death. Introduced breeds are more prone to this disease.

(1) Symptoms: Sick geese grow slowly, are anemic, have diarrhea, are emaciated, stand apart from the flock in a daze, and die sporadically.

(2) Pathological changes: Large numbers of worms can be found in the small intestine of dead or sick geese. The worms are milky white, flat, segmented, and lance-shaped in appearance; adults are 8-15 cm long and 18-20 mm wide.

(3) Prevention and treatment measures: (1) Deworm the goose flock regularly. Adult geese should be dewormed once each in spring and autumn every year; clean up feces promptly, and wash the aquatic plants used for feeding. (2) Strengthen feeding and management to improve the disease resistance of geese. (3) Oral administration of albendazole to diseased flocks has relatively good effects, given as a single dose at 20 mg per kg of body weight.

VI. Goose Lice

Goose lice are parasites hidden in the feathers on the goose's body. The insects are small and shaped like the lice on cattle. Lice cannot complete their entire life cycle without the goose's body.

(1) Symptoms: Lice suck blood and feed on feathers and skin flakes, and also injure the skin, causing itching and restlessness in geese, causing slow growth and emaciation in geese, and reducing egg production in adult geese.

(2) Prevention and treatment measures: (1) The goose house should be cleaned frequently, and the bedding straw should be changed often. The goose house should often be sprayed and disinfected with 0.2% dichlorvos. (2) For geese that already

have goose lice, 0.5% trichlorfon powder can be sprayed into the feathers.