What to Do About Nitrofurazone Poisoning in Geese? Symptoms and Prevention and Treatment Methods

Nitrofurazone is also known as furazolidone. It is a commonly used intestinal antibacterial drug in veterinary clinical practice. The drug has a low safety index, and poultry are especially sensitive to it. Its therapeutic dose and toxic dose are relatively close, and geese often become poisoned due to overdose. Clinically, it is mainly seen in young geese, and poisoning often causes death.

1. Causes

(1) Excessive dosage or uneven mixing of the drug The commonly used preventive dose of nitrofurazone for geese is 100-200 mg/kg feed, and the therapeutic dose is 300-400 mg/kg feed. According to clinical observation, adding 1 g per kg of feed can cause nitrofurazone poisoning in geese. Likewise, uneven mixing of the drug into the feed can also cause some geese to receive an excessive dose and become poisoned.

(2) Continuous medication for too long After nitrofurazone enters the goose body, it is excreted slowly through the kidneys, taking about one week. Although the dosage of nitrofurazone is not large, continuous use for more than one week can also cause cumulative poisoning.

2. Clinical symptoms Nitrofurazone poisoning in geese is mostly acute. Poisoned geese have an unsteady gait, loss of coordination, twisted neck, and opisthotonus. Sometimes they call continuously. Severe cases often die from convulsions within minutes after poisoning. Those that survive often grow slowly.

3. Pathological changes This disease also has no characteristic lesions. On necropsy, pale yellow mucus (the color of nitrofurazone) can be seen in the oral cavity, esophagus, proventriculus, gizzard, and duodenum; the small intestinal mucosa is congested and hemorrhagic; and the liver is enlarged and congested. Sometimes hemorrhagic spots can be seen on the epicardium, and in cases with a longer course, there is fluid accumulation in the abdominal cavity.