This is a Canada goose recently admitted to the Center’s hospital. He was found tired, wet and unable to stand near the side of a pond. A wet bird is a sign their body is too weak to produce the oils needed to waterproof their feathers. Our veterinary team quickly found the goose to be suffering from lead poisoning after drawing blood samples. His blood lead levels were 25 mg/dl. Anything above 10 mg/dl is classified as toxic. He was in bad shape and we acted quickly to stabilize him.
To treat lead poisoning, technicians perform chelation therapy for 5 days until the lead is flushed out of the goose’s body. Chelation therapy pushes calcium EDTA through the blood, grabbing onto poisonous heavy metals as it passes through. During treatment he also received supportive fluids and vitamins to help him heal quickly. Secondary treatments are often necessary, and in most cases full recovery takes about 5 weeks. In the second picture, Nicki Goslin (handling) and intern Stella (with syringe), are testing the goose’s blood lead levels after three weeks of treatment. Results found that lead levels have dropped to healthy levels, He is doing great, and we expect to release him in a few weeks time.
As always, we need your help! Our staff are in desperate need of copy paper, and other essentials you can find on our amazon wishlist here: http://a.co/0rBmyv6