Gosling cat bite, vet didn’t rx antibiotics (advised to wash daily), anything more I can be doing to prevent infection / sepsis?

[A_Beautiful_Mess]

Hello folks

• My newly adopted 2 wk old gosling got bitten by my cat last night. I’ll never forgive myself for letting it happen, but trying to do everything I can now to fix it. Basically, the wound is clean and looks ok, the vet didn’t prescribe antibiotics, I’m nervous about a cat bite having a high infection likelihood and wondering if anyone has suggestions for any additional supportive care to prevent infection.
• Additional info below if it’s useful / interesting:
• Gosling (white Chinese goose I believe but could be a mixed breed), ~2 weeks old, unknown sex, adopted yesterday so I don’t know it’s history but reported healthy aside from having a birth defect (one bad leg & wing, I’m hoping to build it a wheelchair or prosthetic & teach it to use it’s good leg to get around, but I know that’s optimistic and I understand that it may not be possible to provide it with quality of life — but I decided I wanted to try. The leg isn’t what I’m asking about now, but I’m happy for suggestions if folks want to provide them — that’s not the emergency though.)
• My cat bit my gosling in the back of the head / top of neck late last night. I know this is my fault for allowing them to be in the same area for even a moment and I genuinely can’t believe I was that stupid. Emergency vet wasn’t open. I stopped the bleeding, flushed the bite wound thoroughly with iodine solution, then patted it with iodine, & after it dried out a bit I packed it with neosporin and left it unbandaged so it could drain. Stayed up with gosling most of the night to make sure he was okay.
• The bite seems to be just a puncture / torn skin, didn’t reach bone, no muscle flap or anything. It looks pretty good today all things considered.
• The gosling didn’t seem that distressed even shortly after the bite or since then. It’s still eating, drinking, and pooping normally, napping on & off but alert during the day when I’m around, playing with toys.
• Just visited the vet (a vet who sees poultry sometimes, so they have experience with geese.) She said it looked ok, she did not prescribe antibiotics (she was worried about the impact of antibiotics on a baby), suggested just washing the wound 1-2x / day with soap and water & to call again if it gets swollen / visibly infected to get antibiotics. She did not seem optimistic about the goose’s quality of life with one bad leg, suggested the only way it could be mobile is if we get the other leg strong & working well as a normal leg somehow (appreciate the reality check).
• Housing is a large dog crate converted into a brooder by adding linoleum flooring & walls, soft woodchip bedding, blankets, food & water station, & heat lamp. Gosling is currently the only bird in the brooder, I’m considering getting some day-old ducklings once it’s healed up a bit to be it’s companions so it’s not alone, but I worry about getting another goose since I wonder if it’d bully him when it got larger and he was still disabled. I have baby toys, a small mirror, blankets and a stuffed animal for him.
• Mostly just trying to figure out what to do to be as proactive as possible in preventing cat bite bacterial issues / infection / sepsis since I can’t use antibiotics. Appreciate anyone’s time / help!!

 

[The Coop Crew]

I would just keep antibiotic ointment on it (the kind without pain relief). It sounds like you’re doing everything you can. Birds usually heal really well
Don’t beat yourself up. I know it’s hard. Today my daughter left the garage door open on accident and our cat snagged two of our baby chicks. Didn’t even know it happened until I found pieces of them outside so I know how you feel about feeling guilty for sure.

 

[A_Beautiful_Mess]

I would just keep antibiotic ointment on it (the kind without pain relief). It sounds like you’re doing everything you can. Birds usually heal really well
Don’t beat yourself up. I know it’s hard. Today my daughter left the garage door open on accident and our cat snagged two of our baby chicks. Didn’t even know it happened until I found pieces of them outside so I know how you feel about feeling guilty for sure.

I really appreciate your kind reply Yeah, I know mistakes happen, I just don’t know how I didn’t anticipate that… but you’re probably right that beating myself up more won’t help, so I’m trying to just care for him as much as I can now thank you for your support, I’ve mostly seen folks online being pretty grim about cat bites so I’m glad to hear some optimism!!

 

[A_Beautiful_Mess]

I would just keep antibiotic ointment on it (the kind without pain relief). It sounds like you’re doing everything you can. Birds usually heal really well
Don’t beat yourself up. I know it’s hard. Today my daughter left the garage door open on accident and our cat snagged two of our baby chicks. Didn’t even know it happened until I found pieces of them outside so I know how you feel about feeling guilty for sure.

And I’m so sorry to hear about your chicks. I hope you & your fam & the other chicks are all doing okay and taking care of yourselves too

 

[Roslyn the Gosling]

Hello folks

• My newly adopted 2 wk old gosling got bitten by my cat last night. I’ll never forgive myself for letting it happen, but trying to do everything I can now to fix it. Basically, the wound is clean and looks ok, the vet didn’t prescribe antibiotics, I’m nervous about a cat bite having a high infection likelihood and wondering if anyone has suggestions for any additional supportive care to prevent infection.
• Additional info below if it’s useful / interesting:
• Gosling (white Chinese goose I believe but could be a mixed breed), ~2 weeks old, unknown sex, adopted yesterday so I don’t know it’s history but reported healthy aside from having a birth defect (one bad leg & wing, I’m hoping to build it a wheelchair or prosthetic & teach it to use it’s good leg to get around, but I know that’s optimistic and I understand that it may not be possible to provide it with quality of life — but I decided I wanted to try. The leg isn’t what I’m asking about now, but I’m happy for suggestions if folks want to provide them — that’s not the emergency though.)
• My cat bit my gosling in the back of the head / top of neck late last night. I know this is my fault for allowing them to be in the same area for even a moment and I genuinely can’t believe I was that stupid. Emergency vet wasn’t open. I stopped the bleeding, flushed the bite wound thoroughly with iodine solution, then patted it with iodine, & after it dried out a bit I packed it with neosporin and left it unbandaged so it could drain. Stayed up with gosling most of the night to make sure he was okay.
• The bite seems to be just a puncture / torn skin, didn’t reach bone, no muscle flap or anything. It looks pretty good today all things considered.
• The gosling didn’t seem that distressed even shortly after the bite or since then. It’s still eating, drinking, and pooping normally, napping on & off but alert during the day when I’m around, playing with toys.
• Just visited the vet (a vet who sees poultry sometimes, so they have experience with geese.) She said it looked ok, she did not prescribe antibiotics (she was worried about the impact of antibiotics on a baby), suggested just washing the wound 1-2x / day with soap and water & to call again if it gets swollen / visibly infected to get antibiotics. She did not seem optimistic about the goose’s quality of life with one bad leg, suggested the only way it could be mobile is if we get the other leg strong & working well as a normal leg somehow (appreciate the reality check).
• Housing is a large dog crate converted into a brooder by adding linoleum flooring & walls, soft woodchip bedding, blankets, food & water station, & heat lamp. Gosling is currently the only bird in the brooder, I’m considering getting some day-old ducklings once it’s healed up a bit to be it’s companions so it’s not alone, but I worry about getting another goose since I wonder if it’d bully him when it got larger and he was still disabled. I have baby toys, a small mirror, blankets and a stuffed animal for him.
• Mostly just trying to figure out what to do to be as proactive as possible in preventing cat bite bacterial issues / infection / sepsis since I can’t use antibiotics. Appreciate anyone’s time / help!!

I avoid antibiotics like plague. MSM drops, poultice with Manuka honey will eliminate pain & kill the infection. Have seen vet save a gangrenus cat's foot so badly mangled when infection was gone you couldn't tell anything ever happened. Manuka is only honey not affected by heat or light & still effective when diluted 2:1. Stops pain. Saved several abscessed teeth with Manuka honey poultices. Make small poultice ith gauze/honey, place between cheek/gum. Go to bed. In a.m. no pain & abscess is gone. Works on your little goose, too.
Finely grate a white potato. Make poultice & potato draws infection (if any) out.