Despite the heroic efforts of a local hand surgeon and the caring members of Solvang’s Animal Rescue Team, Inc., Pooper the goose died after surgery to remove one of her wings, which was damaged when she was mauled by a dog more than a month ago.

 

Saying this was something new for him, Dr. Michael J. Behrman, a Solvang orthopedic hand surgeon and president of the nonprofit Animal Rescue Team, operated on the goose Feb. 12. at Solvang Veterinary Hospital. The goose tolerated the amputation surgery well but had difficulty afterwards, said Julia Di Sieno, executive director of the animal rescue group.

Pooper and her brother, geese raised from hatchlings, were mauled by a dog more than a month ago. The male goose died, but Pooper survived, although her wing was badly damaged.

Because the wing didn’t heal as had been hoped, it dragged on the ground when the goose walked and she constantly stepped on it, which prompted the surgery.

The surgeon said the choices for emergency animal care frequently come down to two choices: put the animal down or try and treat it.

“I believe that there is value in trying to protect life,” Behrman said. “There are differences in how far we should go for animals versus people, but these are still living creatures. Making them suffer is not a great answer.”

Reach Barbara Lanz-Mateo at bmateo@syvjournal.com.