i would say if he is seven, let him eat what the heck he wants. lol.

in theory, geese are vegetarians (unlike ducks). but if he likes it and it's not hurting him, i say go for it. maybe the senior formula has less meat than the regular so that's why he likes, sort of like a grain supplement or ?

i have a goat who was raised by someone else on dry dog food. goats are also vegetarians. in theory, this should have not only killed him due to the meat but also given him terrible, terrible stones.

when i got him, i had to teach him that hay was goat food. he had no idea. he never seemed interested in my dog's food, they ate a "good" brand. then i was costcutting and bought the cheapest storebrand possible. omg. he RAN toward it. it was like he was saying THIS LADY HAS BEEN STARVING ME AND SHE FINALLY BROUGHT ME SOME FOOD.

lol.

he is extremely healthy, makes pretty baby goats and so forth.

he is not eating dog food right now, but only because i do not have a large dog to buy that kind of dog food for. again, i was wondering if it was that the cheaper brand had less meat in it. so, basically a grain supplement.

if he's happy. let him be.

there might be things that we might not do as a practice for all our animals, but if you don't mind entertaining quirks, then feel free to idulge. in my mind, having a goose that is both happy and ornery really makes up for all the rest.

maybe it's god's little joke or something. who knows. just enjoy.

cya

If you read the labels, dry dog food has grain as contents, not any meat to it. Even the "gravy" food, is not really meat juices and fat. Kibble is just an odd shape for fowl to eat, might choke them with big pieces.

I would not worry about him eating it, other than the additives, vitimins, minerals, may be out of whack for birds. Not sure if dog food or bird feed is cheaper by the pound.

Dogs in the wild eat meat, there is no prepared cereal food to eat. Modern dogs live much longer, even get obese on dry dog food, made to meet their nutritional needs. Dogs do not require meat to survive, dry dog food is really better for them as a diet.

Do get out of George's way as he races to the dog dish! Wouldn't want to explain goose foot prints on your back when he runs you down!!

Any animal that is strictly vegetarians should never be feed meat or animal fats (animal byproducts). They may not develope any 'mad cow' or 'wasting' diseases symptoms and may never get it. But, after prolonged feeding of these animal byproducts they will develop digestive problems. Normal captive life span of a goose is about 25 years, the record is 71 years (google-'how old do geese get' or 'oldest goose').

I would not eat the meat of any vegetarian animal that was feed 'animal byproducts' out of fear of getting one of the above mentioned diseases. If it makes him happy and your not going to eat him just think of him as a friend that smokes cigarettes.

LOL. I tend to agree with you. I have had chickens scarf up some dry cat kibbles I threw out to compost. And I know chickens will eat meat, and my geese were fanatical insect eaters, so know they'll go for protein too. They engorged themselves in cicada season eating those. But, as you said, feeding animal byproducts to ruminant meat animals is what was theorised starting up mad cow in Europe.

"He molted about 1 month ago and I figured the extra protein in the food wouldn't hurt him while he was growing in new feathers."
Bonnie, That could be why he has a sudden interest in the dog food.