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Goat Health and Care
Small Scale Goat DairyingCentral Point, OR
April 5, 2008Charles Estill, OSU Extension Veterinarian
BiosecuritySecurity from transmission of infectious diseases, parasites, and pests
Buy from reputable breeders.
Know the health status of the animals you are purchasing.
Maintain a closed herd.
Limit showing/ exhibiting.
Isolate new animals for at least 30 days.
BiosecurityReduce transmission of infectious diseases, parasites, and pests
Don’t loan or share or bucks.*
Don’t breed does for other producers.*
Do not mix your animals with other people’s animals.*
Don’t share equipment unless it is disinfected after each use.
Limit access to your farm/animals.
Control cat, dog, bird, and rodent populations.
*Unless the other farm/animals have equal health status.
Health problems of goats
Udder disorders Caprine Arthritis
Encephalitis Caseous Lymphadenitis Floppy Kid Syndrome Johne’s Disease
Mastitis What is a normal udder?
Uniformly soft and symmetric Temperature is same as rest of body No swelling or pain Teats are thin and uniform, milk easily
Examine milk for: Color Consistency Clots, flakes
Diagnosis of mastitis
Physical signs Uneven udder Udder is hot, swollen, or painful Sick, off feed, fever Reduced milk production May be no outward signs
Acute mastitis
Udder is hot, swollen, painful Udder may be hard Milk is abnormal (clots, flakes, watery) Reduced milk production Goat may be sick and have a fever May have a stiff gait Can be fatal
Blue bag Mastitis caused by
Staph. aureus or Pasteurella
Up to 80% die Udder is initially
red and hot then turns blue and cold
Milk is watery, brown
May slough ½ of udder
Sub-clinical mastitis
Very common May be difficult to detect without CMT Udder may be firm May be occasional clots, flakes Reduced milk production
Chronic mastitis It is 15 to 40 times more prevalent than the
clinical form. It usually precedes the clinical form. It is of long duration. It is difficult to detect. It reduces milk production. It adversely affects milk quality. Firm, non-
painful udder Career counseling
Diagnosis of mastitis Testing
California mastitis test pH Cells 0, Trace or 1+ is normal Compare halves of udder
Somatic cell count (inaccurate) <500,000 is normal (1M reg. limit) Much higher at end of lactation
Milk culture Technique Staph. epidermidis most common
Treatment of mastitis
Frequent stripping out Oxytocin Antibiotics
Intramammary (1/2 tube) Today Spectromast Pirsue
Treatment of mastitis
Sick goats need systemic treatment! Systemic antibiotics
Penicillin G, Naxcel, LA-200, Gallimycin Anti-inflammatory therapy Fluids
Mastitis prevention Hygiene
Clean, dry, comfortable environment Maintain milking equipment
Avoid excessive vacuum Properly working pulsators Properly fitting liners
Proper milking routine (teat dip) Good nutrition Clip udder hair CMT monthly Treat ALL does at dry-off
Caseous lymphadenitis (CL or CLA)cheesy gland, boils, abscesses
Usually external abscesses in skin or lymph nodes.
Pus in external abscess is initially pale green.
Usually affects animals > 6 months of age.
Lives in soil for >1year
Caused by Corynbacterium (Actinomyces) pseudotuberculosis
Zoonotic potential - ???
Caseous lymphadenitis Diagnosis
Culture of organism Necropsy Blood test
Treatment Complete surgical excision is best Isolate for treatment-do not open in environment
of other goats If draining- flush with Nolvasan or iodine Cull
Caseous lymphadenitis (CL or CLA)cheesy gland, abscesses, boils
Controlling/eradicating CLA Identify and cull affected
animals Avoid skin injuries Practice good hygiene. Purchase from CLA-free
flocks/herds. Vaccination can reduce
severity of disease. Do not vaccinate naïve
herds
Caused by bacteria Corynbacterium pseudotuberculosis
Caprine Arthritis Encephalitis (CAE) Retroviral infection
Only 25% will ever show signs (38-81% positive)
Joint swelling/arthritis in goats >6 mo.
Encephalitis in 2-4 mo. kids
Pneumonia and mastitis in adults
Caprine Arthritis Encephalitis (CAE)
CAE virus is primarily transmitted to kids through colostrum and milk.
Contact transmission is rare, but possible.
Diagnosis- blood test after 6 months of age
No treatment or vaccine is available.
Caprine Arthritis Encephalitis (CAE)
Prevention and control Pasteurize colostrum(133 F for 60 min)
Feed pasteurized milk(165 F for 15 sec)
Milk positive does last Quarantine and test new additions w/i
60 days Disinfect equipment Cannot eradicate w/o culling positives
Johne’s Disease paratuberculosis
Cattle, sheep, and goat strains Fecal-oral transmission Young animals most susceptible Symptoms
Only 5% show signs within a herd at a given time
No signs until 2-7 years old Animals w/o signs are still a
source of infection Chronic weight loss Precipitated by stress Profuse, watery diarrhea in
terminal stages
Caused by bacteria Mycobacterium anium spp. paratuberculosis
Victoria, Australia
Small intestine
Ohio State Universitywww.johnes.org
Johne’s Disease
Difficult to diagnose Fecal culture (40-60%) Blood test-good when
clinical signs present No treatment. Difficult to control. Prevention
Maintain a closed flock/herd Cull offspring of infected
animals Sanitation Be careful with cow colostrum Test annually
Theoretical link to Crohn’s disease in people.
Ohio State Univ.
Small intestine
Floppy kid syndromeFirst documented in 1987
Affects kids between 3 and 10 days of age (normal at birth)
Most common late in kidding season.
Causes muscle weakness, ataxia.
Cause unknown, but suspected to be gastro-intestinal, a metabolic acidosis.
Treat with sodium bicarbonate and supportive therapy.