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Here is a very basic guide. Click on each Heading for more information. Special thanks to Deb Frost for her article on Johnes Disease! Want to test? WSU has great prices on CAE and Cl. Check out the University of Wisconsin for Johnes. CAE, Caprine Arthritis Encephalitis What it does: -attacks nervous system -attacks joints How its transmitted: Studies have shown it is passed to kids through colostrum and milk. This is a retrovirus so it cannot survive long outside of its host. Lateral transmission is unlikely but possible if the negative goat comes in contact with blood or milk from the positive goat. Generally it takes prolonged contact in a high density herd for this to occur. How to protect your herd: There is no vaccine for this disease. Since the most likely transmission is from mom to kids, testing the moms is of critical importance. If a doe does test positive, the babies need to be taken before they have a chance to nurse, and then hand-raised. Over 70% of CAE positive goats do not show symptoms during most or all of their life, therefore just because a goat has always seemed healthy, does not mean they are definetely CAE-free. CL, Caseous Lymphadentitis What it does: -Causes internal abscesses -Causes external abscesses How its transmitted: It's a bacteria that can live in soil up to 2 years, can be passed in milk, can be spread by draining abscesses and by coughing goats who have abscesses in their lungs. How to protect your herd: Test everyone and do weekly physical exams. Especially look for lumps on neck and face. There is a vaccine for sheep but not for goats. Although some use it on goats, there can be major reactions at the injection site and the vaccine is supposedly not very effective. Also, once the vaccine is given the goat will always test positive and you won't know if its from the disease or the vaccine. Johne's Disease (Pronounced "yo-knees") At this time Oregon has a voluntary Johne's disease program for dairy farmers, They do not have one yet for goats. Some states offer free testing for this disease. What it does: Infection of the GI system-Chronic wasting disease. How its transmitted: Ingestion of bacteria from manure of infected animals How to protect your herd: I don't think there's an easy answer here but testing is definitely important. Once again, there's a vaccine, but with the same problems with the CL vaccine. We do not use either of these vaccines. More information: USDA article |
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Diseases to test for |