Chat
07-12-2017, 01:55 PM
Good advice on disease testing, Dave! Unfortunately, some breeders claim disease-free status when their herds are not actually clean. Ask to see that year's tests (especially for CAE since that one is the most common in dairy herds and it's also the easiest to accurately test for). When you buy a kid, you won't be able to test for CAE until he's six to nine months old because titers are not accurate on recently weaned kids, so ask to see the herd test.
Many breeders do not test for CL because these tests are more expensive and less accurate, but if they do test then ask to see it. Some vaccinate their herds for CL which causes the tests to show positive. Look for lumps or scars over the lymph nodes (behind the jaw, shoulders, flanks, back of the leg) on adult goats. These could indicate that CL is present in the herd, but if you see any lumps ask because sometimes goats get abscesses for other reasons. Injection site abscesses are common and can be mistaken for CL if the injection was given in the shoulder area.
Johne's disease is less common in dairy goat herds and more often affects goats that are raised with cattle or are in intensive situations in which many animals are housed in a small area. Johne's is contracted as a kid but usually does not shed or become clinical until the goat is 2-4 years old, so if you're concerned about it you'd need to see a herd test of the mature animals. Johne's is a wasting disease so once again look at the adult goats in the herd. Do they look healthy and in good weight? Do any of them have diarrhea?
Many breeders (and this can include packgoat breeders) like to say, "We tested five years ago and we've been a closed herd since," or "We raise our kids on CAE prevention" (in other words on pasteurized milk). I personally would not take this as proof of a clean herd. If someone is going to claim that their herd is disease-free, they should be able to provide proof. I advertise my herd as CAE free because I can provide proof in the form of my annual tests. However, I do not advertise as CL-free because although we have never had a CL abscess, we did once have a goat who blood tested positive twice and was culled. I then vaccinated the rest of my herd which makes CL testing pretty useless. Since I can't test, I don't make any claims, but I'll certainly be honest about why we don't test.
Many breeders do not test for CL because these tests are more expensive and less accurate, but if they do test then ask to see it. Some vaccinate their herds for CL which causes the tests to show positive. Look for lumps or scars over the lymph nodes (behind the jaw, shoulders, flanks, back of the leg) on adult goats. These could indicate that CL is present in the herd, but if you see any lumps ask because sometimes goats get abscesses for other reasons. Injection site abscesses are common and can be mistaken for CL if the injection was given in the shoulder area.
Johne's disease is less common in dairy goat herds and more often affects goats that are raised with cattle or are in intensive situations in which many animals are housed in a small area. Johne's is contracted as a kid but usually does not shed or become clinical until the goat is 2-4 years old, so if you're concerned about it you'd need to see a herd test of the mature animals. Johne's is a wasting disease so once again look at the adult goats in the herd. Do they look healthy and in good weight? Do any of them have diarrhea?
Many breeders (and this can include packgoat breeders) like to say, "We tested five years ago and we've been a closed herd since," or "We raise our kids on CAE prevention" (in other words on pasteurized milk). I personally would not take this as proof of a clean herd. If someone is going to claim that their herd is disease-free, they should be able to provide proof. I advertise my herd as CAE free because I can provide proof in the form of my annual tests. However, I do not advertise as CL-free because although we have never had a CL abscess, we did once have a goat who blood tested positive twice and was culled. I then vaccinated the rest of my herd which makes CL testing pretty useless. Since I can't test, I don't make any claims, but I'll certainly be honest about why we don't test.