Rabid Goat

[Taffy]

http://www.wspa.com/news/goat-exposes-4-...1153874881

Quote from https://njaes.rutgers.edu/fs1228/

Goats: Reports of rabies in goats are rare, but the furious form of rabies appears to be more common. Symptoms in goats include aggressive behavior, excessive bleating, and salivation. Other signs could include drooling, inability to swallow food, depression, aggression, stupor, weakness, circling, excitation, blindness or any repetitive action.

• Prevention: Currently, there is no rabies vaccine labeled for goats, but off label vaccination with a sheep or cattle vaccine is considered effective and is often recommended by veterinarians for rabies prevention in goats living in endemic rabies areas such as New Jersey. The best prevention program is to prevent exposure. Goat owners are encouraged to provide adequate housing and fencing to prevent wild animals from approaching and attacking goats.
  

[Nanno]

Yikes! We first vaccinated Cuzco for rabies when we lived in western NY. I once found a rabid raccoon in our barn, and one afternoon a rabid woodchuck attacked my car on my way to the barn. We used the sheep vaccine. There was also a case back then where a 4-H goat at a huge county fair in western NY started acting strangely. It turned out to have rabies and so everyone who came in contact with that goat at the fair had to be treated. It was a huge nightmare because potentially hundreds of people had interacted with the goat at the fair before it showed symptoms. After that, all goats showing in NY state had to have a rabies vaccine even though there is no vaccine labeled for goats. What a headache.

I also used to have Cuzco inoculated when he was an "only goat". Now we have the dogs so I'm not so worried about something attacking our goats. If anything rabid shows up around here the dogs will get it before it comes near the goats, and of course the dogs are vaccinated.

[Deborah Haney]

Super glad all my animals are vaccinated, as is the law in my state for dogs, cats, and ferrets. My brother-in-law laughed when I got my goats vaccinated because he thinks raccoons and cats would never attack them. My kids are 30 and 40 lbs and rabid animals will attack anything. There's also the risk of stray dogs, coyotes, there have even been black bears sighted in my area. Goats are also curious; they might go sniff an injured, infected bat. Every single year rabid bats are found in every state except Hawaii.

This is all just counting most goats, pack goats can come into contact with all sorts of small woodland creatures at night. It's important that we all pay close attention to our goats and treat even small bites and nicks.

[blackie's maiden]

Biggest culprits here are skunks and they are everywhere. Never thought of vaccinating the goat a. Thanks for good info.