Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
in dairy goat kids where sanitation is poor. Commercial
vaccines are available for Rota, Salmonella, and ETEC and
can be used when appropriate.
It should be realized that kids less than 2 weeks cannot
digest complex sugars or vegetable proteins. This means
that dosing the neonate with table sugar (sucrose) or using
low-quality milk replacers with soybean protein added will
result in dietary scours.
Kids from 1 month of age to weaning (3 months) prac-
tice grazing and as a result are being constantly exposed
to parasites. This accounts for the long list of parasitic
causes of diarrhea. Nematode and coccidian parasites are
covered in the Goat Parasites section.
Kids in this age group have also lost most or all of
their passively acquired immunity from their dam.
This makes them susceptible to diseases that require
circulating antibodies for protection such as with
enterotoxemia.
Enterotoxemia is characterized by diarrhea with blood,
severe abdominal pain with vocalization, recumbency,
shock, and death. Most commonly, affected animals
are found dead. Enterotoxemia is caused by the overgrowth
of Clostridium perfringens types C and D in the small
intestine. They produces exotoxins, which are absorbed
and cause extensive damage. Tentative diagnosis is based
on the presence of the characteristic signs, a history of
digestive disturbance, and absence of vaccination.
Diagnosis is confi rmed by necropsy. For treatment,
antitoxin for C. perfringens D toxin is available. In addi-
tion, the animal should be treated for shock with anti-
infl ammatories and fl uids. For prevention, immunization
with C. perfringens C and D toxoid is given at 4 weeks of
age and repeated in 4-6 weeks. This should be given annu-
ally to adults 4-6 weeks prior to the start of the kidding
season.
Kids in the 1- to 3-month age range are busy exploring
their environment with all of their senses including taste
and smell. This can lead them to ingest toxic materials such
as pesticides and heavy metals.
Although not present in the U.S., a very important cause
of infectious diarrhea in Asia and Africa would be peste
de petits ruminants (PPR), which is a viral disease of goats
and sheep, extending from West Africa through to
Bangladesh. It is spread by livestock movements and trans-
mitted by nasal aerosols or indirect contact. It causes fever,
depression, ocular and nasal discharge, oral ulcers, diar-
rhea, and death. Treatment is aimed at alleviating the
symptoms, hydrating the patient, and controlling second-
ary bacterial infections. Prevention is by vaccination. Strict
quarantine and the control of stock movements help
prevent its spread. Johne's disease is a contagious, chronic,
and fatal bacterial disease of the intestinal tract of all
ruminants caused by Mycobacterium avium subspecies
paratuberculosis . This bacteria is very environmentally
resistant and can survive in the environment for at least a
year. There is no cure for goats infected with Johne's
disease. Clinical signs include weight loss and ill-thrift in
adult goats. Terminally, affected goats may have diarrhea.
However, diarrhea is not a common sign in goats. This
disease can be confused with parasitism, caseous lymph-
adenitis, malnutrition, or any of a number of chronic dis-
eases. It is spread through consumption of organisms shed
in the manure of an infected ruminant. Control of the
disease within an infected herd is based on serial testing
of all ruminants in the herd with the removal of all infected
animals. Prevention is based on testing all new additions
to the herd. An ELISA test is available for screening
animals for Johne's disease, however, defi nitive diagnosis
is by culturing the organism.
Reproductive Diseases
Reproductive failure can be due to disease in both bucks
and does, so the cause or causes must be properly investi-
gated and established. Perinatal mortality is a term used to
cover fetal or kid deaths shortly before, after, or at the
normal time of kidding. It is probably the biggest cause of
reproductive wastage in goats kept extensively, and it is
often a complex problem with many factors interwoven.
Postnatal deaths are defi ned as either early (the fi rst 3 days
after birth) or late (up to 3 weeks after birth). Often, there
may be a spectrum of abortions, stillbirths, and postnatal
deaths in an outbreak.
Abortions are defi ned as the expulsion of dead fetuses
at a stage before they are viable, while stillbirths are the
expulsion of dead but potentially viable kids close to or at
the expected date of birth. The cause of abortion is unde-
termined in 70% or more of samples submitted to diagnos-
tic laboratories.
Abortions should be treated as caused by an infectious
agent until proven otherwise. Steps to take for aborted
fetuses follow:
￿ Collect the fetus and placenta and submit for diagnosis,
or store it by freezing, or destroy it by burning or burying
it.
￿ Isolate the aborted doe until a cause for the abortion is
determined or until the kidding season is completed.
￿ Make sure all humans are aware that almost all causes
of infectious abortion in goats are zoonotic diseases.
Don't allow women who are pregnant or who may
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