About eight years ago I brought a goat into my herd that came down with an abcess. I was new to goat raising and didn't realize what was happening till it was too late. Eventually, after struggling with abcess after abcess in goat after goat, I sold the entire herd.

Two years ago, I was hankering for a goat again - and bought a couple of Nubians at a stock sale. After a few months, an abscess appeared on one of the goats. I felt the goat had been infected by an old virus lingering in my barn or pens. Can this be? I sold the goats, but hand raised one of the kids, and keep her in an entirely different location on my homestead.

Will this virus live over the course of years? ? In the ground? ? How do you get rid of it? ? I'm thinking of building a small herd again -- but I do NOT want to go through another bout of those nasty abscesses again.

All advice and experience is welcome ! !

Thanks

-- J McFerrin (JMcFerrin@aol.com), January 13, 2002

Answers

I am so sorry to hear that you have encountered the heartache of abcesses again. It may be attributed to the bacteria being in the soil, it can linger for years. or it may be that the new goats you purchased from the sale ahd the abcesses or bacteria that causes them dormant and under the stress of moving they popped out.

You mentioned you culled the does who ahd the abcesses and kept a kid. If you have that kid in a location far removed from the old areas then the probability of the kid not getting CL is possible. You will have to be very careful. Many folks will burn their barns, pens, etc after a CL eruption. I am not exactly sure if this will prevent the CL bacterium from transmitting itself again, although research says it can.

You are in a very tricky situation. You are on the right track to prevention by culling the does who had it and then keeping the kid in a seperate area. Did this kid dam raise? If she did then you may have the problem all over again. I would honestly suggest a through disinfection of all your areas, burn any buildings unless you are up to liming and cloraxing them all. I wish you well, hope this helps a little. You can also explore the route of the CL vaccine, but you have to have it made from, the strain your goats had to be effective. I have information on the vaccine someplace if you are interested.

-- Bernice (geminigoats@yahoo.com), January 13, 2002.

The virus would live in a damp corner of the barn on wood for years, but not in pasture. I would bet you brought it in again with the new goats themselves. It takes about a month for the abscess to start. The doe could also have been affected at the sale barn herself. The problem with the kid is that she can have CL, but since she is not stressed, she just has it hidden in her lymph glands, won't come to the surface in an abscess until she perhaps kids, or you have dog problems or introduce a new pen mate. She also could be clean if she never lived in the areas her mom did. Unless her mom had an active abscess or had them in her udder she wouldn't have caught it from her mom. I would go ahead and blood test her, make sure the test is sent to UC Davis only, and while your at it, send in blood for CAE. Get it all over with at once. About 12$ for the tests, one day mail, and free blood pulling if you can get someone to do it for you, other than the vet. Here is a great site: http://www.dreamhighfarms.com/Kassiesblooddraw1.html

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), January 13, 2002.