Question about CL in goats

[silverfilly]

Ok I got some of my goats at auction and so far I have had good luck. But I was looking for the vaccine to give them. I have a bottle orderd of the autogenous vaccine that anouther farm bought and sells the bottles (there is a minimum purchase of 20 bottles) Now from what he has told me and what I understand this vaccine works very well for goats.

I know there seems to be a huge difference from the meat goat world and the dairy goat world on this subject. I would like oppinions. I have the chance to get severel dairy goats that quite possibly has CL. Since Im going to vaccinate anyway would this be a bad idea to get some good dairy does? Once I have vaccinated then any new goats will not get it and the ones that possibly have it wount brake out again. Please keep this civil Id really just like opinions please but be nice.

Thanks

 

[Goattalker]

My vet says it is best to get CL vaccine that has been developed from goats in your area. Apparently, there are variations on this disease. Thank God we have never had CL, knocking wood for luck. But if and when we did I would use a vaccine made specifically for my herd. The other concern with the vaccine is your goats will all then test positive for the CL antibodies. So future buyers would need to be educated on your vaccination routine, and the reasons behind your course.

 

[redhen]

so..whats the cdt shot my goats get?? *sorry i'm so dumb..

..* what other shots should i ask my vet for? besides the yearly rabies and cdt..

 

[Goattalker]

The C&D parts are to protect the goat from C&T clostridial bacteria that is present in all goats, but that can get out of control and eat holes in the goats gut. The T part is for tetanus.

 

[Goattalker]

And by the way, you are not dumb, a lot of people don't know what the letters stand for.

 

[silverfilly]

Whats the "area" The guy lives about 200 miles away just over the border. Is it like county, state, 500 miles? what would be considered my area?

 

[Goattalker]

Sorry, it would have been better for me to say the area your vet works in, or from your farm. CL like Pastruella are regional in some of their properties. So buying the vaccine from say Jeffers would likely cover your goats if you are from the midwest/east, but not as much if your goats are from the west.

 

[Zgoatlady]

What I would do is have the vet out and take blood and send it in to see if any of them have it or are carriers.
Nothing agains the sale barns but you should look for 4-H kids who are selling there kids and help them out. That way most of the time you get healthy goats.
Have fun we love all of ours
Cheri

 

[ksacres]

Quote:
I would never knowingly buy a positive CL animal. Too much hassle for what it's worth (to me). But, if you are determined to make it work, I'm sure you can. And maybe even save somebody's pet animal that they can't deal with. They've got to go somewhere! So, if you get an animal with CL, it then becomes your responsibility to make sure you don't spread it to anyone else.

If you know you have cl, yes, you should vaccinate. When (blood) tested for cl, your animals will show positive titer levels for CL, there's a lot of debate on this too. Some say the titer levels for the vaccine are the same as the titer levels from a non-active infection, some people say there's a definite difference. Is there? Well, heck, I don't know. If you have an active abscess, you can have some pus cultured and then you would know for certain if you have cl. Please know that there currently are *no* vaccines approved for use in goats, and the vaccine sometimes causes icky reactions at the vaccine site (mainly in the form of abscesses). Not always, but it's something you should be prepared to care for (excising, draining, rinsing, etc). The vaccine is not 100% effective in goats.

Also, all your kids should be pulled at birth and given the vaccine series before exposed to adult animals with cl. Otherwise, your program won't do you any good. Also know that if you have a positive doe that has an active abscess (stress of impending kidding can cause a positve doe to pop with abscesses) while kidding, that kid can be infected during birth. And again, your vaccination program won't do you any good if that happens, and if you put that kid with the rest of the kids, they will be exposed as well.

CL is caused by the bacteria/bacterium Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis and does not vary by geographical region. It is the same everywhere. If you get a vaccine, any vaccine will work exactly the same.

You will also need to make sure that if you sell kids you sell them with the full disclosure of having positive animals on your property. That alone would make it impossible for me to sell kids (in my area). If you live in an area where there is a lot of CL and lots of people are already dealing with it, that shouldn't be an issue.


This is *my* take on CL. I have a dairy herd, I am very aware that many meat and pet breeders feel differently about CL. I am also aware that many with CL don't take all the necessary precautions to assure it doesn't spread. This is a major reason why CL is still prevelant in the US - it is DIFFICULT and labor intensive to control the spread once you have it. Difficult, not impossible.

For "overeating disease", more properly known as Enterotoxemia-what the C/D & T protects you from- are the clostridial diseases. Though most mammals carry all the different strains in their guts naturally. That is why it's called "overeating disease". The goat eats something (most often too much grain) that disrupts the natural balance in the gut, bad bacteria proliferate, produce toxins, and you end up with a dead goat

 

[Goattalker]

CL=Caseous Lymphadentitis, Goat Medicine26, 46-49., 259-260, also called Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis

Please consult your vet as the the appropriate treatment for your herd.