Soremouth in goats any info would be great

[TMNTCkins]

Our little goat that was given to us has soremouth, I have read up on it but would like some info if you have ever had a goat with this? I am still so suprised that someone would give us a goat with this knowing that I have young kids. I am very up set and mad right now. I really like this little guy but I did not ask for a sick goat.

Thanks again

 

[dfchaser]

We had sore mouth about a year ago. Goat needs to be isolated and given antibiotics. My vet gave mine LA200. Dont remember the dosage. It will clear up on its own, it will just take longer. I had to wear gloves every time i went into his pen or touched him. The important thing to remember is to make sure they keep eating and drinking, the sores make them not want to move their mouth. Once a goat gets it, it will not get it again. After the infection has cleared up you need to suit up and bleach EVERYTHING it touched. The disease lives the scabs that fall off the sores. Our vet said straight bleach, and dont be shy with how much. You much clean the pen, the fence, the grass. . . EVERYTHING. After that you should be in the clear. We followed those instructions and have not had an outbreak since. We are 99% sure we are in the clear, especially since we made it thru the summer with out a problem.

I understand your frustration, since i purchased goats and then they showed signs of it. If you get it on you there is something you can use, but i really dont remember the name, just make sure you wash wash wash, after contacting the goat or the pen they are in.

good luck!

 

[helmstead]

Never look a gift horse in the mouth...

Soremouth is viral, just like human cold sores. Antibiotics will only treat a secondary infection caused by bacteria migrating in through the split skin, they don't do anything about the actual soremouth.

Once you have it, you have it. The scabs are very infectious and remain that way for years to come. It's nearly impossible to remove all the viral contamination from your soils.

The good news is, it will resolve itself on its own, just like a cold sore. The better news is that a goat who has had it will have immunity from it. It is even suggested that does who have had it MIGHT pass on immunity to their kids through the colostrum (ie kids might still get it, but not so invasively).

The biggest problem with soremouth is with kids, as I'm sureyou've read. It hurts to nurse when your lips are cracked.

I hope you've already been taking good biosecurity measures with your new kid before you knew it was sickly (have it well quarantined, don't walk from the kid's pen to your other goat's pen, etc). If not...might as well stock up on some bleach and get going on a serious cleaning. Also stock up on Pen G, keeping a close eye on your other kids and being ready to treat any infections (remember, LA200 and related drugs don't work on nursing kids).

 

[Haviris]

My doe Willow had it when I got her at 4 weeks old. She nearly starved herself to dealth because it hurt to eat. She was kept in the house and has zero contact w/ any other goat, and I had to wash up real well every time I handled her. We didn't do anything for it, felt it was best just to let it heal on it's own. We didn't end up spreading it to any of the other goats and none of us got it, we were lucky! She is currently on her very first date and it would be awsome if she passes on that immunity to her kids!

 

[TMNTCkins]

Thanks for all the info. I feel a little better about it but it is very frustrating. I am very worried that my children might get it because we did not know that he had this and they were playing with the goat on Sunday and when I came home I asked a friend and she is the one that told me about soremouth. The lady that I got him from said she would take him back and give me another goat but he has been here for a week everything is already infected and been exposed and I'm sure that all of her goats have been exposed to it also. So we will just wait it out and use lots of bleach. Nobody is allowed in his pen and keep our fingers crossed that my children don't get it

He is eating great it seems like he never stops eating so that is a good sign. Hopefully he will get better soon, but this is alot of work.
Tina

 

[greyfields]

I hate hate hate to see this word and I'm sorry you're going through this. Here is my experience with soremouth, having worked with a vet in the area:

1) Soremouth is a virus. LA-200 is doing nothing for them. He probably suspected a secondary infection.

2) Soremouth is not lethal. It may be lethal in very small lambs or kids if they're unable to nurse, but you can bypass this with bottle feeding.

3) It hurts them, it hurts the udder. Sometimes the mothers won't let them feed. You have to be careful with the little ones.

4) Soremouth goes away on its own. It's viral. Their bodies eventually develop an immunity which IS passed to offspring via colostrum.

5) Most flocks are already immune, but if they aren't exposed to the antigen, after about 5 years they'll stop being immune. Then you will get another outbreak, then your mothers/lambs develop antibodies and it's fought off.

6) Soremouth can devestate your gain. If you are growing crops of lambs for sale, a soremouth outbreak can cost you HALF your weight gain in the lambs. This would devestate a commerical/wholesale farmer.

7) It's transmitted by contact. Humans CAN get soremouth, except we are incomplete hosts. It causes lumpy nodules which grow hard and can be very painful anywhere it's touched your skin. We, too, eventually adapt and oru bodies fight it off on our own.

You need a serious anti-viral handsoap if you touch it. You don't want a breakout on your lips or hands.

8) The one time I've been exposed to it, we were shearing sheep. My neighbor let another flock of 60-80 ewes come to his place for shearing. No one saw sore-mouth on them, but both our flocks had a small outbreak afterwards (that farmer is not being invited back next year).

Out of 180 ewes and 300 lambs, about 6 ewes/lambs actually developed sore-mouth. 3 of the ewes actually died. They were already stressed, though, having born triplets.

In my flock, not a single sheep got it... but, my BUCK did!? He wasn't even in contact with the sheep, so it came from me or my clothes.

9) To 'vaccinate' against soremouth is a procedure. There are no vaccines. So, what you do is infect your entire flock in an innocuous place, typically the armpit. You scratch the skin to draw blood, then you rub infected soremouth tissue over the wound. This gives them all soremouth; but it manifests in the armpit not actually on the mouth. The entire flock then develops immunity, without the downside of their gain being compromised as the infection doesn't occur on the mouth.

 

[qhluvr34]

Antibiotic cream will help with the soreness and iodine will help dry it out. I had a friend's goats get it and the vet told her to use both. Neither will cure it, just help make them more comfortable so they will eat.