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Health Care Observe and ask yourself daily: Is the goat alert and inquisitive, with bright eyes and a clean nose? Is the appetite normal? Is the goat drinking water? Are the droppings, firm and pelleted, is the urine a normal colour? Has the milk yield changed suddenly? Has the goat lost weight visibly? Are there any changes in the udder, in milk-texture, taste, colour or smell? Is the coat silky and shiny, and the skin smooth? Examine your goats, using your hands, regularly in good light - are there any signs of swelling or injury? Does the goat stand comfortably on all four feet and walk with equal weight on each foot? Check the goat’s temperature. If you do not have a thermometer, which is inserted into the rectum, then use both of your first fingers and gently insert them into the ears, here you will feel if the temperature is abnormal.
Goat Medication and Health Book. Record daily any observed variations from normal. By law you must keep a record of all injections and medications given to your goats, these can be recorded on different pages in your herd book or in a separate medicine book. Check with your vet regarding withdrawal times for milk and/or meat for that medication. Enter in your records when the milk/meat withdrawal period ends.
Can I inject my own goats? Most goatkeepers and farmers become very efficient in injecting their own goats, but it can be quite a daunting task to undertake for the first time. Only when you have had many goats and years of experience should you administer injections yourself, and always consult your vet first. One important health issue that must be catered for is CAE; (Information sought from the British Goat Society website) Caprine arthritis encephalitis is a viral disease of goats that can be detected by a blood test that demonstrates antibody presence. The eventual clinical effects of the disease are devastating on both animal welfare and economical grounds. Infection can also however be relatively mild and easily missed, particularly in the early stages. It is essential to keep your goats clear of the virus. These are acute loss of condition, painful knee joint arthritis and an in durative mastitis. The image shows a French Chamoisée with extremely misshapen udder and, though difficult to appreciate on a photograph, an udder that was as hard as wood. The udders on these animals did not feel as if they belong to a living thing. It is important not to underestimate the disease and the economic cost it could have on your herd's production of either milk or fibre. Once a goat is infected it remains so for life. The virus can hide within its host going undetected. The reason for this being that the antibody in the blood can fluctuate, which can mean that infected goats may not test positive. This is why regular blood tests must be carried out to keep out the disease the virus can cause. There may be no swollen knees, no lung infection and no hard, wooden, udders until you find your herd with these very visible symptoms of the disease and in an almost impossible position, just like some of the French goat farmers did in the late 80's when it was found that in some instances they had an infection rate of 100%, and with no alternative but to cull hard, which reduced the average age of the herd to 2.5 years old. How is CAE spread? Colostrums and Milk - The highest risk comes from colostrums and milk. The practise of feeding pooled milk and colostrums to kids has been shown to be a major vehicle for the fast and widespread transmission of infection in herds where infected does are present, the problem being that you may not know if any animals are infected. It is considered that even in a bucket that has previously contained infected milk and not washed out thoroughly that this may be sufficient to spread the virus. How do get my goats tested for CAE? Make an appointment with your Vet to take blood samples for CAEV. Your vet will send away the blood samples for testing to a laboratory where currently in the How often do I get my goats tested? Every year is the ideal, but a risk assessment of possible exposure and transmission of the disease should be considered. Even when risks are minimised, alternate years should be the maximum interval. What is the level of CAEV in the Very low - less than 3% of all goats tested*. Due exclusively to self imposed controls and self-regulating measures introduced by British goat keepers to avoid the spread of infection without any government aid or EEC grants. The British Goat Society and its members have been foremost in waging war on the CAE virus and continue to do so today. Hoof care Trim hooves every 2-3 months as needed. It is essential to keep the goat's feet trimmed on a regular basis so to remove excess growth. Keep the goat's feet dry for most of the time and keep the goat's feet moving on firm, but not abrasive, surfaces. Foot care is a task that one can readily learn from an experienced shepherd or goatkeeper. To carry out foot trimming procedures you will require: A pair of hoof trimming shears and a knife with a short blade (7.5 cm. is sufficient). Each of the tools should be kept very sharp. A pair of gloves to protect your hands when trimming the feet (from accidental cuts). An antibiotic purple spray, obtained from your vet, to spray the hoof should you cause accidental bleeding of the foot. Guidelines for Hoof Trimming Start by trimming a front foot, lifting it close to the goat's side and with as minimum a lift as possible. Clean off any excess dirt and other material from the base of the hoof with the pointed end of the trimming shears. Remove any horn, which may be growing over the foot with the trimming shears (see photograph above). Cut the horn level with the sole all the way round. Level the heels with the sharp knife, lowering them if necessary, but removing a little at a time. Carefully pare the sole using the sharp knife to match the new heel level. Remove a little at a time and stop if the sole begins to become pink. Work from the heel towards the toe. The foot should then look as in the photograph to the left. After trimming a front foot move to the back foot on the same side, facing with your head away from the goat's head, bend over and lift the goat's foot, again not too high. Then proceed as the front foot. Turn the goat around and repeat the process. What else should I check for on my goats routinely? All goats should be checked for lice. They can cause tremendous irritation to your goats and damage to the skin, hair and cause anaemia. Suspect lice if your goat is abnormally fidgety and has a dull, scruffy coat. The lice can be seen with the naked eye. Pour-on products have been used with success but there are no licensed products for use on milking animals. Discuss treatment with your veterinary surgeon. This subject is covered in various books such as, 'Outline of Clinical Diagnosis in the Goat' and 'All about Goats'. Up to date information may be obtained from the Goat Veterinary Society. Worming Every 4-6 months with the correct dosage. You should use the minimum number of treatments to control the worms on your holding. Wherever possible a combination of safe grazing and strategic dosing should be used. Your veterinary surgeon can advise you on correct use of treatment. Wormers [anthelmintics] should be changed annually. Prolonged use of one wormer increases the production of resistant worms to that particular wormer. Too frequent changing of wormers can result in multiple resistances developing.
Although there are many different wormers available, there are only three different families of worming treatment available. When changing treatment it is important to change from one family of wormers to another. It is not sufficient to change between members of the same family. It is also important to correctly estimate the weight of the goat. Goats can be weighed whilst at shows in cattle markets, or weigh bands can be used. Consult your vet over the correct dosing rates for goats, which are often higher than those for sheep.
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