# My goats have a cough



## fortheloveofgoats (Aug 26, 2011)

My goats have a really bad cough. They are still eating, chewing there cud, and drinking. When they run, they start to cough or sometimes just standing there they cough. I want to get them tested for cae and cl, the guy that I bought my doe from said he tested her, but I don't believe him. How and what do I do to test them? Thank you and have a great day.


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## manybirds (Aug 26, 2011)

fortheloveofgoats said:
			
		

> My goats have a really bad cough. They are still eating, chewing there cud, and drinking. When they run, they start to cough or sometimes just standing there they cough. I want to get them tested for cae and cl, the guy that I bought my doe from said he tested her, but I don't believe him. How and what do I do to test them? Thank you and have a great day.


did you try worming them? some worms cause coughing.


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## 20kidsonhill (Aug 26, 2011)

lungworms would be a place to start.


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## fortheloveofgoats (Aug 26, 2011)

I went to Wilco and asked them what I could use for lung worms and they told me that they can't answer that since they don't have anything meant for goats for lung worms.


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## ksalvagno (Aug 26, 2011)

You need to draw blood to test for CAE and CL. Use the red tube tops. You can send it to BioTracking. I would contact BioTracking and they can give you the step by step instructions.

I believe Ivomec Plus injected will work on Lungworm. I'm not sure of the dosage by injection since there are such varying opinions on that. If you have a goat vet in your area, they would be the people to call. I would also have a fecal done to find out what worms they have and then you can use the right wormer to treat with.


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## fortheloveofgoats (Aug 26, 2011)

Thank you so much for the advice. I will be calling around to the vets around my area to see who can help me. I will also be contacting Biotracking.  The ivomec, is that at a feed store or is that from a vet? Thank you again.


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## 20kidsonhill (Aug 26, 2011)

http://www.backyardherds.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=10763

ivermectin and cydectin are all OTC

Go to search on the blue tool bar, and type in lungworm.  There are several threads about it.


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## 20kidsonhill (Aug 26, 2011)

http://www.backyardherds.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=10989

Here is a thread with several opinions.  I know it is confussing. I would think repeating the dosage every 10 days would be important regardless of the treatment you choose.


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## 20kidsonhill (Aug 26, 2011)

Keep in mind lungworms is only a suggestion, could still be more a respitory issue going through your herd.  Lungworms come from snails and from wet conditions from a lot of spring and summer rains.


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## SDGsoap&dairy (Aug 26, 2011)

Also bear in mind that a blood test for CL isn't going to be reliable unless the animal has an abscess.  BioTracking doesn't test for CL to the best of my knowledge (just CAE and pregnancy status), that would have to be sent to WADDL.  An exudate test will give you reliable results if your goat has an abscess.  Not saying don't do the blood test, but bear in mind you could get a false negative.


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## ksalvagno (Aug 26, 2011)

Chuck at BioTracking said they will send blood on to WADDL for $10 for CL testing. So you can send blood one place for pregnancy test, CAE and CL. Granted the CL test is done somewhere else.


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## SDGsoap&dairy (Aug 26, 2011)

ksalvagno said:
			
		

> Chuck at BioTracking said they will send blood on to WADDL for $10 for CL testing. So you can send blood one place for pregnancy test, CAE and CL. Granted the CL test is done somewhere else.


That's great!


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## babsbag (Aug 28, 2011)

I have had goats cough for months. My goat vet (who has her own herd) says that many times goats will cough and you just have to wait it out. I always watch carefully for them being off their feed, standing alone, not chewing their cud, and just looking depressed. I have a cough going through my herd right now that started with gunky eyes, then snotting nose, and now the cough. It has been over 2 months and a few of them still cough, and it is worse when they run or play. There has been no fevers the few times I have checked.

No chance of lungworm where I live so it is just the cursed coughing crud.

As far as the testing, you can also use UC Davis in CA. They do a titer test for CL and you do not have to have an abcess present to get a true reading. Their test will tell you if the goat has ever been exposed to CL. The only problem is that you will also get a positive test if the goat has been vaccinated for CL.


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