# Sore-Mouth? W/pictures



## Cedar Valley Farm (Mar 26, 2014)

I need help... My goat that should kid sooooon am she just started getting these lil bubble things on her lips. With the pictures what do you think it is? Is there any thing I can do for it?


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## animalmom (Mar 26, 2014)

I don't know what that is but I'd be very surprised if someone doesn't come back with an answer for you. 

By the way... how many kids is she hauling around?  The poor goatie looks very uncomfortable.


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## Cedar Valley Farm (Mar 26, 2014)

Last yr she kidded with quads all doelings. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.


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## Parsnip (Mar 26, 2014)

Kind of looks like soremouth! 

I had sheep with soremouth during the summer, and one of my 2 month old lambs has it now.( SHEESH )
The strain I had never got _that_ crusty around the mouth.
They just had red crusty sores... and it cleared up within a week or two.

Does your goat have any on her udder?
Sores, I mean.


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## animalmom (Mar 26, 2014)

She needs a "Wide Load" sign. 

IF it is sore mouth, from what I just read somewhere else, it is highly contagious, probably spread by the scabs, and if you treat with an antibiotic ointment to wear gloves so you don't contract the blasted thing.  The book doesn't give any suggestions as to what to use, but instead it said just to make sure the animal continues to eat and watch for secondary infections.

Good luck with your doe... hope everything works out. 

Pictures of the babies are required!


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## Cedar Valley Farm (Mar 26, 2014)

Okay I'll post pics.


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## goatboy1973 (Mar 26, 2014)

It looks like Contagious Ecthyma (sore mouth). Be very careful because this disease is a zoonotic (humans can catch this stuff also) disease! It will run its course and it should be gone in 2 weeks. If one goat gets it, you can bet the rest will get it. It is like chicken pox in humans, rarely ever harmful, and once they get it, probably will never  get it again. There is a vaccine but it is like an old smallpox vaccine where you use a forked instrument dipped in a solution and the skin is slightly punctured to introduce the virus. If the puncture site is touched by another goat or human, shortly after the inoculation, sore mouth can be passed to others. Most goats infected with this disease will have a decreased appetite for a day or 2 and a secondary infection can arise from the open areas around the mouth but is rare. Nursing kids can spread this to mom's teats but this is rare also. Most producers don't vaccinate/ inoculate for this because it is very impractical. Best thing to do is don't worry and let it run its course.


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## Cedar Valley Farm (Mar 26, 2014)

Okay thanks every one!!!


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## goatboy1973 (Mar 26, 2014)

I forgot to mention, this Contagious Ecthyma is a virus so antibiotics WILL NOT prevent or treat this disease. The only thing that antibiotics will help with is to treat a secondary infection caused by the virus. I would not even bother with putting antibiotic ointment on the goat's mouth because this only increases YOUR chances of contracting this nasty disease. Less is definitely more in this case. Hands off and let it run its course. Don't doctor it to death. The more a person tries to treat this virus, the greater a person's chances are of contracting it. If you can't resist the urge and have to put ointment on the sores, observe universal precautions and glove up, wash your hands afterwards, and dispose your gloves in biohazard container since this is a communicable/ zoonotic disease.


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## Cedar Valley Farm (Mar 26, 2014)

Okay thanks again. She should kid any day. Well it hurt the kids or any thing like that?


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## goatboy1973 (Apr 5, 2014)

The kids may very well get it since she will be licking them off to clean them. There's really no way to prevent them from getting it though unless you take the kids away from momma and bottle feed them until momma is completely asymptomatic and then return them to momma at that point. You can always milk the colostrum and either tube feed them or bottle feed them and then they may still get it. I have never had a goat with clinical signs of this disease about to deliver kids. Good luck and keep us posted.


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## Cedar Valley Farm (Apr 5, 2014)

Ok thanks she still has not kidded yet. Her spots are starting to go away too!


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## goatboy1973 (Apr 5, 2014)

Cedar Valley Farm said:


> Ok thanks she still has not kidded yet. Her spots are starting to go away too!


Wonderful!!!


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## bonbean01 (Apr 5, 2014)

She may be all clear before she kids.  And yes, it is contagious to humans...but...had one lamb one time with this on her mouth and my sister in law was feeling sorry for the lamb and despite my warnings, was kissing the lamb's mouth with sores every day.  She didn't get it.  Nor did the nursing lamb affect it's mama's teats.


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