# CAE postive :( I am completely bummed tonight.



## rebelINny (Apr 15, 2011)

I have just gotten the results back from biotracking on all of our adult goats and one of our kids.............however some of the does that came back postive for CAE have kids that are now a year old from last years kidding that certainly must have it to. So out of 23 goats we have only seven that are negative. I feel absolutely devastated right now as some are ones we have had for three and four years and it is heart-breaking to have to send them off. All the cae positive goats will be leaving this monday to the livestock auction to go for meat.


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## elevan (Apr 15, 2011)

I'm sorry to hear about your sad news.

CAE is a manageable disease for those who wish to do so.  Why not try to find them homes being honest about their condition?  I'm just asking...


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## Livinwright Farm (Apr 15, 2011)

Oh, I am sad  in reading that.

I agree with Emily.
There might be a family or two that wouldn't mind having them for land clearing.  If my family didn't already have goats, we would gladly take them for land clearing!


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## Roll farms (Apr 15, 2011)

If they're not symptomatic, I don't see why you're sending them off.

3 of my does tested postive last year.  They're still here...all kidded fine...all are still fine.  They are 4, 7, and 8 years old.  

My point is, w/ seroconversion a possibility, you could send all your postive goats off and still end up w/ a case of CAE in the future.

If they're acting healthy, they very well could continue to do so...

I choose to raise CAE prevention anyway....I know it's not for everyone, and I'm not in any way trying to influence your decision, I'm just saying it's possible for you to keep them / manage this, in case you hadn't considered that option.


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## Livinwright Farm (Apr 15, 2011)

Roll farms said:
			
		

> If they're not symptomatic, I don't see why you're sending them off.
> 
> 3 of my does tested postive last year.  They're still here...all kidded fine...all are still fine.  They are 4, 7, and 8 years old.
> 
> ...


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## Chirpy (Apr 15, 2011)

No matter what you choose to do... I'm really sorry.  I'd be devastated to get that news.


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## chandasue (Apr 15, 2011)

That would be so hard. I'd want to start fresh too if any of mine tested pos. But oh would I   about it...


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## PattySh (Apr 15, 2011)

Jamie that's so sad.


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## ksalvagno (Apr 15, 2011)

I'm very sorry. That has to be so hard.


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## rebelINny (Apr 16, 2011)

Thanks everyone. Hubby and I have to sit down and really weigh our options. One of the does is symptomatic. She has the mastitic form which is what clued us on to testing. None of the others have shown symptoms. My first ever goat that is now 4 1/2 years has never given me any trouble at all or any of her kids. They have all been so healthy and we have always said if we wanted hardy goats we should keep any kids she has cause they are very strong stock. Well she has cae and her kids have it including the one in my profile pic she had this year. I don't know what we are going to do now. Is cae passed from a buck that is positive to a doe if he breeds her or can a positive doe pass it to a negative buck through breeding? I am trying to figure out wether or not to go through with a sale of one of my bucklings from this year as he tested positive for cae and his dam is the one with the mastitic symptoms.


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## PattySh (Apr 16, 2011)

I just attended a goat seminar this week  put on by phizer and my vet. There are new studies that show CAE is passed by the male (found in semen) and saliva and urine as well as colostrum. They are saying that even goats sneezing or peeing in close contact spreds the illness. I was also said that no one is sure how many goat are affected but they are thinking it's in the 80% of the whole goat population not changed much since the 70's percentage wise. Yes people are trying to breed goats without CAE but  goats as a whole have jumped so much in popularity and with huge goats farms not testing it sends the percentage of positives up. One study showed that seperating the young  kids (tests done before 8 months are not 100% and negative.results  can change positive) into like groups (those from pos animals grouped together) lower the chance of the disease spreading to 35%. Blended groups  from pos and neg does the transmission rate was 75%.

edited to add: My vet also said that some carrier animals do not develop symptoms and some are highly affected.


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## PJisaMom (Apr 16, 2011)

I'm sorry to hear of the results... I have two CAE positive wethers, and three negative does... i gave away the boys' little sister after finding out she had CAE _AND_ CL.  yep... sucks no matter which way you dice it.  I'd do some serious thinking about how you'd like to proceed before making a snap decision.  Whichever decision you make that works for you and your family is the right one.  

Good luck... 

~PJ~

(PS... Roll... do you keep your CAE positives in with the general population or do you segregate them?  Just curious...)


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## DonnaBelle (Apr 16, 2011)

I purchased my Nubian named Lenora because she was 4 years old, had freshened twice before and I wanted to experience a goat pregnancy and birth before I had my other two does bred.

I was so proud of her, I posted her picture on this web site and immediately got a post to have her tested for CAE.  Her knees were slightly puffy, but she was very healthy looking otherwise.

Well, she tested positive, so I was pretty, actually VERY upset.  I did all the reading I could on the subject, and decided that if she could live with it, so could I.

Of course, I am strictly a hobby farmer, and can afford to indulge myself and my goaties.  Having said that, I sure can understand if a person wants to breed and sell goats that they don't want CAE in their herd.

However, I wouldn't sell Lenora for $1,000.00.  She's a terrific mother, and a great milker and has a better personality than some of my in-laws.

So far, I've had no problems with her 3 triplets she delivered 4/14/2010.  But I do vaccinate, feed them well, fresh hay and water, keep them in a barn at night, and they have about 15 acres of brush and brouse.  

I think ANIMAL HUSBANDRY is a big part of having any kind of animal.  

DonnaBelle


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## Roll farms (Apr 16, 2011)

Yep, ours all run together.

2 of the positive does were bought...from "CAE free" herds, I might add. 


The other has me stumped...her dam, sisters, and daughter all test negative.  So....Where the heck did she get it?  
I bottle raised her myself, on what *I* know was heat treated colostrum / pastuerized milk.
The other does I raised that year tested negative.
The bucks she's been bred to tested negative.
I had her retested, and yup...still positive.

I quit thinking about it, b/c it was driving me bananas....

I still raise CAE prev. and don't use the CAE pos. does milk for anything but our use.


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## PattySh (Apr 16, 2011)

My vet said that studies show that negative goats can become positive when housed with positive goats via body fluids, licking urine or sneezing or breeding. I have debated over whether I want to test my herd, have all the supplies here since last fall.


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## TheMixedBag (Apr 17, 2011)

CAE is a tough subject. The hardest part is, we have no accurate tests. We have the Eliza test, which tests for antibodies, but nothing that tests for the virus itself. THIS is where the problem lies. Having antibodies means the animal came into contact with another animal that had the antibodies and/or virus. Nothing more, nothing less. This is why people think it spreads so easily (and it's probably a very good reason for it, too). I also think this is a reason why roughly 10% of any goat testing positive will ever show a sign (this percentage includes the most mild forms to the most severe forms and isn't totally accurate). I might also add that having no antibodies does not mean they don't have the virus, and vice versa.

I sold my positive doe to a family as a milker. They didn't care, neither did I. She was completely asymptomatic, but I wanted a clean herd for selling purposes.

Of course now, I'm more scared than ever that my doe will test positive come August, but we'll see what happens. She's a nonbreeder anyways, but my nubian is a pretty good doe, and I really can't afford her getting it either.

I'm really sorry that it happened to you, it sucks hard (I cried when my doe came up positive). My vet only told me that I'm bound to find more of them than I am to find clean ones.


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