# Doe tested negative for CAE 9 months ago



## mydakota (Jul 6, 2011)

One of my does tested negative for CAE 9 months ago.  She was a year and a half old at that time.  A month or so ago, I thought I noticed that one of her knees was getting bigger than the other.  This morning, I was looking it over and it is definitely swollen.  No heat, and no lameness.  She has not left the farm since she tested negative.  My other does have all tested negative either at the same time or since then.  I have not tested the kids because they are not old enough, but they should be negative too if their mamas are, right?  I am not aware of her sustaining any injury to this knee.  What are the odds her test was a false negative vs just her knee having been injured?  I am not sure what to think.  I know not all swollen joints are CAE, but it sure looks suspicious. On the other hand, she has tested negative within the last year and has not left the farm, so she should be in the clear. Right? Gah.


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## DonnaBelle (Jul 6, 2011)

I sure hope you can figure that one out.  Someone on here with more experience with CAE should post with a definative answer.

I do have one doe with CAE.  The only symptom she has is swollen knees.  She seems to feel good, is the herd queen.  I found out she had CAE after I posted here picture on here.   Someone spotted her swollen knees and suggested I have her tested.  The test came back positive.  So, I made the decision to keep her and it's been a good decision.  She is a super intelligent, loving goat and I wouldn't sell her for a thousand dollars. LOL.

I make sure all my goats are properly vaccinated.  I have fecals done every three months and make sure they are getting good nutrition.  I think that makes all the difference in a goat.

My vet has said that there is CL all over the county I live in.  Now that does alarm me.  

DonnaBelle


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## mydakota (Jul 6, 2011)

This is the same doe I posted about with the lumpy udder.  She has twin kids about 3 months old.  One of them is a doeling I was planning on keeping. I won't though, if I test her again and she is positive. 

As for the udder, it is not a hard udder.  Just hard little lumpy nodules on the udder. They do seem to get a bit better with milking her all the way out, but do not go away. She gave me two beautiful, meaty kids.  I hope I don't have to cull her.


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## mydakota (Jul 6, 2011)

Here is a pic of her knees the morning after her kids were born.  They look okay here to me.  (This is in mid-April)






Different angle.  You MIGHT be able to see some changes here.  I don't think I had noticed it yet here.


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## mydakota (Jul 8, 2011)

I am having blood drawn tomorrow.  I am testing her again. If it comes back negative again, I will be relieved, but puzzled. If it comes back positive, I will still be puzzled (where could she have gotten it?) and I will have some choices to make.


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## mydakota (Jul 12, 2011)

Blood is on its way to WSU.  I am very nervous.


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## Pearce Pastures (Jul 12, 2011)

Hope its good news.


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## rebelINny (Jul 13, 2011)

Good luck. I have culled nine goats out of my herd in the last two months because of cae. I know how distressing it is!


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## Livinwright Farm (Jul 13, 2011)

rebelINny said:
			
		

> Good luck. I have culled nine goats out of my herd in the last two months because of cae. I know how distressing it is!


9 more?   Oh, I am so sorry to hear this!


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## mydakota (Jul 13, 2011)

I just can't figure out how she would have gotten it.  She tested negative last September.  She hasn't left the farm.  I did buy 2 other does, but they both had very recent negative papers and remain non-symptomatic. The only other goat to come in was the buck I bred her to.  He also had negative papers.  I thought I was doing everything right.


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## aggieterpkatie (Jul 14, 2011)

mydakota said:
			
		

> I just can't figure out how she would have gotten it.  She tested negative last September.  She hasn't left the farm.  I did buy 2 other does, but they both had very recent negative papers and remain non-symptomatic. The only other goat to come in was the buck I bred her to.  He also had negative papers.  I thought I was doing everything right.


It's one of the many mysteries of CAE and why people with negative herds *still* choose to pull the kids and bottle feed them.  But if she does come back positive it's not necessarily a death sentence.  Many herds have CAE positive animals and choose to manage it.  My doe is positive but non-symptomatic and I manage it because she's worth it.


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## Livinwright Farm (Jul 14, 2011)

CAE unfortunately, can test with a false negative or a false positive(typically with those tested at too young of an age)... there is no way to know 100% for sure whether your goats have it or not, other than if they start showing symptoms(swollen joints, clicking in joints when they walk, etc). :/


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## mydakota (Jul 14, 2011)

She's NEGATIVE!!


So, what the heck DOES she have?   Lumpy udder.  Swollen knee.  Any guesses?


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## Livinwright Farm (Jul 15, 2011)

mydakota said:
			
		

> She's NEGATIVE!!
> 
> 
> So, what the heck DOES she have?   Lumpy udder.  Swollen knee.  Any guesses?


YAY!!    

and I'm not sure... ??? >insert head scrathing smiley here<


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## Pearce Pastures (Jul 15, 2011)

Oh good!  Maybe just some postpartum swelling   No real ideas but so glad to hear your news.


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## mydakota (Jul 23, 2011)

She's negative for CL too! I am VERY happy, but puzzled as to her symptoms.  I didn't really expect CL, as the symptoms didn't match (just tested so that we could definitively eliminate it from the possibilities) but I was really worried about the CAE.  She is negative for both. So now what?


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## kstaven (Jul 23, 2011)

Ever consider torn cartilage in the joint? Goats naturally put a lot of stress on the knees so soft tissue problems can occur easily.

I have seen lumpy udders caused by one goat ramming another while playing. It creates a small perforation and milk leaks out just under the skin. Forming a hard lump just under the skin. Have seen aggressive kids cause the same thing. I never have worried about it, as the milk just reabsorbs and the lump shrinks on its own. 

Just throwing a few possibilities out there for you.


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## Goatmasta (Jul 23, 2011)

I just went back and looked at the pics, I don't really think that the joints are nearly swollen enough to worry about.  What I did notice is the stains.  I am wondering if she might just have a little swelling from being on her knees eating grass through the fence(it is always better on the other side).


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## drdoolittle (Jul 24, 2011)

I'm really happy for you and your goat.  CAE is a terrible disease, and as it progresses, horrible to see.  I just got a La Mancha wether last summer from an aquaintance of my husband.  About 10 min. after she left, I found a tumor on his chest almost as big as a golfball---and it was abscessed.  

I treated it with Blue Kote and antibiotics and it seemed to get better after a couple of months, but then got bad again.  I only realized what was really wrong with him about 2 months ago----from researching on the computer.   My hubby said he would try to get in touch with the people we got the goat from.

 By this time, one knee was badly swollen and the other starting to swell.  I started giving him Bayer to relieve the pain.  Hubby finally got ahold of the woman I got the goat from, and she said she would try to get the 2 shots a vet would use to euthanise the goat so we wouldn't have to shoot him.  That was 3 weeks to a month ago, and she still hasn't called me.  

I couldn't take seeing my poor guy limp around anymore, and we had a friend put him down.  He's finally at peace.  I think the hardest part of it all for me was that through everything, Max maintained a really good appetite and demeanor.  Sometimes I would hae to carry him to the goat stall for bed, but he never complained.  

Here is a picture of him.


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