First abcess--could it be CL?

[kayzee]

I have a wether with a lump on the side of his jaw. Based on the location and the fact that it's not hurting him, my guess is that it's a salivary cyst, but if it's an abcess my understanding is that it's usually CL. I don't really have an area where I can keep him 100% quarantined, and right now I just have two wethers at home while our doe is being bred, so if I separate them they're going to scream the neighborhood down.

If I try to drain it with a needle, like for a salivary cyst, do I risk it opening up and infecting my yard with the CL bacteria?

 

[elevan]

Call the vet and have it tested if you suspect CL.

If I try to drain it with a needle, like for a salivary cyst, do I risk it opening up and infecting my yard with the CL bacteria?

Yes, that is a definite risk you would be taking.

 

[kayzee]

I am in the frustrating position of not having a "goat vet". There is an animal emergency room in a neighboring town where they will see them for some things, but I don't have a regular vet who "does goats" or does blood tests for goat-related illness. I had to send off a blood sample to a lab several states away to rule out CAE so I could get my doe tested before I took her to be bred.

The lump is soft, about the size of a nickel, and no hair is missing. If I actually thought it were CAE I would have him culled....he is a nice boy but extremely destructive, and I certainly don't want to risk him infecting the little area that I've got.

 

[kayzee]

Ok, after calming down a bit I realized that the herd he came from is CL negative, he's had no contact with outside goats, and there have been no abcesses on any animal here ever, much less in the time he's been here. I think I might be safe keeping an eye on it and searching for a lab I can send a blood test to.

 

[Marianne]

Goats have absesses for lots of reasons. Take a deep breath, it will most likely be something else other than CL. But, do not take a chance. Find a way to have it tested! Meanwhile, keep all of the bacteria in the goat -- do not poke and puncture. Might consider confining the goat in a separate place, if possible. If the absess does rupture and the exudate gets in the confinement pen, there are ways to clean it up and feel safe before any of your other goats come in contact. You can remove some soil in very goaty places; then spray the pen with TriSodium Phosphate and again several days later with bleach. Good Luck!

 

[elevan]

Here's some additional information for you.

 

[kayzee]

So, I see that I can only get an accurate test by collecting the exudate....but if it is CL and I open it up, I've already spread the infection.

It tripled in size overnight, but it's still soft and I can press hard on it with no reaction--he doesn't feel it at all.

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

I had a goat with an abscess. I was freaking out, washing and quarantining everything. It never "popped" open on it's own. I eventually had to find a vet (nearest one is an hour away) and drove her there to have it collected (via needle & syringe) and sent off to the lab for testing. Came back as negative for CL, but was actually an aerobic bacteria probably caused by a foxtail or something... boy was I relieved! Point being... you never know until you have it tested!

 

[kayzee]

So I took the chance and tried to pull some fluid out with a needle, and got nothing. So I bandaged him up and put him back in the pen. This morning, nothing on the bandage, but there is white pus coming out of his mouth....so I guess he popped it with his teeth from the inside.

 

[babsbag]

So, I see that I can only get an accurate test by collecting the exudate....but if it is CL and I open it up, I've already spread the infection.

It tripled in size overnight, but it's still soft and I can press hard on it with no reaction--he doesn't feel it at all.

The procedure is done in a place where it is not dirt floor or ground and away from your pens or pasture; or do it on a tarp that can be thrown away. The abcess is usually opened up and cleaned out entirely and sometimes packed with an antibiotic. The goat is then kept away from the herd until it heals.