Goat Testing Lab Options?

[Southern by choice]

My original question was about different lab options but I just want to say that as a relatively new goat owner this discussion is very informative and it's reiterating why I wanted to begin testing in the first place.

I didn't know about testing and these three diseases when I got my first few goats and I consider myself lucky that my first round of testing came back all negative last year. Hopefully my luck continues, but I'm not so attached to them that I wouldn't just eat them and start anew if I had to.

When I first found out that testing for CAE, CL, and Johnes was something responsible goat owners should do I hit Google and did some basic research on them. I'll admit that, while all the diseases sounded very serious, I was by far most scared of Johnes and I did a lot more reading on that disease than I did the other two. Perhaps because CAE was presented as mostly a dairy breed disease in what I read of it and I have meat mixes, I wasn't as concerned about it and I'm glad that this post is allowing me to consider CAE and CL more closely.

LOL that is how all threads about testing go...
Sage has had iffy results according to many I know who used them and switched.

As far as getting your goats tested. It is a decision only you can make.
My take on it is it is not your vet's herd, not your friends, not anyone's but yours.
No one else will suffer the grief or loss in the end but you.
None of this is the end of the world stuff but IMO it makes you very aware of your herd.
You can only do what you can.

 

[babsbag]

Just want you to know that while @Southern by choice and I might disagree with how often to test we are both respectful of each other's practices and our "discussion" is no more than that...talk. We may live on opposite sides of the country but we are actually really good friends. One of the things that makes BYH so great is that we can talk about differences in a civil manner.

 

[Southern by choice]

Just want you to know that while @Southern by choice and I might disagree with how often to test we are both respectful of each other's practices and our "discussion" is no more than that...talk. We may live on opposite of the country but we are actually really good friends. One of the things that makes BYH so great is that we can talk about differences in a civil manner.

Absolutely! I forget not everyone knows we are friends. LOL
Love ya Babs!

 

[babsbag]

If you have goats that have no symptoms how would know that the lab is wrong? I would think that the Elisa test would be pretty hard to mess up. If the test is negative and then the goat presents with symptoms they could have converted so you can't point fingers at the lab. What am I missing?

 

[MargaretClare]

If you have goats that have no symptoms how would know that the lab is wrong? I would think that the Elisa test would be pretty hard to mess up. If the test is negative and then the goat presents with symptoms they could have converted so you can't point fingers at the lab. What am I missing?

One of my points of question is that my goats were purchased as untested back when I didn't know anything about it. I tested last year and everybody came back negative but how many consecutive years should I test before I can truly call my herd tested clean? When I advertise a goat, can I still advertise as tested if I make it clear that they've only been tested so-and-so years in a row?

 

[babsbag]

I tell people that my foundation stock all tested negative and that I have never had a goat test positive. If it is a goat that I haven't tested in a few years I tell them that too. If you test again within the year and they are negative I would say that you can say that your herd tested clean; just be honest if they ask. It will also matter to some people if you dam raise or pull kids and pasteurize milk and colostrum. I do both, just depends on the doe and the day and the mood I am in.

 

[MargaretClare]

I tell people that my foundation stock all tested negative and that I have never had a goat test positive. If it is a goat that I haven't tested in a few years I tell them that too. If you test again within the year and they are negative I would say that you can say that your herd tested clean; just be honest if they ask. It will also matter to some people if you dam raise or pull kids and pasteurize milk and colostrum. I do both, just depends on the doe and the day and the mood I am in.

I haven't gotten any new goats recently but for the future do new goats in quarantine need to be tested twice some weeks apart before being cleared to join the herd or do most people test goats once. I do know now so will only be looking for goats from herds that are tested in the future.

 

[SaanenMom]

[QUOTE="MargaretClare, post: 571022, member: I don't understand why out of state would be charged more though. :/[/QUOTE]
WADDLs accession fee for being out of State is $10 and the actual test fees are the same for everyone. The reason is because it's a college. Most all colleges charge more for out of State people. WADDL does it with the $10 fee, others with increased prices on their tests.

 

[germanchickTX]

Hey, I'm looking to have my goats tested for CAE, CL, and Johnes in the next couple weeks and I'm looking for some personal opinions and reviews on labs anyone has used. Last time I tested was April of 2017 and I used Sage Ag Labs then, but I heard that early this year several goat and sheep people in my area got false positives from them. I'm leaning toward URBL but would like to know if anyone has any feedback on them. If you prefer another lab I'd like to hear about them as well. Cost is a concern for me and the reseaon I chose Sage originally was the price.

I’m using UBRL and so far I’m very satisfied with their work and their prices. I do the bio-Screen, Brucellocis and Q-Fever; and serum prego Test If needed.I had one goat come up as suspect (can’t remember right now for what), re-tested after a certain time frame and it came back as negative. They are super helpful, explaining everything and even call with results before you get the tests by email.
From now on I have a closed herd, after my initial testing with recheck 6 months later, I will still test yearly. (I have reg. dairy goats)
There are meat goat breeders upstream and up from rainwater flow from me and I have no idea about their Status.
Some diseases could spread this way, or even goat owning visitors or buyers can bring stuff in.
I know a lot meat goat breeders don’t think a CL test necessary, since the animals get butchered early. In dairy (show) circles they advertise often as abcess free herd. But I rather want to prove it on paper.
In an ideal world everyone would test and cull positive animals, we could eradicate these diseases.

 

[MargaretClare]

[QUOTE="MargaretClare, post: 571022, member: I don't understand why out of state would be charged more though. :/

WADDLs accession fee for being out of State is $10 and the actual test fees are the same for everyone. The reason is because it's a college. Most all colleges charge more for out of State people. WADDL does it with the $10 fee, others with increased prices on their tests.[/QUOTE]

I tried to be thorough when I was checking out their site but I'm pretty sure they have a higher non-Washington fee for each test. Maybe I didn't find the right page?