Johnes Disease

[Southern by choice]

 

[secuono]

What if you show?
Doesn't that defeat the purpose of a closed flock and all that intense and expensive testing?
You can't QT for 5 years and keep testing or set up a separate flock just to show them...

 

[secuono]

View attachment 11871

That's the whole point of a forum, though.
To constantly ask questions, learn and hopefully gather new info.

 

[Hens and Roos]

so if you close your herd, what kind of protocol would you follow when you need to add new bloodlines?

 

[Southern by choice]

What if you show?
Doesn't that defeat the purpose of a closed flock and all that intense and expensive testing?
You can't QT for 5 years and keep testing or set up a separate flock just to show them...

We don't show, and that is one reason why. For now anyway.
We can do virtual show with the minis and still do LA and DHIR testing which is wonderful.

I know you have sheep and I think, if I remember right you do the testing for the Q & R (forgot what it is called... but some people we know do their flock of 250-300 sheep... the lab made an error... long story short some of their RR's were QQ's.
It was a nightmare for them... they got it all worked out called who they needed to etc. but even though that is a DNA test I would still do at least one repeat to confirm.

With the other tests it really is so individual. I am aware of several herds that have CL rampant they will never get rid of it because they don't "believe" in testing so they just cull the ones with lumps. IMO that could have been nipped in the bud years ago through monitoring titer levels and keeping a closer eye on it. More than likely they have internal CL at this point.

A lady I know had a positive Johnes from one animal, it has gone through 2 levels of testing at 1.50 each and is now on the fecal culture test. Meanwhile she will not send any goats off her land period because she know s that if positive her kids from last year may have been exposed- she doesn't want anyone to end up with this in their herd. She had a closed herd for years... then she brought in a wether for a short period of time.
Whats really annoying is her results should be back by know... her vet keeps saying they haven't gotten them yet. The advice from her vet was to place the animal as a pet somewhere else.

IMO the hardest thing is it is getting harder to find stock that does do yearly consecutive testing. So any animal you buy is a risk really. Kinda stinks.

The testing may not be perfect but at least I know I have done all I can to send off kids to their new homes and spare someone the heartbreak of disease coming in.

 

[Southern by choice]

so if you close your herd, what kind of protocol would you follow when you need to add new bloodlines?

Only purchase from tested herds. Avoiding single test but whole herd and at least several years of consecutive negatives.

AND SEE THE Paperwork.

We purchased a few goat kids from a great breeder, breeding for 30 some years. Wonderful people. I never asked to look at the paperwork... honestly didn't not feel the need they were honest, good people. Got a call a few months later... they had just found out they had CAE in their herd. I won't go into details but it was heartbreaking for them for us for everyone. We sent the goats back. Fortunately they were kids and never bred etc. and had them for a short period of time. Regardless we still retested our whole herd although no real risk...
if I would have asked, it wouldn't have changed the outcome for them but it would have spared us the agony of giving the does back, it also would have given them the knowledge sooner rather than later.
It all boils down to the vet having the paperwork and was looking at the wrong test results. All could have been avoided from the start if both parties. VET AND OWNER had results. The error would have been found. Herd owners have a responsibility.
There are many farms I ask if I can see a copy of the paperwork... I hear all the time, "My vet has it". Some people THINK their vet is testing for one thing and they end up finding out the vet isn't. Usually when someone gets the persons animal and while in quarantine they test and the test turns out positive. I cannot tell you HOW MANY times this has happened to people in the goat world. IMO it is a shared responsibility not just the vets not just the owners.

A mini buck I was looking at was so called "tested' when I asked for test result copies (they were FAR away out of state) they said it would take a few days as they would have to get it from their vet.
When the person did send the results it was clear this was no goat vet. NOT one test for goats was done... just some cattle test.

 

[Hens and Roos]

When we purchased our 3 does- we were given a copy of the test paper work to show they were neg.- the owner had it done directly. We tested our 1younger doe once she turned 6 months old and she only joined the herd once the results were back(she was neg. too). We plan to test everyone- 6 months and older- within the next 2 weeks. We pull the blood ourselves and send it in so all results are sent back directly to us.

 

[secuono]

SouthernbyChoice- Codon 171 for scrapie resistance.

I've had only one person ask about Johnes and OPP testing.

 

[Southern by choice]

SouthernbyChoice- Codon 171 for scrapie resistance.

I've had only one person ask about Johnes and OPP testing.

I have noticed very few sheep people test for anything.
Any thoughts as to why?

 

[secuono]

Your guess is as good as mine!

I'm hoping to have my flock tested for Johnes and OPP next year, just have to find a vet that is experienced with sheep and not just putting me on hold to "Google it"! I can do that myself...lol.