Mastitis questions...UPDATE...With pictures!

[chubbydog811]

She is 2 years old...I bought 2 mancha does last year who looked like her...Just lack of feed, and bad care.
Now the goat that is still with us is the healtiest looking of all of them...

If you run your hand along her topline, you can count every rib, and feel just about every bone in her body...Her tail head is actually sunken in (usually there's a layer of fat there covering the ligaments...not on her!) and all of her butt/hip bones are sticking out...

I'm calling the vet tomorrow to bring her in...Just ran out of time today. She is being confined away from my other goats. Though the vet who saw her confirmed it was mastitis. I inspected her udder tonight when I was massaging/hot compress, and I didnt see any scaring or anything odd about her udder...

...She has a nice dry, matted horse stall to stay in. and I hand graze her a few times a day so I can get her used to the grass...

(in ignorance) I would assume that the breeder would have culled her if there was more issue? She came from the breeder before the lady I got her from bought her. It looks like a pretty reputable breeder as far as I can see...But who knows!

 

[cmjust0]

I would assume that the breeder would have culled her if there was more issue?

I hesitate to say this, but...

The breeder did cull her -- they sold her to you.

 

[chubbydog811]

They sold her with papers to the person I bought her from...Who bought her for breeding...I don't think I would consider that culling...Also I would assume they would have said if there was something majorly wrong with her. The breeder seems to be pretty good. They sell goats, milk and eggs by the looks of it, and they have a bunch of reg. goats out there...But that's just me...

Anyway, brought her to the vet...She had a temp, so they said to give her a big dose of Pen. for the mastitis, and Banamine...I dont remember why...

We also tested for CAE and CL while we were there, so we shall see!! The vet thought it *could* be CAE, but she said her joints and everything looked fine, so she wasnt going to say it definitely was....
Just in case, can anyone tell me about sanitation issues that come with CAE? Can you have a CAE herd, and CAE free herd (seperately of course) and be ok?
I've done a lot of research, but never really found anything along those lines...

 

[cmjust0]

You can have a CAE+ goat in a CAE- herd, and still maintain everyone else's CAE- status. The real transmission risk with CAE is nursing; transmission between adults is considered to be very rare.

Our first buck came from a CAE- herd that contained one CAE+ doe, if that makes any sense. They just had the one doe with CAE. Consequently, the CAE+ doe was our buck's mama. They snatched him at birth, dried him off, and started him on a bottle. He tested negative before we bought him.

And, for what it's worth...I know of plenty of people who would sell a Johnes+, CAE+, CL+, Chinese Creeping Crud+ goat to someone -- anyone -- along with papers and the whole nine as a sound breeding stock animal, only to let the other guy figure out that there's a problem. If the phone rings later it's "well...must'a got it from yers, 'cuz she was healthy as a horse when she left here!"

Period. The end. Nothing the buyer can do about it except cry and sling snot.

Some folks are simply more interested in $$$ than anything else, and to those folks, culling just means "get it off my property."

ETA -- Banamine's most likely for the fever, and also for inflammation and pain. I haven't read the entire thread, but have you infused the teat with antibiotic or anything?

 

[chubbydog811]

Thanks cm! That is exactly what I was looking for!
I really hate that I am such an honest person sometimes when it comes to trusting others...I try to see the best in everyone, until the give me reason not too...I really hope she didnt come this way from the breeder!! That's how you get a bad name lol...And that is why I'm so honest to everyone who buys an animal from me (I really hate it when people lie to make money )

Honestly, I really dont care if this goat is useful in my herd or not. I am perfectly happy with her being a "nanny" to all the weanlings if her health allows- to keep them company! She has such a sweet and loving personality.
On the way to and back from the vets office, she was triyng to get on the front seat of the car...so since we wouldnt let her, she insisted on standing on the center console, and resting her head on my shoulder

Anyway, I just barely got her on Sunday...Only thing I did was hot compress, massage, and milk out...She started looking suspicious, so I decided I REALLY needed to get her to the vet. No infusions of any sort...

I'm not too worried about the CAE, I just want to make sure it wont be easily transmitted to my other girls...I dont want her to be by herself all her life, but I dont want to risk my other girls health either! I think what it really comes down to, is I cant believe someone would let their goat get to this point without thinking "hm, there might be a problem if she is losing weight, and not gaining it back easily"...I'm such a picky person when it comes to my animals, it makes me wonder how others can't be the same way...about another living being...
Sorry...that's my small rant for the day I have rescued way too many animals, like her and worse off, and I just dont understand :/

 

[cmjust0]

Thing is, when I see one so skinny and hear that it's just the one while everyone else is healthy...I kinda start thinking Johne's disease. I really hope that's not it, and it's probably not, but it's good that you've had her tested and are keeping her quarantined in the meantime.

I'm sorta surprised the vet didn't recommend infusing the teat. You can get a product called ToDay (Cephapirin Sodium) at farm supply stores over the counter.. It's not terribly expensive at about $30, and there are 12 doses in each box. Each affected chamber -- according to Fias Co -- would require 4-5 infusions, total. Soooo, you're talking $10-15 to treat this, with at least another round left over should you need it later.

Fias Co actually has a write up on mastitis, including directions on using ToDay in goats. You'll find that here.

Bear in mind that I've (thankfully) not had occasion to treat mastitis (yet..though I'm sure I will someday). I'm just going by what I've read.

Good luck.. Keep us posted.

 

[aggieterpkatie]

I don't think you can say you have a CAE- herd if you have even one CAE+ goat. I mean, maybe if she's totally separate from everyone else, but not if she's housed with them.

 

[cmjust0]

I don't think you can say you have a CAE- herd if you have even one CAE+ goat. I mean, maybe if she's totally separate from everyone else, but not if she's housed with them.

That's why I qualified the statement with "..if that makes any sense.."

It will to some...but not to others.

Point is, you can have one CAE+ goat running with a herd of CAE- goats without a lot of risk to the CAE- goats.

 

[aggieterpkatie]

I don't think you can say you have a CAE- herd if you have even one CAE+ goat. I mean, maybe if she's totally separate from everyone else, but not if she's housed with them.

That's why I qualified the statement with "..if that makes any sense.."

It will to some...but not to others.

Point is, you can have one CAE+ goat running with a herd of CAE- goats without a lot of risk to the CAE- goats.

I agree. I just had to comment on the herd thing.

 

[chubbydog811]

The thing is CM, that it was the large breed goats that were skinny, just so happens this girl was worse off....She had dwarves besides the 3 big girls...So I'm assuming that's why they were the only skinny ones...as far as my experience goes, it seems VERY hard to have a skinny small goat lol...
I did read up on Fiasco (that's actually the first place I went!!)...We dont have any "farm" stores around here...we have blue seal, agway and such, but NONE of them have anything of any use for what I need!! I dont know how they cant...

And I was actually planning on getting my whole her tested for CAE/CL in a month or so (As of tomorrow, I will have at least 10 girls...I'm picking up a good Saanen milker tomorrow...I say at least because one girl was supposed to kid on Sunday :/ ...Still waiting! But that is going to be expensive...need to wait till riding lessons start up again!)...
I wouldn't be surprised if one or two of the girls had it..Seems like something that can be there without being noticed/causing issues?

I'll keep this girl separated until we know for sure, but I am probably just going to keep the + and - does in their own herds...I know most of my herd came from CAE/CL free herds, but that doesn't seem to mean much. There is only one girl that wasn't from a "free" herd...