Don't tell ME that CAE is "no big deal"

[DonnaBelle]

I put down a ff doe this morning. She had give birth 24 hours ago to a single doeling.

Her udder was hard as a rock, she had severe mastitis, wouldn't eat or drink and couldn't get up.

She was starting to show symptoms of pneumonia as well.

An unscrupulous breeder just outside Tulsa, Oklahoma who raises Nubians sold me a goat 3 years ago and didn't bother to mention she had CAE. So now every animal in my herd has it.

Some of my goats have the following symptoms of this disease:

Annie has an ongoing type of pneumonia that can make a doe barren, and cannot be cured.

Hot, large knobby knees on my Lenora, that causes her pain when she walks.

Large hot hard udder with no milk and two kids to feed. She kidded one month ago and I have been bottle feeding the kids.

I have been trying to "manage" this disease for three years and I am so discouraged and really mad.

I am trying to decide if I want to give up goats altogether. Which means I have to either sell my herd to another unsuspecting person who wants to raise goats, or

cull all my goats whom I love very much.

Or, keep the ones I've got, rearrange my whole barn/ranch setup and catch all the future babies.

OH, and by the way, OSU and Langston tell me that 80% of Dairy goats in the USA carry the antibodies for this disease and can become symptomatic (have issues) with it

DonnaBelle

 

[alsea1]

Oh lord. That's just awful.
Bad breeder that screwed you over.
I am taking my herd in for testing. I'm not sure what to do if anyone comes up positive.
My new buckling is cae, johnes and cl free.
As breeders we all need to step up and try to get this scurge under control.

 

[ragdollcatlady]

I am so sorry Donnabelle! What a heartbreaking situation! I don't have any words that will really help, but my heart is just so sad for you!

 

[Straw Hat Kikos]

I'm so sorry DonnaBelle. I really am. That's horrible!

That's what I say to people all the time! People make CL to be an evil disease and most of those people say CAE is just fine and dandy and all will be ok. CAE is a horrible disease. It is awful.

 

[alsea1]

I just did some research. Yikes.
You can spend a small fortune trying to do the right thing here.
I am real sorry about what has happened to you and your herd.

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

Aww so sorry! How horrible. Fortunately most of the breeders out here test, and I made sure mine were all clean before I bought them.

 

[DonnaBelle]

Yeah, well, I did a lot of reading about dairy goats before I bought my first two. Turns out they were CAE positive too.

They were not from the same breeder but the same NE area of Oklahoma.

Unfortunely a lot of the people in this area of Oklahoma are not all that caring about what happens to the goats, have more interest in making money than having a disease free herd, and to tell the truth, are low information goat owners.

Also, the tests for CAE are not all that reliable. You can get false-positives and vice-versa. A goat can be infected, but the test can show negative, and no symptoms for 2-8 years, and then all of a sudden, you have a goat with pneumonia that cannot be treated successfully, enlarged painful knees, and worst of all in my opinion, hard, no milk udder.

The doe I put down this morning had every symptom, and I have does that have no symptoms whatsoever.

The only way you can be ABSOLUTELY SURE AND POSITIVE YOU DO NOT HAVE CAE FREE GOATS IS TO FEED HEAT TREATED COLUSTRUM OR COW COLUSTRUM AND PASTEURIZED MILK.

Also, you MUST keep does and bucks separated, by a double fence, and scrub all feeders and waterers and make sure they are sanitized before you start your CAE free herd.

CAE is most prevelent in diary goats.

I'm not posting all this to make anyone feel sorry for me, I want everyone to know about this disease as it is devestating, and for people who want to have a herd, 5-50 goats, it is overwhelming.

I'm going to work toward it's eradication in my goat herd, but it's going to take a long time, and a heck of a lot of work.

DonnaBelle

 

[Straw Hat Kikos]

CAE is transmitted thru ALL body fluids not just milk. That means snot, urine, etc. Any and all body fluids. CAE is not a manageable disease whatsoever.

 

[alsea1]

It is the aids of the goat world.
If only there were a vaccine for it.

I am now a bit freaked out about my Goldie. Could CAE be what is going on with her.
She breaths like she has a stuffy nose. Other than that she appears to be fine.

Yeah. Thats what I got from my reading. The tests are not all that conclusive. It seemed to me that the testing would have to be an ongoing process and all bets are off if you brought an animal in from somewhere else.

I have decided I will not breed outside goats. Just not worth it.

I am not sure, but I think the goat dairy down the road had some cae positive goats. I will def. not be getting any goats from there. But this person sells off tons of kids every season. Yikes.

Do any of you think that maybe this should be a reportable disease or anything intense like that?

 

[DonnaBelle]

A reportable disease.

Yes, that's just what I have been thinking the past few days. If it were something that could be so devestating to cattle, you can bet it would be reportable.

Or if it could humans. Which of course, it could possibly do so sometime down the road. Who knows?? It's a "will of the wisp" type of disease and since it effects goat it doesn't get as much press as a cattle disease.

Oh, and by the by, there is a form of CAE which effects sheep too.

If the only way you could get milk was from goats, you'd be hearing a lot more noise on the subject.

DonnaBelle