[QUOTE="Southern by choice, post: 587603, member: 6771
This is my advice, clearly yours is different. So what. I recommend what I do (testing) because I see the devastation from these things.
But, when you said that you were in effect directing the comment at me. May not have been your intention. Not sure about that sometimes. But even if you weren't directing it at me, it was definitely in my direction.[/QUOTE]
Absolutely not. Not my intention. Here on this forum there have been many that have purchased goats that were positive and they were devastated. You and I both know that CAE and even CL to an extent is manageable to a degree. Johnes is not. Johnes and CL are zoonotic, I think that is important data. Many spending a fortune in vet bills trying to figure out why this or why that and after spending all that money they test and find out the goat has CAE. Goats having chronic issue, never gaining weight etc only in the end to find out the herd had Johnes.
It isn't any different then some one asking about milk goats and you suggesting buying from herds that have proven goats with milkstars, or those that say look at LA scores... it is data. Data is useful.
Can you buy healthy disease free goats from herds that don't test? Yes
Can you buy great milkers from herds not on milk test? Yes
Is every buck that is advertised as awesome, awesome? No
Can negative animals later be positive? Yes But that sure can help a person make decisions for their herd before the entire herd is infected.
Data is helpful. We have bought goats a few times that the farm didn't test for all these things. We have quarantined some goats for over a year - testing several times.
Not everyone out there breeding goats is thorough or honest- you may be, I may be, and the people we know may be. Not everyone is and many don't know about these diseases and are breeding /selling goats, but these goats are coming from somewhere.
