Herd Testing

[trestlecreek]

On the NMGA site, I have an article up about Johnes. There is a TON of info on the article. Take a look there. IT focuses on the disease in goats(not cattle).

http://www.nmga.net/healthdiseaseinformation.htm

If you have a herd and you want it to be proven free, it does take a number of years for the tests to prove that the herd is clean. Your looking at 5 years of negative results in a closed herd!

A goat can be born with the disease which can lay dormant in the goat for 5 years before the goat will ever shed it or test positive.
It is a rather difficult and devastating disease.

If the goat is shedding, chances are ,the goat will test positive either by blood or by stool sample through your vet.

 

[bheila]

Sorry I wasn't around to see some of the posts. I'll try to get some of the links I have about Johne's later tonight. I've been talking with a breeder who dealt with Johne's who's been very informative too. It's a horrible thing to have to deal with

 

[bheila]

Here are only a couple of the links I have about Johne's...
http://www.johnes.org/cgi-bin/ksearchgoats/ksearch.cgi?terms=Diagnosis
http://www.saanendoah.com/johnes_SG.html

It's disgusting that I'm having to deal with Johne's but I have to look at it as a learning experience I thank god that I was smart enough to keep the new goats in quarantine away from my existing herd. When I got the positive Johne's result I instantly went to work researching what it is and how to deal with it, obviously there is NO cure. Then I discovered how inaccurate the testing results can be. Not only is dealing with Johne's stressful but not knowing if you can trust the test results is even more frustrating. I stopped my husband at the last second before he put the doe down so that we could do more tests on her. We'll see how they turn out.....I know it's risky keeping a doe that has tested positive with Johne's but I couldn't sleep if we had put her down and not done the other tests.

Even though her sisters tested negative I've kept them all together. Chances are they all have it or they don't.

 

[()relics]

if you knowingly transport any sick animal you are in violation of the law...

So, if one of my goats gets sick and needs to go to the vet, I have to break the law to do that?

Forgive me, but that doesn't make a whole lot of sense.


In fact, I think your home state of Indiana is one of just a handful in the nation that have enforced mandatory NAIS premises registration so far..

Doesn't sound like it's very popular, huh?

Unfortunately the small producer/4H'ers/showmen/conscientious breeders suffer because of the unscrupulous practices of the big operators and the "people that just don't care"....TYPICAL....