Possible CL Contamination - Goats

[Ridgetop]

CL abscesses are very typical with a hard cheesy pus that you have to push out. They look like a marble to a golf ball size lump, very round. I had one goat develop an abscess like that and sent her to the sale yard. We kindly loaned a buck to another 4-H family that supposedly tested their goats for CAE and had a clean herd. When our goat came back, he had an abcess which the famiy claimed was from a sliver in the feeder. I had found out by then that they had a CAE doe that they kept "separate" from the others. We had been at shows with them and seen this goat in pens next to other exhibitors. Because he was exposed to CAE in their herd, and the lump was in a CL location, I sent him to the sale yard just in case. You know the saying "No good deed goes unpunished". We stopped doing "good deeds after losing that really pretty little Nubian buck at the risk of being thought selfish. I did not take chances with CAE or CL

Sheep get abscesses frequently because of shearing, but not all abcesses are CL. There is an abscess called Kreulz (sp?) disease. This occurs from stickers, or thorns in the mouth or area around the face and neck. the difference is in the pus. Kreulz pus is runny yellowish li

 

[Ridgetop]

Contd. . . . runny yellowish liquid instead of hard cottage cheese like pus. These abscesses clear up.

Is this buck papered? Is your doe papered? If you want a papered buck for your doe, you will want the buck owner to supply you with the papers. I would also ask why the buck was going to slaughter at breeding age. Most dairy people get rid of excess bucks early since there is no point wasting milk on them past 2 months old.

Also, you might want to invest in an elastrator or burdizzo yourself to avoid paying $100 for a vet call. There is no need to anesthetize the little buck with an elastrator castration since he will forget all about it in about 5 minutes. But DO make sure to vaccinate for tetanus when castrating. Also make sure you don't catch the urethra tubes in the band.

 

[Donna R. Raybon]

Do not buy used equipment, feeders, milkstands, clippers, etc. Do not lend or borrow either! Sheep are notorious CL carriers because shearing may burst lumps , so avoid penning goats after sheep. If you show you most likely pen in same pens used by sheep!

Find an illustration of goat lymphatic system as CL abscesses often actually lymph node itself. Most common area to see CL are in flank area and '''string of pearls" around neck. Think of area of neck that a horse'scollar would cover. I have seen CL abscess in udder, too. Lung abscess happen and you only see on necropsy.

I vaccinate behind elbow and any vaccine for clostridial caused diseases will cause a swelling and lump. No lymph node there so not indicator of CL. Often recommended to vaccinate on side of neck, but a lump there may be confused with CL. Also, any injection of any type may cause a 'sterile' abscess if needle picks up contamination. That is why you don't give injections to wet and/or dirty animals. If you don't pull back and cntaminate syringe barrel you may simply change needle between animals.

 

[Ridgetop]

Caseous Lymphadenitis is specific to the lymph nodes. Sheep routinely can get abscesses which are NOT CL in other areas, commonly from clipper blades. You should sterilize your clipper blades between sheep when shearing. Dip blades into bleach or alcohol. Also fox tails in wool can cause abscesses when they work into the skin and the abscess can't be seen under the wool. Not all abscesses are CL, but it is better to be safe than sorry with any type of infection. You should separate the animal from the flock, keep it separate, and take animal out of pen before attempting to open an abscess. DO NOT drain an abscess unless you are sure it is not CL. When draining a non CL abscess, wear gloves, open the bottom of the abscess, use paper towels to express and catch all the pus, use a small syringe (without needle) to irrigate the abscess area with iodine. Give antibiotics locally and sub Q. Keep the animal separated until the abscess has healed.

You can sanitize metal feeders, stanchions etc. with a hand held propane blow torch. You can also use lime to sanitize pens, and bleach sprayed on wood will help. Best way to avoid CL is not to get it on your property and to dispose of any animal that tests positive. If you have an animal that you believe has CL, or tests positive, get rid of it. No matter how careful you are, the risk is too great. No animal is so valuable to your herd or breeding program to warrant taking chances. We used to spray our livestock pens at shows with bleach and water. The dairy goats usually came in before the sheep but who knows what germs were on the pens.

When I had goats, I got rid of any animal with a lump in a lymph node spot. My sheep don't get many abscesses, but will occasionally get one after shearing. One way to avoid this is to give an antibiotic shot after shearing. This helps avoid infection in a nick. Also applying Wound-Kote or a similar topical antibiotic can prevent infection in a shearing nick.

With advanced cases of Caseous Lymphadenitis abscesses are present in the lungs, vital organs, udder, etc. These abscesses will only be seen during a necropsy after the animal dies.