Testing for CAE/CL/Johnes-thoughts and opinions

[Southern by choice]

I have noticed a huge drop in farms that test for CAE/CL/Johnes

I was wondering about this because I have noticed (at least in our area) that whenever a farm had testing done it was always CAE/CL and sometimes (rarely) CAE/CL/Johnes. Suddenly it's "we stopped doing testing," "we've never seen anything." "Yeah we use to but it just got too expensive, and my herd is very healthy."

I know when blood is sent in, the expense is more in the collection and shipping, the testing is not that expensive and therefore for a few dollars more you can have a test added. Why go through all that and say CAE only, it only makes sense to do CAE/CL. I have noticed around here we use to see a lot of CAE/CL neg herds, hardly anyone tested for Johnes. Recently I've noticed CAE neg but the CL isn't there. CL incidence is up in our area so what I think is happening is more and more people are not testing so that they don't have to lie. Some do know their herd tested pos. and when you ask about the CL they just simply tell you "we don't test for that". Funny how last year they did. :/

I know a lady that has never had CL in her herd, but in the past 2 years 1 goat ended up with CL, the lump showed up about 3weeks after she sold it. It was the one goat that had been shown! Then after her animals were all tested and neg she was showing another goat, 5 months later that goat had a lump. She is not going to show anymore goats! These btw were meat goats.

I am beginning to wonder about all of this because the larger herds(30+ goats) are not doing any testing anymore, and the small hobby goat owners that just kid their does so they can have milk aren't bothering to test either. It is becoming harder and harder to find a clean goat. Not everyone is honest, and will sell a "problem" goat just to get a few dollars out of it and not give a thought to the problems it will cause a new goat owner.

I would really like to hear why or why you don't test, what kinds of disease you test for, why not some test etc. Thanks

 

[Stacykins]

I am new to the goat game, but I have also noticed a lot of herds don't do testing. It is a little unsettling. I am personally in the process of collecting samples from my goats, to test for CAE, Johne's, and CL. I want to test all of them so I know I have a clean slate, but I only have four in total.

 

[ragdollcatlady]

I just had Andy tested even though his mom and grandma were tested neg. It cost me $15 each for the CAE and CL and $15 shipping. By the time the whole vet bill was paid , even another 15 or 20 dollars is just too much right now , added to all that I paid for him, the vet and the gas money, he has cost me a small fortune......

I am hoping to have my whole herd tested for CAE and CL within the next year, but it adds up. I haven't even finished sending in all my registration papers cause bills got a little tight so the last $50 for registrations is on hold right now.

I am testing for my own peace of mind. I think most producers in my area don't test for these because the animals are primarily for meat so don't live very long. I still want my breeders of meat animals to be clean and able to live with me, healthily, as producing pets, for hopefully many, many years. I also don't want to infect any of my dairy girls that I already love. It would be devastating to see them suffer when I can prevent it by testing.

Part of the reason I drove so far to get Andy was the fact that his owner was experienced in and testing for diseases that concerned me.

 

[chubbydog811]

Not many places around here test for it unfortunately. I won't buy from an untested herd anymore.
The breeder I go to runs a clean/closed herd, and had a clean herd for at least 5 years before she stopped testing. So far, all the animals I have bought from her have been clean.

Starting this winter, I will be testing yearly for CAE and CL until I have my herd back to the size I want it.
I had CAE run rampant through my herd this spring - started with 15 goats, ended with 3. Only one of those 3 were from my original herd, the other 2 were purchased after the other goats were gone.
As for price, I go with my vet - they charge a farm call (usually $40) and $20 per test. It is expensive, but my animals are worth more being able to advertise them as "clean" compared to the potential they might have something. I usually have other things done while they are here though, as well as tell our horse boarders when the vet is here to the farm call isn't as bad.
It does get expensive when you get a larger number of goats, but also think of how much more you can sell a good quality registered animal for when it is tested clean, or out of clean animals and raised on a preventative system. So far for me, it has balanced out.

 

[Stacykins]

It is much less expensive if you are able to learn how to draw the blood yourself and send it strait to your lab of choice. You don't need to test locally. WADDL is the biggest name in animal disease testing . For an out of state person, a CAE test is 6.30, Johne's costs the same, and CL is 9.45. There is a 10 accession fee, but it is not per sample, just per batch you send in.

Drawing blood takes a steady hand and some patience. I learned because I don't want to pay the $50 fee for the vet farm visit, that is just for her to come out not for any work, for something so simple and fast.

 

[Straw Hat Kikos]

It is much less expensive if you are able to learn how to draw the blood yourself and send it strait to your lab of choice. You don't need to test locally. WADDL is the biggest name in animal disease testing . For an out of state person, a CAE test is 6.30, Johne's costs the same, and CL is 9.45. There is a 10 accession fee, but it is not per sample, just per batch you send in.

Drawing blood takes a steady hand and some patience. I learned because I don't want to pay the $50 fee for the vet farm visit, that is just for her to come out not for any work, for something so simple and fast.

I agree. Learn to do it yourself. Takes much of the price away. Then send it to the lab. I too like WSU alot. They really seem to know what their doing. And yeah, it really doesn't cost alot, but I do see how it can add up esp. if you have alot of goats.

 

[SkyWarrior]

I haven't tested yet. This is something I need to do, but I've been putting it off because of other things I need to purchase that are more pressing. I've never drawn blood, although I do vaccinate. Basically, when I'm ready, I'll clear everyone and be done with it.

Most people here don't even vaccinate (I do), let alone test for something like CAE/CL/Johnnes. Yes, this is something on my to do list, but since my critters are healthy, I'll probably hold off a little while.

 

[that's*satyrical]

I had the vet come out & help me draw blood last February. I only tested for CAE through bio tracking. That said, most of my goats came from herds that tested for everything & gave me the results. A few were only tested for CAE (the ones I got from smaller herds) They will all be tested again next spring. I am trying to decide if I want to test for anything besides CAE again. Does anyone know the pros & cons of testing for Johnes & CL? I have not seen any abcesses at all the only lumps I have ever seen/felt have been vaccine lumps from giving the CDT vaccine. Also all my goats are more on the portly side (something I've learned a lot of people don't like to see in Nigies) but at least I know they are not wasting away so no visible signs of possible Johnes here either. Aren't some states declared "free" of some of these diseases? I know our state is declared brucellosis free at least but I am not sure of anything else.

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

I purchased all 6 of my goats from herds that tested negative for CAE and that had NO cases of CL.

I then retested everyone for CAE and CL within the first 4 months I had them.

I will start testing for Johnes next year.

It's very important to me they are all clean, especially since I want to breed them and show them.

I draw blood myself and send the samples in a flat rate box. It's $6 for shipping (plus $1 for a frozen cooler thing) and each test is $6.75. I send them to UC Davis here in Cali.

 

[lilhill]

I had the vet come out & help me draw blood last February. I only tested for CAE through bio tracking. That said, most of my goats came from herds that tested for everything & gave me the results. A few were only tested for CAE (the ones I got from smaller herds) They will all be tested again next spring. I am trying to decide if I want to test for anything besides CAE again. Does anyone know the pros & cons of testing for Johnes & CL? I have not seen any abcesses at all the only lumps I have ever seen/felt have been vaccine lumps from giving the CDT vaccine. Also all my goats are more on the portly side (something I've learned a lot of people don't like to see in Nigies) but at least I know they are not wasting away so no visible signs of possible Johnes here either. Aren't some states declared "free" of some of these diseases? I know our state is declared brucellosis free at least but I am not sure of anything else.

I started out just CAE testing and then decided to throw in the Johnes and CL. Guess I'm a bit lazy as I have my Vet come out and pull all the blood and send it off. When we were talking about the additional tests, Dr. Cobb said that the CL test is unreliable and even though you test for it, that doesn't mean the goat does not have it. Mostly meat/commercial goat folks are the ones who don't take CL seriously and it really doesn't bother them that their animals have CL. And yes, most of them hide the fact that it's in their herds. With that being said, the Vet also told me that it was a waste of money for me to test for CL as I have never had abscesses here. He did reluctantly add the Johnes to the testing and when the lab asked him why I was testing for that, Dr. Cobb's reply was, "Peer pressure." Bless his heart, he knows my herd so well as he's been taking care of them for 8 years, but it does make my customers more comfortable knowing the tests are at least run. If they want CL thrown into the mix, I will certainly test for that at the purchaser's expense. The most important thing goat owners can do is purchase from herds that have been tested, ask to see the test results so you know they are honest about having the tests run, and I even give them my Vet's phone number so they can call him and talk about my goats if they want.

Alabama is a certified Brucellosis and TB free state, so additional testing for that is also at the purchaser's expense.