Common Diseases
Whilst prevention is better than cure, below is a list of diseases or illness that commonly afflict dairy goats in New Zealand.
Identification
In order to successfully treat and manage an illness, it must first be identified. The list below outlines the most common diseases afflicting dairy goat herds in New Zealand.
Once identified, knowing the best method of treatment is important, especially as an treatments should be administered as quickly as possible. We locate a Treatment Guidelines poster, along with our Marking Guidelines poster, next to our medicine storage cabinet. A template pdf version of our poster is included here for you to downloaded and complete as required for your situation. This sheet should be completed in consultation with your vet and reviewed annually to ensure the most appropriate treatments are selected and that any changes in withholding periods are updated. NOTE: if you do not have pdf editing software, you should be able to use the Fill and Sign option in Adobe pdf reader (free). If you experience difficulties using the file in this format, please email me and I will look into converting it to an alternative file type.
Johnes
Johnes is a terminal disease which causes the goat to simply waste away. The first indicator will usually be a drop in milk production but at this point it may not be recognised as Johnes. Following this the goat will loose weight regardless of the diet offered and in the late stages of the disease will typically have diarrhea.
As there is no treatment available for these does, this disease costs farmers in terms of milk yield loss as well as the terminal loss of good animals from the herd, particularly as there seems to be a higher incident of Johnes in higher producing does.
The bacteria causing this disease is spread through infected faeces, and from mother to baby during the birthing process. Young kids can also be exposed to the bacteria in the bedding in the post-birth period. Good barn management, selecting replacement kids from healthy dams and proactively culling goats suspected to have this disease are required in order to reduce transmission rates within herd. The bacteria also survives for a long time in the soil and recontamination can occur if goats are fed pasture that has had contaminated effluent spread on it.
A vaccination programme for the kids which includes the Gudair vaccine can assist in the reduction of Johnes in your herd. Whilst the vaccine does not provide 100% protection against Johnes in goats, it proves a useful tool in slowing the transmission of the disease in the herd.
It is worth noting here that CLA (Cheesy Gland) can also cause wasting in goats – testing and consultation with your vet to determine the exact nature of the issues observed is needed to ensure correct diagnosis
Caprine arthritis encephalitis (CAE)
CAE is a viral disease causing swollen joints, mastitis and wasting. A strict eradication programme for this disease in New Zealand is in place, with infected animals being required to be removed from the herd. Transmission of the virus mainly occurs via the ingestion of infected colostrum after birth but is also spread through saliva and blood.
Strategies to eliminate CAE include:
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Routine testing via blood or milk samples and removing infected from the herd promptly
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Keeping infected animals separate from uninfected ones until they are able to be removed from the farm
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Strict biosecurity between properties (only accepting goats into the herd from farms with a clear CAE status, cleaning footwear and equipment that is used on other farms)
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Not keeping replacement animals from infected does (ideally the does will have already been culled from the herd or not mated)
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Not feeding pooled colostrum once the replacement kids have been removed from their mothers (unless successfully pasteurised)
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If feeding fresh colostrum or milk to kids not being reared as replacements, do not share kid feeding equipment between the 2 groups
Listeria:
Listeria is an infection in the brain and sometimes is referred to as 'circling disease' as infected animals will walk with their head to one side, or in severe cases, literally in circles. Diagnosing and treating this disease early gives the animal the greatest chance of recovery. Infected animals require repeat doses of penicillin and anti-inflammatory treatments. The symptoms for listeria are similar to that of thiamine deficiencies (see below). If you are unsure which is the cause of the symptoms in you animal, try treating with Vitamin B1 first. If a thiamine deficiency is the cause, the animal will respond within a few hours to the B1 injection. If it doesn't show any signs of improvement within a couple of hours, it is more likely to be a case of listeria and treatment for this should begin.
Thiamine Deficiency:
Thiamine deficiencies in goats are often linked to periods of high stress and/or changes in the diet. It can present itself with similar symptoms to that of listeria (see above). It is usually easy to treat with Vitamin B1 which can be administered by injection and the animal should show signs of improvement within a few hours.
Toxoplasmosis:
This bacteria, often spread in the faeces of cats, will lead to abortions in pregnant does. Vaccinating doelings before thier frst mating is the most effecive way to avoid this issue. Like any vaccinat, it os not 100% effective and you may still experience a few abortions linked to this disease. Fortunately, doelings tend to re-cycle fairly quickly post aborting so if this happens in early pregnancy and the bucks are still running with the group, they are likley to get in-kid again during the smae mating period. Once a doe ahs been successfully vaccinated or has had exposeure to the bactria, their natural defences are usually high enough to provent this being an issue in subsequent pregnancies.
Metabolic Issues:
Most metabolic issues in dairy goats present themselves around late gestation and early lactation as this is when the demands on the body are the highest.
Mastitis:
The majority of mastitis cases will occur over the kidding period. Some does will come into the milking shed post-kidding with clinical mastitis, particualry if they have been harbouring bacteria in the udder over the dry period. Other does will pick up bacteria in the udder in early lactation as this can be when the bacteria levels in the beddng are at their highest, combined with pressure on the teat canal causing it to not seal off tighly between milkings. Good barn hygiene and regulalry refreshing the bedding is the best defence against mastitis. The use of teat spray after milking through early lactation can also be effective in reducing the number of cases of mastitis. Many animals will clear by themselves after a few milkings or following antibiotic treatment. Others will become 'single titters' with the remaining animals being culled.
It is good practise to check each newly kidded doe as she enters the milking shed and then again before she is moved from the colostrum mob (4-dayers) to the milking herd. To do this, each side of the udder is hand stripped to check for visible signs of mastitis and the use of RMT solutions to support identification. As many cases of mastitis are sub-clinical, milk samples are often cultured and assessed for a more accurate diagnosis. As the season progresses, regular observation of changes in doe behaviour, udder condition, monitoring the bulk somatic cell count (SCC), and strip checking are required to keep on top of goat health and milk quality.
Cheesy gland in the udder (mammary glands) will also lead to clinical mastitis and tends to be very difficult to treat.
Black mastitis is relatively common around kidding time and is nearly always fatal (or the doe is euthanised to prevent spread). Some seasons the conditions for this bacteria make it more prevalent than others and typically if one farmer has an issue with it, so will multiple others.
Further information around mastitis detection and management can be found in the Milking Management section of this website.
CLA (Cheesy Gland):
Cheesy Gland abscesses are zoonotic so people should be trained in dealing with the abscesses in a safe manner, which includes the use of gloves, disinfectant wipes and secure containment of waste until disposed of. Whilst surface Cheesy Gland lumps are unsightly and unpleasant, it is internal abscesses, or ones on their udders leading to mastitis, that cause the most damage. Does are vaccinated regularly with Glanvac 6 to help control this, along with being proactive in the cleaning of any abscesses that develop.
Diarrhea:
This can be related to changes in feed or bacterial issues. Does should be vaccinated throughout the year to help with bacterial issues.
Nutritional diarrhea can be caused by a sudden change in the diet as this upsets the rumen bacteria. The introduction, or reduction, of a feed type in the diet should happen gradually over a couple of days. Nutritional diarrhea can also be the result of too much protein in the diet, regardless of how slowly it is introduced into the diet. For more information on the nutritional requirements of dairy goats, visit the Nutrition page.
Pneumonia:
Common in kids around the age of 5- 12 months, pneumonia can quickly spread through a mob and can lead to multiple deaths if not acted on promptly. symptoms include mucous around the nose, coughing / wheezing or visibly breathing heavily and a general lack of energy. If only one or kids in a mob are unwell, spot treating with an oxytetracycline based antibiotic is suffice, If you are needing to treat more than a couple of animals in a mob over a period of a few days, blanket treating the whole mob may be warranted. If in doubt, check with your vet for advice.
Adult does can also succumb to pneumonia particularly if not exposed to it as a kid and the survival rate in adults is often lower than in kids so taking action as soon as symptoms appear is important.
The bacteria causing pneumonia infections is continually present in most goat herds but only becomes a problem when the conditions are suitable for it to flourish and cause infection in the host goat. General immunity plays a part in this but often eternal stimuli such as warm, dusty conditions will set off an infection. Late spring / early summer often creates the ideal conditions for this infection to take hold in a mob, particularly the kids.
