DISAESE OF GOAT AND ITS PREVENTION 

Pashu Sandesh, 11 July 2019

Dr Madhu Shivhare, Dr Madhuri Dhurvey, Shailendra and Rajender

Goats are resistant to many diseases. Health management is more important especially worm load. Hence the kids must be dewormed in the first month of age and then once in a month up to 6 months of age. Ecto-parasites must be treated carefully because it not only affects the growth and also affects skin quality.

BLOAT:- Bloat will be formed when an animal consumes young leaves and grasses, unknown weeds, easily digestible cereals, rotten vegetables and fruits. Bloat will be followed by diarrhoea, dysentery leads to decumbency and death. Administration of vegetable oil (50-100 ml) orally in a careful manner can help in the control of bloat as first aid and then get veterinary doctor help. Sometimes feeding potato, brinjal may also obstruct the food passage and leads to bloat due to obstruction of gas from the rumen.

INDIGESTION:- Low-quality feed, fungal contaminated feed, change of feed may also cause indigestion. Sometime non-availability of quality water for drinking, feeding of some toxic plat also cause indigestion.

GOAT POX:- Goat-pox is not of uncommon occurrence, but it is less severe than the sheep-pox.  The nature of the disease is similar to that of pox in sheep.  The incubation period varies from 5 to 10 days.  The disease tends to attack male kids and ewes in milk.  Initially, there may be slight pyrexia.  The lesions are not so widespread as in sheep-pox, being confined to the hairless regions of the body such as the axilla, things, nose and mouth.  In the female, the udder may also be involved.  The lesions are typical of pox but usually are much smaller than those of the sheep-pox. The goat-pox virus is antigenically distinct from the sheep pox virus, although it is transmissible experimentally to both goats and sheep.  The goat-pox in sheep is more severe than the sheep-pox.  The goat-pox virus is antigenically distinct from the sheep pox virus, although it is transmissible experimentally the sheep-pox.  The lesions occur on the lips and oral mucosa, the teats and udder.  The goat-pox virus affords solid protection in sheep against both goat-and sheep-pox, but the sheep-pox virus does not protect goats against the goat pox.

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

• Be on the alert for signs of illness such as reduced feed intake, fever, abnormal discharge or unusual behaviour.
• Consult the nearest veterinary aid centre for help if an illness is suspected.
• Protect animals against common diseases.
• In case of outbreak of contagious diseases, immediately segregate the sick animals from healthy one and take necessary disease control measures.
• De-worm the animals regularly.
• Examine the faeces of adult animals to detect eggs of internal parasites and treat the animals with suitable drugs.
• Provide clean and uncontaminated feed and water for minimizing health disorders.
• Strictly follow the recommended vaccine schedule.

Problems in Pregnancy:- We breed our doe in close groups and therefore know approximately when they are scheduled to give birth. This is important for us because it allows us to watch for specific problems during their pregnancy. There are two main types of problems related to pregnancy. They are Pregnancy Toxemia and Abortions.

Pregnancy Toxemia: - This is a problem in late pregnancy, normally the last month and especially the last two weeks. It is normally related to a doe with multiple kids. During the last two months, the kids are adding 70% of their birthing weight. During the final weeks, there are additional nutritional requirements for the kids as continue to increase in size and there is less and less room for the rumen to hold the same amount of food. The goat's body will give the kids nutritional needs the priority at the expense of the mother. She may not be able to consume enough nutrition and the body will start converting the mother's carbohydrates stored in her tissues. This leads to the release of ketone bodies into her blood - a sign that her metabolism is faulty.

The symptoms will be a loss of appetite, not wanting to get up or move around, sweet-smelling breath, limping and swelling of feet or walking very tenderly. Ketosis strips can be used to identify if the doe is ketotic Give doe propylene glycol twice a day. We give 60cc drench in am and pm. We also create a mixture of sodium bicarbonate with water and give 30cc drench am and pm. Help get the doe up and moving around during the day and offering her high energy food.

Nutritional Problems: - Proper nutrition is essential for having healthy kids. Simultaneous deficiencies of energy and protein can cause abortion of embryos early in the pregnancy. Deficiencies of some trace minerals such as copper and iodine can be the cause of abortions. Also, excessive selenium for an extended period can cause abortions.

Infections: - An abortion by one or more of the goats in your herd may indicate an infectious disease that needs an overall management response. It is likely that your vet will be required to identify the type of infection causing the problem.

• Chlamydiosis - caused by an intracellular organism. Abortion typically occurs in the last 2 months of pregnancy and especially the last 2 weeks. The rest of the pregnant herd must be considered. Non bred doe can catch an infection but it will result in their becoming immune. One should consider injecting pregnant doe with tetracyclines by the intramuscular route to try and prevent them from aborting.
• Toxoplasmosis - this is associated with a coccidium of cats. Cats become infected by consuming uncooked meat scraps, placentas, and small rodents. Goats become infected by eating grass, hay or grain contaminated by cat faeces. It can result in abortion, stillbirths and weak offsprings. However, reducing exposure to a cat may help but it may lead to an increase in rats that carry other diseases.
• Q Fever - a bacterial disease capable of being transmitted from animals to people caused by Coxiella burnetii, a rickettsial organism. C. burnetii may be found in sheep, cattle, goats, cats, dogs, some wild animals (including many wild rodents), birds, and ticks. Animals shed the organism in their urine, faeces, milk, and especially in their birth products. Abortion or stillbirths occur in late pregnancy, but only when the placenta has been severely damaged. Treatment is with tetracycline. Placentas and aborted fetuses should be destroyed by burning.
• Brucellosis - brucella organisms infect a goats placenta and udder, causing abortion and mastitis When goats in an endemic herd are in a stressful environment and management is not adequate to control nutritional and parasitic diseases, then abortion will occur in the last 2 months of pregnancy.
• Listeriosis - caused by Listeria monocytogenes a ubiquitous organism that may be found in soil, water, plant litter and digestive tract of ruminants. Abortions occur in the last 2 months. Treatment is the usage of tetracyclines.

Dr Madhu Shivhare, Dr Madhuri Dhurvey, Shailendra and Rajender  

Assistant professor, Dept. Veterinary College, Mhow (M.P.)