[NickersNNeighs]

Hello all! So I have this goat who has had a lump on her udder, half-dollar size. I have been keeping an eye on it and it felt a lot like scar tissue, hard, could shift it with my fingers, its been there for a while. Well, tonight it popped open. So I of course gave it a squeeze as it had some puss like goo coming from it. It exploded this thick, glue like puss. I got as much out as I could, flushed it with warm water/betadine solution mixture, sprayed with vetricyn, gave her a dose of banamine and LA200. You can now feel a hard base to it, and theres 2 holes, pencil eraser size side by side. I literally felt this lump last night and told myself it was nothing to worry about (I will take "what else am I wrong about for $600, Alex"), its been there since I got her back almost 2 months ago (to those who have seen my other posts, yes she is the other CAE Sanctuary goat returned to me). I do have pictures of what came out of it and what it looks like now. She was NOT happy with me, so the picture of the abcess is not THAT great. I am going to call my vet tomorrow to see what they think it is and try to get her in to be seen. Everything else about her is normal "Winter" stuff. Feisty, eating great, feisty, spunky, feisty...SPOILED...

 

[Ranger1]

I would test the pus for CL, just to rule that out.

 

[NickersNNeighs]

I would test the pus for CL, just to rule that out.

Thank you!

 

[ksalvagno]

What you are currently doing is good until the vet sees her.

 

[NickersNNeighs]

What you are currently doing is good until the vet sees her.

I called my vet, he was in surgery, but the tech said theyvwill get back to me about having her tested for CL. She has not been in with my clean herd of Alpines since we got her back, which is a definite good thing right now. Slightly freaking out.

 

[goatblessings]

CAE can also cause udder issues, so hopefully you're not dealing with something else like CL.

 

[toth boer goats]

I agree.

 

[NickersNNeighs]

CAE can also cause udder issues, so hopefully you're not dealing with something else like CL.

I REALLY hope not. If it is, what is your (all of you) best advice for course of action? I wasnt too worried about CAE as I have some experience with that, but CL is completely new to me. I do know when I had her tested in 2017 for CAE and CL, she was neg on CL. I am pretty sure if I dig deep enough, I can find the testing results paperwork. She went to the "sanctuary" in Fall 2018 and was just returned to me almost 2 months ago. Any advice is absolutely appreciated and will be taken into consideration. I just feel I need to be prepared for the worst.

 

[21goaties]

https://www.merckvetmanual.com/circ...itis/caseous-lymphadenitis-of-sheep-and-goats

 

[Jessica84]

Try to get the pus tested, not the blood. I'm sure your vet can find a place closer to test the pus but if not this is the place I have used. It has been YEARS since I sent a sample to them and they are only a few hours away from me so I just got some pus on a paper towel and put in a zip lock bag and took down to them. You can ask them how to ship.

CL is something you need to decide if you want to deal with or not on your own. Don't drive yourself nuts looking into it and making a decision right now since it very possibly could have just been a thorn that caused a abscess. But look into it and see if it's something you want or can even deal with. If it's something that you are even willing to risk exposing the rest of your goats to. IMO there really is no wrong answer, because we all do things differently, can manage things differently and have different uses for our goats. So just take a deep breath and take your time looking into it. Even if she is negative I think it's a good idea to look into it and decide what your willing to do if you do happen to cross that bridge at some point

 

[NickersNNeighs]

Try to get the pus tested, not the blood. I'm sure your vet can find a place closer to test the pus but if not this is the place I have used. It has been YEARS since I sent a sample to them and they are only a few hours away from me so I just got some pus on a paper towel and put in a zip lock bag and took down to them. You can ask them how to ship.
View attachment 184125
CL is something you need to decide if you want to deal with or not on your own. Don't drive yourself nuts looking into it and making a decision right now since it very possibly could have just been a thorn that caused a abscess. But look into it and see if it's something you want or can even deal with. If it's something that you are even willing to risk exposing the rest of your goats to. IMO there really is no wrong answer, because we all do things differently, can manage things differently and have different uses for our goats. So just take a deep breath and take your time looking into it. Even if she is negative I think it's a good idea to look into it and decide what your willing to do if you do happen to cross that bridge at some point

Thank you, that place is the whole way across the country from me, but I will ask my vet to get the pus tested. He couldnt recall off hand where they sent it for testing in the past, as it has been a while, but he did say it wasnt cheap. I am wondering if the Animal Testing Lab in State College, PA, does this testing. Perhaps I will call them tomorrow, if I dont hear from my vet first. They are about 2 hours away from me, which I can make that drive myself if need be. Do you recall how long it takes to get the results back? A rough estimate is fine.

I just dont want to take on more than I can handle at this point. Our Alpines are my kids show goats, we sell babies in which the money goes into a fund for them for their future needs. I can manage the CAE, but the open pus pockets are a little scary. Although she has had NO contact with ither goats, other than kidding her buckling, which she was only in contact for a few minutes after birth, while she was checked for more kids, as he was pulled due to CAE. I am wondering if I should go ahead and do the full test panel on this goat at the moment, so there wont be any further surprises. She is a good goat, great personality, sweetest thing ever, is more like a dog than a goat in manners. That alone makes me pause.

 

[NickersNNeighs]

https://www.merckvetmanual.com/circ...itis/caseous-lymphadenitis-of-sheep-and-goats

THANK YOU! This helps immensely!! Its not as bad as I thought. Less freaking out happening now, lol. Thank you so much!

 

[Jessica84]

No I figured It was going to be a ways away but I had spent a good solid 2 days searching for a place that would take a sample not threw a vet, so figured I would share if you ran into the same issue. I want to say it took about a week, but I’m sure depending on how busy they are on how fast they can get it done.
Honestly CAE freaks me out a lot more the CL. At least with CL it doesn’t effect their quality of life like CAE could and usually does with arthritis and chronic mastitis.
But I totally understand not wanting issues to deal with. Another thing to consider is it it’s going to effect your sales. I can honestly say I don’t think CL is the end of the world. It’s easy enough to manage and keep from infecting a whole herd, if one chose to put in the effort. But there are people out there that wouldn’t touch a CL goat with a 10’ pole. They think that CL is something that a animal should be put down for. I can’t say I agree but I can’t say I don’t respect their choice. Anyways because of this I literally can not afford to have CL positive goats. I would miss out on some sales because of it. So for me it doesn’t matter what I think, if I want to sell my goats well and make ends meet then I need to sell animals that people will buy. The CL status of a goat does seem to be a little more harsh when it comes to dairy goats. Not at all trying to sway you one way or another if she happens to be positive just trying to give you things to consider

 

[NickersNNeighs]

No I figured It was going to be a ways away but I had spent a good solid 2 days searching for a place that would take a sample not threw a vet, so figured I would share if you ran into the same issue. I want to say it took about a week, but I'm sure depending on how busy they are on how fast they can get it done.
Honestly CAE freaks me out a lot more the CL. At least with CL it doesn't effect their quality of life like CAE could and usually does with arthritis and chronic mastitis.
But I totally understand not wanting issues to deal with. Another thing to consider is it it's going to effect your sales. I can honestly say I don't think CL is the end of the world. It's easy enough to manage and keep from infecting a whole herd, if one chose to put in the effort. But there are people out there that wouldn't touch a CL goat with a 10' pole. They think that CL is something that a animal should be put down for. I can't say I agree but I can't say I don't respect their choice. Anyways because of this I literally can not afford to have CL positive goats. I would miss out on some sales because of it. So for me it doesn't matter what I think, if I want to sell my goats well and make ends meet then I need to sell animals that people will buy. The CL status of a goat does seem to be a little more harsh when it comes to dairy goats. Not at all trying to sway you one way or another if she happens to be positive just trying to give you things to consider

Thank you! I have talked to my son and husband, and they both agree that if she comes back positive we will have her humanely euthanized. Not just to protect our Alpines, but to also save her from suffering later on.

 

[toth boer goats]

:hug:

 

[SalteyLove]

@NickersNNeighs - any luck getting your doe tested?