Hay and Polio

Yes, goats get polio from moldy hay, listeriosis is caused mostly by the bacteria formed during silage making.

 

I would tend to think that anything that disrupts the rumen and amkes a change in the bacteria in the gut might cause goat polio if the bacteria that make it in the gut are killed by whatever.

 

mold can also cause respiratory issues in horses so I assume the same can be said of goats. I have always heard the symptoms of listerosis and polio are very similiar except listerosis will cause a high fever.

 

OK... bear with me please. I'm pretty new to this goat thing so I tend to be a little paranoid. How exactly can one tell moldy hay from the good stuff? When I purchased the hay I have, I quizzed the grower re: mold issues and was assured the hay was A-100. That said, I'm not sure what I would look for in the way of determining if mold is present. Both the grower and I store the hay indoors. Is that any kind of guarantee? Moldy bread, I can recognize. Moldy hay.. not so much.

 

Smell of the hay make sure it doesn't have a moldy smell.Pull some hay of of the center of the bale shake it sometimes there will be white mold spores that you can see.Some hay has black mold which you should be able to see. Hay that has gotten wet and moldy will be heavier and kind of hard. So look for bales that are soft,light and smell good.

 

Thanks... really appreciated. Although I must say it has been several years since I encountered a bale I considered 'light'.

 

Here's a helpful article on Polio and Listeriosis...

http://www.tennesseemeatgoats.com/artic ... iosis.html

When in doubt, treat your animal for BOTH illnesses, because they do present very similarly.

Polio usually effects young stock though, and Listeriosis usually effects adults; although exceptions can occur.

 

you can't always see the mold but you sure can smell it. i alsways pull some from the middle & smell it.