CAE question?

[holleegee]

You guys might get sick of me asking questions I have searched and can't find the answer to this question.

I have read that CAE can be transmitted through feces but it didn't say how long the virus can live in the feces.

If it can be transfered that way how do you keep your "show" goats from getting it?

I talked with a lady that lives in the county next to me, she helps with the goats in 4-H and she said her goats aren't tested for CAE because they were meat goats. I was hoping she knew of a good vet that could help with goats but she didn't know of one.

The more I read about all of this the more confused I get.
Holly

[DocM]

CAE can be transmitted through any bodily fluid, but unless your goat has a habit of eating feces, you're probably safe. At shows, I take the following precautions: I don't let anyone use my equipment. If I have to have an adjoining pen with another grouping of animals, I make my tack area in that space. I have plywood panels that I can secure on the inside of a pen if I absolutely have to share a pen wall with another breeder's animals, but this is very rare. Generally, all the exhibitors are penned separately. My feed and water is secured away from casual contact with other animals (feeders secured in the inside corners, buckets on inside corners) I won't hesitate to complain to officials if surrounding goats look or act sickly. The good thing, most breeders who take the time to show also test for CAE, they wouldn't dream of bringing sick animals to a show, and at least in my experience, are people I've come to know and trust. At 4H shows, the animals are vet checked before entry into our county fairgrounds - they can't even walk onto the property without a vet going over them. Every animal and bird, from the cavies to the police horses. You just don't take an animal into the show ring with a runny nose, a scab on a lip, or a suspicious lump - the judge would send you right back out. We've lobbied in this state to be made available to judges latex gloves and sani-wipes to use between judging of individual animals - and they use them. A judge doesn't want to take home your goat's illnesses to his or her own goats. This was after a major outbreak of soremouth at two shows.

[Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians]

Your goats are going to catch CAE from colostrum or milk or blood. They are not going to catch it from anything else, if you take care of these 3 you can maintain a CAE negative herd. Some obscure test in another country on semen does not mean it is correct. I do not take bottle kids to shows because of how others handle their milk at shows. Now I am anal about my goats being penned away from others but not for CAE, and I do clean pens before I move into them, but not for CAE. Vicki