Figured I'd post some pics of my goats

[shdybrady]

Here are a few pics along with a few questions about my humble heard

This is Bj. He is our alpine buck


This is our what is to be believed our nubian doe. We believe she is bred to the alpine buck. We were told she was when we got her and she is starting to get pretty big.


And this is piper. We are wondering what ya'll might think she is a mix of? Also does she look malnourished? She has put on about 15-20 pounds since we got her. We are still uncertain if she is bred.

[wearegoats]

I like the looks of your second goat. looks like she is getting a udder. In the photo of the red goat I noticed that it looks like she might have a "lump" in her back mid section. I hope it's just the way her hair is laying. I have seen goats at auctions like this and most times it is the dreaded cl. If she has a lump you might want your vet to check it out.

[Donna1982]

Bj is adorable!!!!

[pookshollow]

How big is that buck? He looks kind of small for an Alpine. I have an Alpine wether who comes up to my hip - and I'm 5'7"!

I'd say your doe has some Boer in her - maybe Boer/Nubian? I'd also suspect some Boer in the red doe, although not Nubian because of the ears.

[nehimama]

I do see a definite "fishtail" on the buck and the little red doe. See how the very tip of the tail is bald, and makes the hair on either side look like a fish tail? Copper will take care of that.

[shdybrady]

yes them two do have the fish tail. I went to go get copper bolus today but the feed store said they would get some in thursday. The alpine's back comes to my knee and I'm 5'11 so he is a bit short. As for the red doe. She does have a bump on her. We are waiting for the vet to come out and look at it. Hopefully its nothing major.

[shdybrady]

Well I looked up CL and its not in a common for it. Now I know that doesnt mean she doesnt have it. I also found out she can pass it to her kids during the milking process. So whats my next move? Is she a slaughter goat? Can she have healthy kids? First and foremost I am going to test for it immediately. I dont want to jump the gun but I dont want my other two to get infected.

[wearegoats]

Is the bump squishy and soft and can be moved or is hard and seems attached to muscle? I can't really say how it affects being preggers but, I thought they had to come into the direct contact with the "fluid" to catch it. I have read on line that you can treat the abcess with formaldahide(sp)and it sounds much less of a spread risk to the others. As long as the abcess is not leaking your ok from what I have read. The vet should draw off some fluid from it and send it off to be tested. Make sure the vet draws the fluid from the top of the abcess. That way it won't have a chance to leak out the bottom of the injection site. This is all just my 2 cents and it doesn't mean a hill of beans when it comes to your own goats. I think you are right on having the vet out, ask as many questions as you can think of, they really don't mind and if they do, it's time to find a new vet.(that's why they make the big bucks)

[Alice In TX/MO]

CL is a culling disease.

The formaldehyde option does NOTHING to the diseased goat except treat one spot. If they get abscesses in the udder, the bacteria will get in the milk.

If an abscess breaks on the outside, it gets on your property and buildings, and it takes a LONG time to die, thus infecting other goats.

[Alice In TX/MO]

Are those mini goats? crossed with Nigerian Dwarf? Not trying to be rude, but they sure are short legged.

Here's my Alpine buck:

[LoneStrChic23]

Does the Alpine buck have blue eyes or is that just my screen?

[RedSonja]

Your buck is cute, but with those blue eyes and his small size I suspect he has some Nigerian Dwarf in his ancestry somewhere. Not that that would matter to me, more like it would make him more appealing.

I do think your Nubian cross doe is copper deficient as well, I think the hair on her tail is gone all the way to the top so the only "fish fin" part left is on the bottom. She has the "raccoon eye" look with hair missing around her eyes, too. And I suspect that once she's gotten some copper those light roan patches on her body will turn red or brown.

I would suggest you have your vet send off blood to test them for CAE as well, since he's/she's already coming out for the red doe. There is also a blood test for does to tell if they are bred as long as they are at least 30 days along.

Welcome to the forums and to goat ownership. Keep asking questions, most people here are happy to help.

-Sonja

[shdybrady]

man it sounds like I got a bunch of messed up goats lol. No worries though, I have suspected the alpine was mixed. He is rather short and does have some really blue eyes.
If the goat does have cl, is it best to just kill her? Can you eat the meat?

[RedSonja]

CL means culling/killing yes, and definitely inedible meat. I would not even bury her or send her to the landfill if she has it, the carcass should be incinerated. I would segregate her from your other goats until you know for sure, because if the abscess bursts the pus can infect the other goats too. I've read anything from several months to ten years for the disease to leave the soil so you couldn't have goats wherever the pus landed. You really don't want to take any chances.

Be sure your vet tests the pus and not blood, as the blood tests have to be done in a series over time to see if the titer goes up, and in that time the abscess could rupture on you.

-Sonja

[shdybrady]

....well I just informed my wife (this is her goat) of this conversation and what to expect. Just judging by the location it seems likely it might be cl. Is there any other abscess that can form there? the only thing that has be hopeful is that most of the diagrams and pictures I saw showed the abscess should appear closer to the leg. Hers is pretty much on her stomach. Not sure if that is much to go off but we will see

[RedSonja]

Having had a doe get an abscess that burst too fast to pull pus from, and going through blood tests and re-tests and keeping basically 3 separate herds for five weeks this past summer just in case (thankfully it wasn't CL), I can tell you there are other things that can cause an abscess besides CL. She could have gotten poked with a horn by another goat and gotten a blood blister. She could have a thorn or bramble under the skin. It could be staph. I'm sure it could be lots of other things too. I hope for y'all's sake it is not CL. But it's good to be prepared for the possibility that it is.

-Sonja

[shdybrady]

Well at least there is a ray of hope. We are tring to do a rush exam at the vet today.

[shdybrady]

well we went to the vet today and he confirmed that it was cl. Well he didnt run the test but he popped the abscess and it came out the yellow, toothpaste textured puss. He said I could cost you money and do the test or I could just give you my honest opinion. He said he would bet it was just by the looks of everything. But he told me to hold off on killing her to see if it comes back. He asked if I have a place to seperate the goats. And I do have a small 1/3 acre pattock that I can put her in. We never use it so she can stay there. I know this isnt the decision alot of you would have made but to be honest, I believe this is a fine alternative. The other goats wont come into contact with her.....ever. Also if she gets another abscess we will go through the same process we did this time. Once she does pass then we will just burn her and the pasture.

[Alice In TX/MO]

Put her down now. If she's had one, there very likely will be other abscesses internally. You do NOT want her shedding those bacteria on your place.

[LoneStrChic23]

What life are you offering her being penned alone with no contact with her herd mates? Thats an awful life for a herd animal.

She'll contaminate your ground, plus CL is zoonic & can spread to other species.

Unless your willing to get her a buddy to contaminate & your willing to maintain 2 separate herds, the kindest option is to put her down.

I'm sorry, it sucks, but maintaining a diseased animal is a pain, and you'll always have to be vigilant on biosecurity.......Never wearing shoes on your property you wore in the pen, washing hands & using separate supplies for your two herds.......The work will get old quickly.

Did all of these goats come from the same place?