Just how big of a deal is CL? The Saanan that I want has a small lump on her shoulder/ neck. And a couple of the other does in with her have dried up spots where abscesses were by the jaw line. The lady told me that just recently a couple of her goats came up with CL and she had them isolated. Remember I am a real newbie with goats. I really like her goats so I hope this isn't to big of a deal How much is it to have a goat tested for CL and if you only have 2 goats can you get rid of it? :help Thanks.
Jo, If these are your first goats, I would steer clear. If the abcess were to rupture anywhere in your barn, the CL organism could be there for a very long time. You are also going to be on a steep enough learning curve on how to manage your goats without having to spend time lancing and cleaning out the abcesses, in order to get rid of it. Which is not all the successful. Tim
Run from that goat as fast as you can. Your first priority must always be herd health. We have one mantra here "If you can't get rid of it don't mess with it, and if you can choose if you want to deal with it". You can not get rid of CL. CL is a big deal. Don't let anyone tell you differently. It not only effects the goat, but your reputation in the goat industry. We all started with a few goats you never know where this journey will take you. Jolene
Do not get this goat Jo. Wait and find something from a clean herd. If you get that CL germ in your soil or in your barn you are in trouble. Also, if you walked in her pastures and around her goats, wash your shoes. You can transmit stuff to your own place just by picking up dirt from her place and transferring it to your pasture.
You are up in NW Calif. Contact Susan at Waiilatpu and see what they have for sale. They will have some yearling milkers for sale in the early spring. They are pretty reasonable on their prices also. www.waiilatpu.com
I'm sorry Jo, but I have to agree with the others. it's best to not ever start this on your farm. and all to often folks think they can manage the disease because they get so emotionally attached to the goat to ever let her go. I know I did with a doe that was CAE positave. I can look back know and see that her being killed by a dog was really the best thing for me as I would never have let her go. after that I got a clean doeling and brought her up on cows milk so I KNOW she's clean. Kaye, this is the doe you met at the West Plains show so many years ago. (the one with the milking pale incident ~lol!)
Please don't get started in goats with CL. You will always regret that you did. There's plenty of clean animals to be purchased, just be patient and keep shopping. Same goes for CAE - start with a clean, healthy herd.
Hey another thought. You are up near Justine. See if she has a doe she would part with. On this board she is Oregonian Chick or something like that.
Pass on this deal. I'm not sure if it was you that caught seeing this, or if the seller disclosed this to you up front. I know that you've been looking at these goats for a couple weeks now with no mention of CL. I'm almost a little bit pee-ode, that someone is trying to get you started off this way. I'd pass on this sellers goat today, tommarrow, and from now on, if they were trying to do this to me.
Jo- You are absolutely doing the right thing by learning so much about dairy goats before you jump in -but Tim is so right about the learning curve. What looks easy on paper won't be. In the above posts,you are getting the benefit of years of experience on this forum and if you heed this advice you will look back in a couple years and be so glad. It's one thing to manage a disease to try and preserve genetics but please don't knowingly start out with a problem. If this is a matter of initial cost on the animals, the emotional expense later on will be far greater.
I would NEVER buy a goat with a lump or from a herd that has CL. Not only is it contageous to any goat that comes on your property for years to come, it can also be zoonotic. At our shows, we do not allow goats with abcesses, and if they have scars consistant with CL, they must also be accompanied by negative test results before we will allow them to be in our show barns. This is how serious the breeders are in my area. There are alot of healthy goats out there. I agree with the person who suggested Waailatpu. I've seen goats from their place and they maintain a healthy herd.
I have to agree that (if it were me) I would definitely not purchase this saanen (as I said in your other post already). Even a neg. CL test wouldn't be enough to change my mind with the knowledge that she has others that have it and you have seen lumps on other does in with this doe. (correct me if wrong) but I thought I have read that neg. tests aren't really significant and only mean there isn't an active abcess? Anyhow...there are good clean does out there and hopefully you can make a nice clean start with some of them.
You all have stopped me from making a big mistake and I thank you for that. Without all the words of wisdom here I may have bought this and probably another goat from this herd, thinking that I could have cleared it up. Cleaning out an abscess would not bother me but if it lives in the soil etc then I would not want it here. My 14 year old daughter was the one that saw a dried up area on a couple of the goats and thought it was just a ringworm spot healing up. When I asked the gal about the spots she told me exactly what it was, but not as much info as maybe I needed to know. Maybe she didn't know enough about it either. She was a nice gal and I don't want to say bad things about anyone. Oh well. Back to the search!! Oh where I live, its as far north and west as you can go and still be in California. I'm not really in a position to travel to far so I'm kind of keeping my search from about Medford Oregon or CoosBay Oregon area to about Eureka/Ferndale California area. The price of gas here is $3.50 a gallon. I think I'm pretty far from most of the other members on here. There is a gal with Nubian's up in Applegate named Katie Marical Box M Nubian's that has a couple for sale and they are CL and CEA negative. Anyone know her? And I think Ken on here told me about another in that area. If anyone has any other suggestions please feel free to email me.
CL is a problem you want to avoid. Not only are there external abcesses but internal ones. Every breeder must take the necessary responsibility to keep from spreading this horrid disease. It is not just an ordinary abcess it is an incurable and contagious disease. Ask the owner for proof of test for CAE and examine the doe for CL bumps and scars. Ask about the history before buying anything and good luck about getting honest answers.
You can also check the ADGA breeders directory. There are many folks raising very nice goats that rarely show and may never get on a goat forum....and they could be closer to you than you think! Camille
One of the biggest misconceptions about CL is that you can lance them, clean them out, use iodine, formaldahyde, etc. and it's all over. Just because it ripens and it is doctored and heals up, doesn't mean you're through dealing with it. This is a disease of the Lymph system and can keep coming back, externallly and internally. You sure don't want one to burst and get into your soil or on fences, feeders, etc. for the next goat to get into to. In a matter of months, you can have abscesses in multiple animals - been there, done that, many years ago. Even if you have to pay a lot more to purchase an animal, start out with clean ones.
The first goats I looked at and wanted, I didn't buy for the same reason. It was hard for me to turn them down because I'm kind of timid and worry about making people mad, or hurting their feelings, but I did it. You don't want to start out this way. You get this stuff in your soil, it stays there for years. No one will want your goats with CL in your herd. Take you time getting your first goats you'll forget all about the disappoinment and enjoy your goats for years to come.
I'm thankful that the breeder was truthful to you about it and didn't really try to cover it up or lie. the thinking of "I'll breed it out" rarely, if ever, works. you did the right thing. good luck on finding a starter herd for you! -Melissa
