This guide will enable the goat industry farmers and stakeholders to verify aspects of the health of an animal according to the observed symptoms and identify the clinical signs. It aims to develop a diagnostic approach to intervene appropriately. This book will also allow farmers and stakeholders to use a common vocabulary in their discussions.
Symptoms and diagnosis
Diseases of Goats
The demand for goat products is growing and goat production is strongly growing. The number of specialized resources, however, did not follow this trend.
Diseases of Goats Symptoms and diagnosis
This guide was created with the support of the Ministère de l’Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l’Alimentation du Québec, through its Programme d’appui financier aux regroupements et associations de producteurs désignés (PAFRAPD), part C, as part of the “development of a decision tree intended for producers for the diagnosis of goat diseases” project (project 13-C-212).
Applicant Société des éleveurs de chèvres laitières de race du Québec (SECLRQ) Co-applicants Centre de recherche en sciences animales de Deschambault (CRSAD) Regroupement des éleveurs de chèvres de boucherie du Québec (RECBQ)
This project ended in January 2015
Authors Dr. Vincent Doré, veterinarian, Faculty of veterinary medicine, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe Dr. Line Simoneau, veterinarian, Clinique vétérinaire Centre-du-Québec, NotreDame-du-Bon-Conseil Collaborators Gérald Bérubé, agricultural producer, Mascouche, Regroupement des éleveurs de chèvres de boucherie du Québec Fabiola Clair, agricultural producer, Saint-Liboire, Société des éleveurs de chèvres laitières de race du Québec Véronique Labonté, agronomist, director of the Société des éleveurs de chèvres laitières de race du Québec Hassina Yacini, agronomist, executive secretary at the Centre de recherche en sciences animales de Deschambault Editing Dr. Sébastien Buczinski, veterinarian, Faculty of veterinary medicine, Université de Montréal Dr. Martin Dion, veterinarian, Bureau vétérinaire de Frampton Dr. Anne Leboeuf, veterinarian, in charge of the “Petits ruminants” network, Direction de la santé et du bien-être des animaux, Ministère de l’agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l’Alimentation Graphic design of cover page Sylvain Buisson We wish to thank all the farms that contributed to this project by taking part in the validation and revision phase for this tool.
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Table of contents How to use this tool ......................................................................... 1 Index of signs and symptoms............................................................ 3 Nutritional and metabolic disorders ................................................. 7 Decision tree for the adult goat ..................................................................... 8 Decision tree for the kid ............................................................................... 10 Ruminal acidosis ........................................................................................... 12 Anemia ......................................................................................................... 12 Lactation ketosis .......................................................................................... 13 Vitamin E/Selenium deficiency ..................................................................... 13 Goitre ........................................................................................................... 14 Hypocalcemia ............................................................................................... 14 Hypoglycemia/Hypothermia ........................................................................ 15 Forage poisoning .......................................................................................... 15 Grass tetany (Hypomagnisaemia) ................................................................ 16 Pregnancy toxemia....................................................................................... 16 Septicemia .................................................................................................... 17 Floppy kid syndrome .................................................................................... 17
Neurological disorders ................................................................... 19 Decision tree for the adult goat ................................................................... 20 Decision tree for the kid ............................................................................... 22 Cerebral abscess ........................................................................................... 24 CAE (caprine arthritis encephalitis) – Nervous form .................................... 24 Swayback ..................................................................................................... 25 Botulism ....................................................................................................... 25 Salt intoxication/Water deficiency ............................................................... 26 Listeriosis ...................................................................................................... 26 Meningoencephalitis .................................................................................... 27 Forage poisoning .......................................................................................... 27 Tetanus ......................................................................................................... 28 Scrapie .......................................................................................................... 28 Rabies ........................................................................................................... 29
Respiratory disorders ..................................................................... 31 Decision tree for the adult goat ................................................................... 32
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Decision tree for the kid ................................................................................ 34 Pulmonary adenomatosis ............................................................................. 36 Caprine arthritis encephalitis (CAE) – Respiratory form ............................... 36 Mycoplasma ................................................................................................. 37 Bacterial pneumonia..................................................................................... 37 Contagious caprine pleuropneumonia .......................................................... 38 Aspiration pneumonia .................................................................................. 38 Verminous pneumonia.................................................................................. 39 Enzootic nasal tumor .................................................................................... 39
Digestive disorders ......................................................................... 40 Decision tree for the adult goat .................................................................... 41 Decision tree for the kid ................................................................................ 42 Cryptosporidiosis .......................................................................................... 44 Ruminal distension (Bloating) ...................................................................... 44 Bowel edema ................................................................................................ 45 Giardiasis ...................................................................................................... 45 Simple indigestion......................................................................................... 46 Intestinal obstruction – Foreign body ........................................................... 46 Intestinal obstruction – Intussusception ....................................................... 47 Intestinal obstruction – Torsion of the cecum or of the root of the mesentery ............................................................................................................................. 47 Parasites - Gastro-intestinal nematodes ...................................................... 48 Paratuberculosis (Johne’s disease) ............................................................... 49 Salmonellosis ................................................................................................ 50
Mammary-system disorders ............................................................ 51 Decision tree for the doe and female kid ...................................................... 52 Caprine arthritis encephalitis (CAE) – Mammary form ................................. 54 Intramammary hemorrhage ......................................................................... 54 Clinical mastitis (stage 1) .............................................................................. 55 Acute mastitis (stage 2, stage 3) .................................................................. 55 Gangrenous mastitis (bluebag) (stage 3) ..................................................... 56 Chronic mastitis ............................................................................................ 56 Sub-clinical mastitis ...................................................................................... 57 Teat obstruction or stenosis ......................................................................... 57 Supernumerary teats .................................................................................... 58
Female reproductive-system disorders ............................................ 59 v
Decision tree for the doe and female kid ..................................................... 60 Chlamydophilosisabortion ............................................................................ 62 Campylobacter abortion .............................................................................. 63 Q-fever abortion ........................................................................................... 64 Listeriosis abortion ....................................................................................... 65 Salmonella abortion ..................................................................................... 66 Toxoplasmosis abortion ............................................................................... 67 Dystocia ........................................................................................................ 68 Hermaphroditism (Intersex) ......................................................................... 69 Hydrometra (Pseudopregnancy) .................................................................. 69 Acute metritis ............................................................................................... 70 Chronic metritis ............................................................................................ 70 Uterine prolapse ........................................................................................... 71 Retention of placenta ................................................................................... 72
Male reproductive-system disorders .............................................. 73 Decision tree for the billy goat and male kid................................................ 74 Balanoposthitis............................................................................................. 75 Cryptorchidism ............................................................................................. 75 Freemartin .................................................................................................... 76 Sperm granuloma ......................................................................................... 76 Hermaphroditism (Intersex) ......................................................................... 77 Hernia inguinal or scrotal ............................................................................. 77 Orchitis/Epidydimitis .................................................................................... 78 Phimosis ....................................................................................................... 78 Paraphimosis ................................................................................................ 78 Urolithiasis (Urinary calculi) ......................................................................... 79
Ocular disorders............................................................................. 81 Decision tree for the adult goat and kid ....................................................... 82 Amaurosis (loss of vision without eye lesion) ............................................... 84 Vitamin A deficiency ..................................................................................... 84 Entropion ...................................................................................................... 85 Glaucoma ..................................................................................................... 85 Infectious eratoconjunctivitis (“Pink eye”) ................................................... 86 Eye tumor ..................................................................................................... 86
Locomotor-system disorders .......................................................... 87 Decision tree for the adult goat and kid ....................................................... 88
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Foot abscess.................................................................................................. 90 Bacterial arthritis .......................................................................................... 90 Caprine arthritis encephalitis (CAE) – Articular form .................................... 91 Foreign body ................................................................................................. 92 Interdigital dermatitis or foot rot ................................................................. 92 Acute founder (or acute laminitis) ................................................................ 93 Chronic founder (or chronic laminitis) .......................................................... 93 Fracture of distal phalanx ............................................................................. 94 Long bone fracture ....................................................................................... 94 Carpal hygroma ............................................................................................ 94 While line disease ......................................................................................... 95 Bacterial polyarthritis (or joint-ill) ................................................................ 95 Rupture of ligament or tendon ..................................................................... 96
Cutaneous disorders ....................................................................... 97 Decision tree for the adult goat and kid ....................................................... 98 Chemical or physical burn ........................................................................... 102 Zinc deficiency............................................................................................. 102 Staphylococcal dermatitis........................................................................... 103 Dermatophilosis .......................................................................................... 103 Contagious ecthyma (or sore-mouth disease, or orf) ................................. 104 Chorioptic Mange ....................................................................................... 105 Demodectic mange ..................................................................................... 105 Psoroptic mange ......................................................................................... 106 Sarcoptic mange ......................................................................................... 106 Caseous lymphadenitis ............................................................................... 107 Papilloma .................................................................................................... 108 Pemphigus foliaceus ................................................................................... 108 Lice .............................................................................................................. 109 Tinea ........................................................................................................... 109
Abortion: Summary table of causal agents..................................... 111 Sudden death – mortality causes ................................................... 112 At any age ................................................................................................... 112 In young animals......................................................................................... 112 In adults ...................................................................................................... 112
Zoonoses ...................................................................................... 113 vii
Diseases transmissible through feces ......................................................... 113 Diseases transmissible through milk or meat – agents secreted in milk .... 113 Diseases transmissible through contact or inhalation ............................... 113
Reportable diseases in Canada ...................................................... 114 Immediately notifiable diseases in Canada .................................... 115 Glossary........................................................................................ 116 Index of disease in alphabetical order............................................ 121 References .................................................................................... 124
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How to use this tool Disclaimer At the time this guide was drafted, the information it contained was considered representative of the goat health situation in Quebec. Certain diseases were excluded from this guide. The reader is entirely responsible for the use of this tool. Because certain information may have significantly evolved since this tool was drafted, we invite readers to verify the information’s exact nature with their veterinarian before using and applying it. Moreover, certain diagnoses may be more or less frequent from one operation to the next. As such, this guide should be used after consulting with the veterinarian in charge of the herd. If one or more disorders are observed in several subjects within the same herd, we recommend consulting the veterinarian in charge of the herd. Where to start Good observation of the animal’s clinical signs is required to select the proper decision tree. These signs will allow you to orient yourself well through the trees and quickly and easily answer their various questions. The animal’s temperature should always be taken before consulting a tree. First step: Taking the animal’s temperature The first thing to do to evaluate a goat’s health is taking its rectal temperature. A goat’s temperature is said to be normal between 38°C and 40°C. If the temperature of a goat or kid is above 40°C, there is fever. The animal’s temperature can however vary based on the temperature outdoors, for example when it’s hot out. That’s why body temperature on its own cannot lead to a diagnosis. Which tree to use? Once a visual examination is performed and the animal’s temperature has been taken, you must determine which tree can help in establishing a diagnosis. To do so, select the system (nutritional and metabolic, neurological, respiratory, digestive, mammary, reproductive, ocular, locomotor, or cutaneous) that best corresponds to the goat’s clinical signs. More than one tree may be necessary depending on the animal’s clinical signs. Answer the tree’s questions. If you believe another decision tree is required, use it as well. This will allow you to have another diagnosis in case of treatment failure or should the disease evolve.
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When a box contains several questions, one “yes” answer to any of these questions suffices to proceed to the “yes” option. To help you pick the right decision tree, you can also refer to the index of symptoms on the following pages. Several terms are also listed and defined in the glossary at the end of the guide. Finally, it’s important to remember that this guide is only intended to help establish a differential diagnosis. The final diagnosis should be validated by a veterinarian. Your veterinarian will then be able to provide informed advice adapted to your operation to establish a disease-treatment protocol or provide complementary diagnostic tests. Later on, if need be, your veterinarian can also draft and implement a disease-prevention protocol.
Legend of symbols used Consult your veterinarian Zoonosis (risk of transmission to humans) Review the list of observed symptoms Reportable disease in Canada Immediately notifiable disease in Canada
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Index of signs and symptoms Symptom/sign Listlessness Aggression Lethargy Anomaly in the eye Anomaly in the limbs Anomaly of the hoof Anomaly related to milk Anomaly of the udder Anomaly of the teat Anomaly or difficulty related to the penis Anorexia, lack of appetite
Anxiety Articulations: swollen, hot or painful Abortion Bloating, flank distension, abdominal pain
Limping Pimples, pustules Colic Coma or lethargy (comatose animal)
High somatic-cell count Convulsions Kicking at belly Nose deformity
Use this tree... Neurological disorders Neurological disorders Nutritional and metabolic disorders Ocular disorders Locomotor-system disorders Locomotor-system disorders Mammary-system disorders Mammary-system disorders Mammary-system disorders Male reproductive-system disorders Nutritional and metabolic disorders Digestive disorders Mammary-system disorders Respiratory disorders Neurological disorders Locomotor-system disorders Female reproductive-system disorders Nutritional and metabolic disorders Digestive disorders Male reproductive-system disorders Locomotor-system disorders Skin disorders Nutritional and metabolic disorders Digestive disorders Neurological disorders Digestive disorders Nutritional and metabolic disorders Mammary-system disorders Neurological disorders Male reproductive-system disorders Digestive disorders Respiratory disorders
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Difficulty or refusal to move/get up or abnormal gait
Diarrhea or abnormal manure
Difficulty drinking or swallowing Difficulty opening the jaw Difficulty breathing or rapid breathing
Decrease in milk production Abdominal pain Nasal discharge Swollen neck Low weight gain Weakness
Dizziness, staggering Foetus (still born) Glycosuria (sugar in urine) Teeth grinding
Hyperreactivity Incoordination Vulvar discharge (liquid) Death White mucous membranes (nose, mouth, vulva) Acetone odour (green apple)
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Locomotor-system disorders Male reproductive-system disorders Respiratory disorders Ocular disorders Nutritional and metabolic disorders Neurological disorders Nutritional and metabolic disorders Digestive disorders Neurological disorders Neurological disorders Respiratory disorders Neurological disorders Nutritional and metabolic disorders Nutritional and metabolic disorders Mammary-system disorders Female reproductive-system disorders Digestive disorders Respiratory disorders Nutritional and metabolic disorders Digestive disorders Digestive disorders Neurological disorders Digestive disorders Nutritional and metabolic disorders Neurological disorders Female reproductive-system disorders Digestive disorders Male reproductive-system disorders Neurological disorders Nutritional and metabolic disorders Neurological disorders Neurological disorders Female reproductive-system disorders See sudden deaths Nutritional and metabolic disorders Nutritional and metabolic disorders
Low ear Paralysis Reddish skin Dandruff (scales) Loss of appetite, refusal to suckle Weight loss, muscle atrophy Hair loss Eyesight loss Pruritus (scratching) Stiffness Looking at belly Excess salivation Scratching (pruritus) Thirst (dehydration) Spasms Temperature below normal
Temperature above normal
Tilted head Turning in circles Cough
Neurological disorders Neurological disorders Skin disorders Skin disorders Digestive disorders Nutritional and metabolic disorders Respiratory disorders Digestive disorders Skin disorders Neurological disorders Ocular disorders Skin disorders Neurological disorders Nutritional and metabolic disorders Male reproductive-system disorders Digestive disorders Neurological disorders Digestive disorders Neurological disorders Skin disorders Digestive disorders Neurological disorders Neurological disorders Nutritional and metabolic disorders Neurological disorders Digestive disorders Nutritional and metabolic disorders Neurological disorders Mammary-system disorders Digestive disorders Respiratory disorders Female reproductive-system disorders Male reproductive-system disorders Neurological disorders Neurological disorders Respiratory disorders
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Muscle trembling Warts Red eyes
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Neurological disorders Nutritional and metabolic disorders Skin disorders Respiratory disorders Ocular disorders
Nutritional and metabolic disorders
Nutritional and metabolic disorders
Decision tree for the adult goat
Did the goat recently give birth?
YES Does the goat show signs of weakness? Is there: - Decrease in milk production? - Presence of diarrhea? - Presence of colic?
NO
YES
NO
YES
Can it get up?
Acidosis
YES with difficulty
YES
NO
Does the goat seem limp?
Are there nerverelated signs?
YES YES
See the section on neurological disorders
YES
Lactation ketosis
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NO
NO
Does the goat smell like acetone? (like a green apple)
NO
Hypocalcemia
Do the mouth or vaginal mucous membranes seem pale? YES
Anemia (Hemorrhage)
NO
Hypocalcemia
Is the goat pregnant?
NO
NO
YES
Is the pregnancy near its end?
NO
Is the goat lactating?
YES Does the goat smell like acetone? (like a green apple)
NO
YES
Does the goat show signs of weakness? NO
YES
NO
YES Lactation ketosis
Does the goat seem stiff?
Does the goat: - Show neurological signs? - Smell like acetone? (green apple)
Does the goat: - Show neurological signs? - Smell like acetone? (green apple) NO
NO YES
YES
NO
Grass tetany
Do the mouth or vaginal mucous membranes seem pale?
Is there: - Decrease in milk production? - Presence of diarrhea? - Presence of colic? - Anorexia? - Bloating?
NO
YES Anemia Hemorrhage
YES
NO
9 Hypocalcemia
Pregnancy toxemia
Acidosis
