The Kindness Of Others

 

 

I wanted to add a quick word about the kindness of others.

 

Yes, I will be totally honest, this blog started with a little dose of anger. I wanted to let people know about the potential danger of this disease and I was not really happy with the situation that I was handed. ..

 

 

Anyway, many asked, so ...where  did Maddie go?

 

 

Well, first, a little bit about Maddie. 

Her plane from Oregon got delayed the first day we had arranged,  so as ill timing goes, I had to pick her up at 11 PM after my grandmother's wake. The pick up was about as "bump free" as middle of the night pick ups can go at the airport. I had to sit and wait while airport employees radioed the cargo area meanwhile Nick had to do circles around the terminal since parking isn't allowed. The airline she was on had no personnel present and it was actually a very helpful man from a different airline that that offered his assistance. After some  waiting Maddie was finally hauled down the hall of baggage claims announcing her presence and dismay with as loud a "MAAAAAHHHHAAAAAA!!!"  as any small little goat cold muster. Nick and I got her home and as exhausted as we were forgot to even latch the gate on Maddie's pen that night. We were lucky the little goat from Oregon decided to stay put that night and we found her that morning happily  munching on "Wisconsin hay" with contentment.

 

..It was a few days after Maddie's pick up that I would learn of Natasha's status. Luckily the little girl was so shy I decided to keep her separate from the adults for a while..( I mentioned this in one of the posts prior)

 

What I wanted to report was, when I took Natasha and Chloe to the vet that day I noticed that there was a man watching while we had out "appointment". During the appointment, the goats were taken out of the crate on at a time, haltered, and then while they sat in the bed of Nick's truck, the vet gave them the injection. It seemed odd to me that there was a guy watching us as we did this. I think he was trying his best to due his duties in the vet clinic's garage but at the same time was very much glued to our dismal situation ..

 

A few days later as I was discussing the situation with my mom she asked, "So what could I do to help you?".. Well, aside from a good prayer, .. I told her, "You could find someone to take Maddie until she is a tad older..just to make sure she doesn't get infected." 

I didn't expect her to find someone.

 

But, as luck would have it she did.

 

 Mom had a friend from church that has a few goats as pets. They were pygmies and about 12-14yrs old. None of them had current testing, but, as a 12-14 yr old pygmy they were in very good health and it was unlikely they would endanger Maddie, or be a danger to them.

 

 Oddly enough, the man that took in Maddie for those few months was actually the man who was watching us put Chloe and Natasha down. (I am keeping his name off the record because he would prefer that) .  He was an employee of the vets office and was sad from watching the whole ordeal with Natasha and Chloe and he was more than willing to help us out.

 

I am sure most goat owners are aware of how the drought affected agriculture this year. Even taking on a small little goat could be an expensive gesture. Well,  I want everyone to know that he didn't ask or accept a shred of payment. I am sure I will find a way to repay him at some point in the future but I want this to be a note to everyone that, yes, the bad in people can come out in goats...but on the converse, there is a serious amount of good too!!!!

 

Looking back, this was not a good situation that I wanted to find myself in, but I can tell everyone that  I think I am better off from it because of people like I mentioned above! It was a good lesson and I hope that this experience will help me, Nick, and my goats for the better in the long run.

 

 

 



Transmission

Q&A

What age is the animal at the highest risk of becoming infected?

 

Animals are most susceptible from birth to when they are weaned. It is possible for an adult animal to become infected with Johne’s disease, but in a farm setting it’s not likely, old animals or animals that have a suppressed immune system can also be at risk.

 

“I had been told that once an animal reaches 2 years old it is can’t become infected, is that true?”

 

A 2 year old goat is less likely to become infected. At 2 yrs old goats are usually strong and healthy and usually have good resisitance to the organism. Again, it should be noted that its possible to infect a healthy goat if given high doses of the organism. This scenario is not likely to occur in a farm setting.

 

How long does it take for an infected animal to start having positive test results?

Newly infected animals won’t test positive until at least a year after they have become infected. This can vary depending on the health of the animal.

When is that animal likely to start shedding the disease?

Animals are likely to start shedding the disease when they start testing positive. This can be periodic and they will start to shed the organism more frequently and in larger quantities as the disease progresses.  The Fecal PCR test can produce positive results before the animal starts shedding with regularity. ( by regularity I mean shedding to a degree that puts other animals at risk)

When would that animal develop symptoms?

A goat can start showing clinical signs of Johne’s disease at anytime in its life. Animals will start testing positive before they have symptoms. There are certain events in an animal’s life (stress, kidding, injuries) that can advance the infection in the animal.
REMEMBER:  by doing regular tests you can catch the infection before the animal starts showing clinical signs.

 

Can Johne’s disease be spread via semen? No.

Can you catch Johne’s at a goat show? No.

 

Example Scenerio:

 

A doe is bred annually and tested each year before she kids. She has negative results but at age 6 she tests positive for Johne’s disease.
What kids are at risk?

The most concern would be for the kids that she had at age 5 and if she kidded at age 6. If she was tested annually kids that were born before the age of 5 are not likely to have contracted the disease in utero.

If kids from years 1-4 were pulled from the dam and bottle fed pasteurized milk, it would be unlikley for them to be infected.

 **remember, in this case I am assuming that all the other adults in the herd have also tested negative annually.

 

This scenario illustrates why it is important to test annually. It’s best to set up a plan with your veterinarian to determine when /if you reach a point where annual testing is not necessary.

 

 

 

 

With regards to Fall Creek MAV Natasha ..

I received many inquires about Natasha when the blog was posted. This information sums up those communications.

Did I buy Natasha directly from her farm of origin? Yes.

Did I contact the breeder about Natasha’s status? Yes.

How old was Natasha when she was sold to me?  Natasha was a little over 2 yrs old when I bought her.

How long was Natasha living at my farm? 5 months. We decided to complete our annual testing in the fall and she tested positive.

Had Natasha ever been tested for Johne’s prior to when I tested her?  No. She was never tested.

Milk Questions

 

Is store bought milk safe to feed to kids?

 Yes it is.

 

Is it possible to use pasteurized colonstrum for new kids?

 

Yes. If you are going to use colostrum from your goats, it would be ideal to feed them colostrum that was pasteurized. BUT pasteurization of colostrums can be very tricky. I know many people commented that it tends to turn into “pudding”. It is possible to pasteurize colostrum but it requires lower temperatures and heating it for a longer length of time.

If you don’t want to take the chance you have a few options:

 

Use colostrum that is from a Johne’s free doe.
(check what I have to say about transmission when considering what a Johne's free doe is)

 

Consider using artificial colostrum.

How long can Johne’s stay in my pasture?

It varies greatly on the situation.

Factors that can affect the prevalence of the organism include the amount of sunlight, thawing, freezing, and moisture. A large amount of organisms die in the environment after a few months. But it's also true that some of the organisms shed can live for up to a year in the soil.  This is why it’s advised that kids are kept off pasture with possible contamination for a year after a case is found in your herd.

The organism can still be present after a year, but it’s not present in levels that would lead to infection. (Assuming all infected animals have been removed and the herd is clear) When considering your risk for Johne’s you are more likely to buy another animal that is positive and have that animal spread it in your herd then you are to have your existing animals infected by their environment.

Quick Note about Ponds:  It has been noted that the organism can live longer in ponds or areas where water collects in the pasture. It is recommended that you keep kids away from ponds and from drinking water that could be contaminated by run off.

 

 

Sending Samples for Testing

This following information is based off of submitting samples to the Johnes Testing Center

Johne's Testing Center
School of Veterinary Medicine
2015 Linden Drive, RM# 4230
Madison, WI 53706-1102
(608) 263-69202

 

Does a vet have to submit the samples?

No, test samples can be submitted by the individual owner or your veterinarian.

The attached form is useful for sample submission but not required.

http://www.johnes.org/testserv/forms/submission2012.PDF

 

What methods are used by the Johne’s testing center?

-  Blood and milk  (ELISA)

-  Fecal Culture- pooled or from a single animal

-  Cultures – environmental and from tissue

-  Direct PCR (fecal)

 

How much blood do I need to collect?

-1-2 ml any sized tube.

 

What size sample is needed for the Fecal PCR test?

You only need about a tablespoon size sample to complete the Fecal PCR. Fecal samples can be sent in zip lock baggies or in sealed containers.  Make sure they are sealed well in order to prevent any contamination.

  
Do I need to ship the samples with an ice pack?

 

It would be helpful to have an icepack for blood samples. If blood samples have to sit overnight before being shipped out, it’s best to store them in the refrigerator. 

If the weather is warmer when you are shipping, consider using an ice pack for fecal samples as well.  Keeping the fecal samples cool will prevent fungal growth.  Fungi can destroy the integrity of the sample.

 

Helpful tips for submitting samples:

 

-         Clear handwriting!  If you are using the form or if you are labeling samples, clear handwriting is a must!

-         Itemized list: It is helpful for the lab to have an itemized list of all your submissions as well as clearly labeled samples. This allows lab personnel to take an inventory and make sure all submissions have been received and are intact.

 

 

 

A little bit about me..

After a very busy year of remodeling, a final year in college, and a wedding, my husband and I moved in to a small “farm” in Wisconsin. We both have a natural tendency to pursue our interests and these eventually led to goats. It started with two, we got hooked and ended up with a few more. We started dabbling in breeding, milking, cheese making and soap making.

 

After about 3 years we decided to start getting a little more serious with our herd and decided to start working toward our goal : to have a milking herd of Nigerian dwarf goats. I started doing all the research I could and began to buy a few more goats, hoping to get a good spread of genetics so we could focus on breeding them, and then closing our herd.  




Goats Spring of 2012

It was all going well until we decided to have our vet come out to do what we had hoped to be annual testing. …

The vet called.. and

…..Wait, What? She’s Positive for Johne's?...

 

I want to create this blog to share my story.

So what’s my project?

Well, the first goal of “my project” is to try and prevent a similar situation from happening to someone else. However, if someone reading this blog finds themselves in a situation similar, I hope they can  at least learn from my mistakes and my successes. I am also more than happy to share the valuable resources I found while researching this disease.
 

One day I hope to look back on this and hope that the measures that I discuss in the blog are enough to prevent any further cases in my herd. I want to use this blog to be able to give general updates, test result updates, and perhaps share some fun stories about the goats too. I don't believe in hiding any information. I hope that by being 100% truthful about whats going on with my herd that I can gain trust and help people to understand this disease.

 

THE HERD

 

 

 

 

Babel Brook Acres BW Sunshine

DOB: 04/07/2011

1.5yrs

Date Added to herd: 04/07/2011

STATUS: NEGATIVE

tested 09/28/12

 



Oak Hollow Acres Phoenix-feier

DOB 04/19/10

2.5yrs old

Date Added to Herd: 09/15/2010

STATUS: NEGATVE

tested 09/28/12

 

Shere Country OB Hazel

DOB: 03/09/10

2.5 yrs old

Date Added to Herd: 11/17/11
STATUS : NEGATIVE
tested 09/28/12

 

 

Fall Creek MAV Natasha

DOB: 04/14/2010

2.5 yrs old

Date Added to Herd: 04/29/2012

STATUS: POSITIVE

Tested: 09/28/12

DECEASED

 

 

Desert Nanny BR HOO DOO Ya Love

DOB: 03/13/12

6 months old

Date added to the Herd: 08/17/12

STATUS: not tested.

 

Pholia Farms RD Matilda

DOB: 04/21/12

5 months old

Date added to Herd: 09/20/12

STATUS: Not tested

 

Breezy Farms Chloe

DOB: 03/09/2012

7months old

Date added to Herd: 03/09/12



STATUS: not tested



DECEASED

 

 

 

 

 

 

So Now What? 

 

I have to admit, I was a little shocked when I had heard the results. I thought I had done my homework, examined the websites, read the books. None of my goats looked sick or ever presented with any health concerns.

 

I stayed on the phone with the vet discussing options, test results, and recommendations for the rest of my animals. We decided the best thing to do would be to put Natasha down. The vet had asked if Natasha had given birth to any goats on my farm and if those offspring existed. I told him no, I had bought Natasha after her 2^ndkidding and had expected to breed her fall 2012. Then my heart sank when I thought of Chloe. When I bought Natasha I had made arrangements to remove Chloe’s mom from the herd and replace her with Natasha. I had hoped that this would help wean Chloe. I have never had a doe that allowed a kid that wasn't hers to nurse off of her so I thought this would not be a problem. To my suprise, when I made the goat switch Natasha became Chloe’s foster mom. I guess poor Chloe was so lost when her mom left and Natasha was still in “parent mode” after having just kidded, that the two became a pair. It was not uncommon to find Chloe sneaking milk off Natasha throughout the summer.

 

It became apparent to me that in order to stop the organism from spreading around my farm any further, I had to put Chloe down as well. That night my husband and I drove to the vet clinic to have both of them euthanized.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Research

 

As you would guess, I had a lot of questions after we had buried Chloe and Natasha. My biggest concern was how this would affect my other goats. I had heard about this disease before, and the information everyone gave me was a bit discouraging.

 I started to go consider the following options:

 

I had a small herd, I could start over.  Or maybe give up on goats all together.

 

I could pretend this never happened, sweep it under the rug,  and just hope it wouldn’t show up again.

 

I could do my research and try to manage it.

 

 

I decided to start with some research and see if I could manage it. I started reviewing web pages and reading information on the web. I was a little overwhelmed so I decided it would best to reach out to someone. I found a number on the Johne's information center website.

 http:www.johnes.org/

 

 

I was able to get in touch with a man by the name of Michael Collins DVM, PhD, DACVM.
Mike just so happens to be an expert when it comes to this disease and was willing to talk to me! I probably grilled poor Mike with any and every  possible question a concerned, panicked, owner could possibly grill him with. He sent me a very helpful booklet that could probably sum up my initial conversation. 

http://www.johnesdisease.org/Educational%20Material/Educational%20Materials/Goat%20Q&A.html 

 

PLEASE NOTE: Anyone who owns goats should take a peek at this information- it's a quick read and its full of valuable information!

Here is a link for Mike:
http://www.paratuberculosis.org/members/collins.htm

 

So What Is Johne’s  Disease?

 

Johne’s disease is a contagious disease that affects the gastrointestinal track of ruminant animals. ( cows, sheep, deer, goats..).  It’s caused by a bacterium  known as paratuberculosis (MAP). It’s been found in many animals and is relatively common in dairy cows.  In goats it can cause chronic diarrhea and gradual wasting of the animal that is infected.  I think it can be tricky with goats because there are so many other things that can cause the same symptoms.

 

How is Johne’s disease spread?

The most common time an animal becomes infected with Johne’s disease is when it’s a young. An infected dam can spread the disease to her kids via milk, ingestion of infected feces, or in  utero.  An infected animal can also spread the disease by shedding the bacteria via fecal matter. Kids that were not infected by their dam can also become infected by being housed with an infected animal. The degree at which an animal spreads the bacterium depends on how far the disease has progressed in the host animal.

 

How do you test for Johne’s disease?

Testing for Johne’s disease can be tricky.  The three common methods for testing are from blood, fecal tests, and necropsy. It’s best to consult a veterinarian on what type of testing would be the most beneficial for your herd.  Each test has its pros and cons and developing a strategy or action plan for your herd is the best way to detect the disease early and control it.

 

As for a quick briefing on testing, this is the graph I made from the information on the site.

It's my attempt to bring everything in perspective..

 

 

	What The Test Measures	What is tested?	Test Pros	Test Cons
Culture	Tests for the organism. The sample is used to grow a colony of the organism.	The animal’s environment; soil, pasture, water, and manure can be sampled	Can be used to detect presence of organism in large herds vs testing each animal individually.	The test results can take several weeks.
Direct PCR	Tests for the presence of the organisms genetic material	Manure	Can detect infection earlier than a blood test Results with in a week   Manure may be easier for an individual to collect vs. blood	The test is more costly than the blood tests
ELISA	Targets Anti-MAP antibody which is then compared to positive and negative control values	Blood   Milk	Less expensive Results with in a few days Gives numeric value which can be helpful for the owner to determine if animal is shedding	May not detect the infection as early as PCR test
AGID	Targets antibody	Blood	Useful to diagnose animals that are ill	Either Positive or Negative results, does not assign numeric value.