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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Question of Testing

 After doing a little more research and allowing myself a few days to digest the situation and do some additional research on testing, one thing that was still nagging at me. 

 

Did I OVERREACT and put Natasha and Chloe down prematurely?

 

Johne's disease can be tricky to find and get a definite diagnosis. When I learned about the positive test result I acted to defend my herd. I didn’t want a questionably sick goat pooping all over my property and getting the rest of my herd sick. Should I have taken a fecal to confirm the diagnosis? Yeah, probably. The thought did cross my mind when we went to put her down. I was also advised that a necropsy would have been best to get a 100% diagnosis, but again, I was trying to act in the best interest of the rest of my animals.

 

 One thing that I really wanted to know was, to what degree was Natasha infected?

The lab that tested her blood didn’t give out numbers to give me an idea. That didn’t sit well with me, so I decided to request to have her serum shipped to a lab that would give me those numbers. I shipped it to the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory and with in a week I had the sample retested. The results gave me a number 40.79, and on the sheet someone had written “Very High”. I was pretty sure that wasn't good, but I decided to give Mike a copy of the test results and have him take a look. He pretty much confirmed what I was suspecting.
 

"The test result from WVDL is exceptionally high and in my experience this means it is virtually certain that this goat had Johne’s disease. As I explained, a 100% guarantee of the diagnosis is only possible with a fecal or tissue sample from the goat.”

 

Mike

 

In conclusion, yes, there were things I could have handled better when it came to testing. I can't say 100% that she was infected, but with the information I was able to obtain I feel she was.  I am confident that by putting both Chloe and Natasha down I was doing what was best for them. Given Natasha’s high numbers, I would guess that it would not have been long before she began showing symptoms and probably suffering. If I hadn’t tested her, I would have had her bred and she would have probably spread the disease to her kids and the kids of my other goats.

 

Chloe was more than likely infected and may have lived a few more years, but it would have been only a matter of time before she started spreading the disease as well. This information will also prompt me to take measures that assume she was infected, I figure better safe that sorry.