Small Ruminant Herd Health

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Small Ruminant Herd Health

• Nicole Ferguson, DVM, MS

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Goat Health

• Diarrhea
• Gastrointestinal nematodes
• Coccidiosis
• Clostridium
• Salmonella
• Johnes disease
• Respiratory
• OPP
• Pasteurella
• Neurologic
• CAE
• Meningeal worm
• Pregnancy toxemia
• Tetanus
• Polioencephalomalacia
• Listeriosis

• Urinary stones
• Caseous lymphadenitis
• Foot rot
• Mastitis

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Gastrointestinal Nematodes

• Gastrointestinal nematodes
• Trichostrongylus, Haemonchus
• Common cause of diarrhea in all ages
• May cause anemia (low red blood cell count) and
  low protein with severe infestation
• Most common cause of poor production
• Low weight gain, thin, decreased milk production
• Parasites develop resistance to the commonly used
  dewormers
• May be difficult to effectively treat

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Gastrointestinal Nematodes

• Gastrointestinal nematodes
• Need to do sequential fecal egg counts to
  determine resistance
• Prior to deworming
• 10-14 days after deworming
• Need 95 reduction in egg counts
• Do not rotate dewormers
• Use a new dewormer when resistance develops
• Cull animals with recurrent parasite problems

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Gastrointestinal Nematodes

• Bottle jaw reflecting protein loss due to
  blood loss
• Pale mucous membranes reflecting anemia due
  to blood loss

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Coccidiosis

• Coccidiosis
• Most common cause of diarrhea between 3 weeks and
  5 months of age
• Adults are not clinically affected if their
  immune system is normal
• Caused by protozoal parasites (Eimeria)
• Poor growth, weight loss, diarrhea
• Very common in confinement operations

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Coccidiosis

• Coccidiosis
• Diagnose with direct fecal smear or flotation
• Treat with supportive care
• Anti-coccidial drugs
• Management changes
• Sound management
• Improve hygiene practices
• Use of coccidiostats
• Reduce stress

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Bacterial Diarrhea

• Bacterial causes
• Salmonella
• Cause of watery diarrhea in all ages
• Treat with supportive care
• Animals may carry the bacteria without being sick
• Clostridium (enterotoxemia)
• Common, frequently fatal disease
• Clostridium perfringens type D most common
• Associated with sudden feed changes, lush
  pasture, high carbohydrate diet
• Difficult to treat
• Prevent with vaccination

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Johnes Disease

• Johnes disease
• Also known as paratuberculosis
• Caused by bacterium Mycobacterium avium
  subspecies paratuberculosis
• Most common in mature animals
• Progressive weight loss more common than diarrhea
• Usually good appetite despite weight loss
• Diarrhea may be seen in advanced cases
• No treatment

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Johnes Disease

• Can be spread to other ruminants and
  pseudoruminants
• Diagnosis
• Fecal culture
• Lengthy weeks months
• A negative result does not rule out the disease
• Serology
• ELISA
• AGID
• Necropsy
• Thickening of the ileum (part of the small
  intestine)
• Enlarged lymph nodes in the abdomen
• Corrugated (thickened) intestinal lining

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Bacterial Pneumonia

• Pasteurella
• Common cause of pneumonia
• Stress induced
• Poor ventilation, crowding, parasitism,
  malnutrition, transport
• Fever, nasal discharge, lethargic, off feed,
  increased respiratory rate and effort, cough
• Antibiotics
• Penicillin, ampicillin, tetracycline, tylosin
• Improve management

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Ovine Progressive Pneumonia (OPP)

• Chronic progressive or atypical pneumonia
• Lentivirus
• Closely related to CAE
• Lethargy, progressive emaciation, increased
  respiratory effort despite good appetite and
  normal temperature
• Signs last from 3-6 months and may persist for
  years
• Diagnosis by ELISA, AGID, PCR
• No treatment
• Prevention test and cull

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Viral and Mycoplasmal Pneumonias

• Parainfluenza type 3
• Respiratory syncytial virus
• Herpesviruses
• Mycoplasma ovipneumonia
• Primary organism responsible for theses enzootic,
  chronic nonprogressive or atypical pneumonias
• All of the above share similar clinical signs
  fever, increased respiratory rate and effort,
  coughing, nasal discharge
• Treatment
• Supportive care
• Mycoplasma oxytetracycline, tilmicosin,
  florfenicol

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Neurologic

• Viruses
• CAE
• Parasites
• Meningeal worm
• Bacteria
• Tetanus
• Listeriosis
• Metabolic
• Pregnancy toxemia
• Polioencephalomalacia

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CAE

• Caprine arthritis encephalitis virus
• Several forms
• Arthritis (most common form)
• Pneumonia
• Neurologic
• Mastitis
• Weight loss

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CAE

• Arthritis
• Adults ( 1 year of age)
• Most common in the knees
• One or many joints
• Painful and debilitating
• Pneumonia
• Adults
• Chronic, progressive pneumonia

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CAE

• Neurologic
• Young goats 2-6 months of age most common
• Most are dairy breeds
• Progressive paralysis of the limbs
• May also include head tilt, blindness, head
  tremor, circling, inability to swallow, and other
  signs
• Mastitis
• Most commonly young does after kidding
• Low to no milk production
• Hard udder

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CAE

• No treatment
• Method of transmission
• Consumption of virus-infected colostrum and milk
• Direct transmission from goat to goat
• Diagnosis
• Positive antibody response with serum tests
  (AGID, ELISA)
• No vaccine is available

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Meningeal Worm

• Parelaphostrongylus tenuis
• Common parasite in white-tailed deer
• Does not cause disease in deer
• Small ruminants accidentally eat slugs/snails
  that carry the parasite
• The larvae move along the nervous system

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Meningeal Worm

• Signs depend on where
• the parasite migrates to
• Depression, weakness,
• paralysis, circling, head
• tilt, etc.
• Treatment
• Anti-inflammatories
• Dewormers
• Ivermectin
• Fenbendazole

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Tetanus

• Caused by bacterium Clostridium tetani
• Commonly present in feces and soil
• Infection may set in
• After injury
• Through the umbilicus
• After castration
• After docking
• After metritis (infected uterus)
• Seen weeks after injury

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Tetanus

• Stiffness, lameness
• Generalized stiffness within 24 hours
• Stimulation ? spasms
• If severe
• Laying on side
• Extended neck and legs
• Treatment
• Supportive care
• Penicillin at high doses
• Tetanus antitoxin
• Quiet, dark place

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Listeriosis

• Listeria monocytogenes
• Soil and fecal contaminant
• Proliferates in silage if the pH gt 5.0
• Invades through the gastrointestinal tract
• Predilection for the CNS
• Depression, head tilt, dropped jaw, inability to
  eat, facial and vestibular lesions

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Listeriosis

• Difficult to diagnose pre-mortem
• CSF tap
• Elevated protein
• Elevated white blood cell count
• Culture unrewarding
• Post-mortem findings
• Treatment
• Penicillin
• Oxytetracycline
• Florfenicol
• Public health concern

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Pregnancy Toxemia (Ketosis)

• Metabolic disease in pregnant does/ewes
• Insufficient intake of feed to meet the energy
  needs of the doe/ewe
• Decreased intake of feed ? depression, weakness,
  further decrease in intake of feed
• In order to meet the pregnancy needs, the doe/ewe
  will break down fat stores ? release of ketones
  (toxic by-products)

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Pregnancy Toxemia

• Ketosis ? altered behavior, blindness, circling,
  incoordination, tremors, convulsions
• Treatment
• Supportive care
• IV glucose (sugar) for energy
• Increase feed intake
• C-section
• Poor prognosis

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Polioencephalomalacia

• Most common in 2-6 month old kids/lambs fed
  high-grain diets
• Can occur at any age
• Nutritional factors
• Sudden change in diet
• Feed high in molasses
• Moldy hay
• Rumen acidosis
• Dietary stress of weaning

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Polioencephalomalacia

• Feed changes ? changes in the rumen population of
  bacteria ? predominance of bacteria that break
  down thiamine
• Thiamine is require by the brain for sugar
  metabolism
• High sulfate in diet may also cause this
• Interferes with energy production in the brain

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Polioencephalomalacia

• Signs
• Blindness
• Abnormal eye position
• Depression
• Incoordination
• Convulsions
• Star-gazing
• Coma
• Treatment
• Thiamine replacement
• Prevention
• Avoid sudden diet change

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Urinary Stones

• Common in bucks/rams and wethers
• Causes
• Dietary
• High grain
• High protein
• Low hay/grass availability
• High magnesium diet
• Low calcium to phosphorus ratio in diet
• Limited access to water
• Abnormal pH of the urine
• Age of the animal at time of castration
• Possible genetics

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Urinary Stones

• Straining to urinate
• Posturing
• Vocalizing
• Contracting the abdomen
• Dribbling urine
• Colic
• Flagging tail
• Water belly
• Ruptured bladder or urethra

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Urinary Stones

• Treatment
• Medical treatment
• Amputate the urethral process
• Ammonium chloride to dissolve stones
• Anti-inflammatory drugs
• Often requires surgery
• Prevention
• Access to fresh, clean water
• Adjust the levels of magnesium, calcium,
  phosphorus
• Add ammonium chloride to diet

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Caseous Lymphadenitis

• Caused by bacterium Corynebacterium
  pseudotuberculosis
• Abscesses in the lymph nodes, skin, internal
  organs
• Infection through skin abrasions and via the
  respiratory route

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Caseous Lymphadenitis

• Signs
• Swelling of the lymph nodes
• Draining tracts
• Chronic weight loss if internal abscessation
• Reduced production
• Diagnosis
• Serology
• Culture
• Treatment
• None
• Prevention
• Identify and cull affected animals
• Disinfect shared equipment between animals
• Vaccine

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Foot Rot

• Contagious disease caused by various bacteria
• Most commonly transmitted in spring and fall
• Severity of disease increases with age
• Usually affects both claws in more than one foot
• Significant lameness

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Foot Rot

• Treatment
• Proper hoof trimming
• Topical antibacterial treatments antibiotics
  (tetracycline), antiseptics (copper sulfate)
• Use of foot baths
• Copper sulfate
• Zinc sulfate
• Formalin
• Vaccine

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Mastitis

• Bacterial causes
• E coli (coliform mastitis)
• Staphylococcus aureus
• Pasteurella haemolytica
• Viral causes
• CAE

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Bacterial Mastitis

• Coliform mastitis
• Fever, off feed, depression, lethargy, high heart
  rate, shock
• Decreased milk production
• Heat, swelling, pain, gangrene of the affected
  gland
• Treatment
• Anti-inflammatories
• Antibiotics
• Intravenous fluids
• Prevention
• Proper hygiene

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Bacterial Mastitis

• Bluebag mastitis
• Rarely contagious
• Staphylococcus aureus
• Pasteurella haemolytica
• Secondary to teat injury and poor hygiene
• Marked decrease in milk production
• May result in gangrene of bag
• Treatment
• Antibiotics
• Anti-inflammatories
• Culling affected animals

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Herd Health Recommendations
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Biosecurity

• Quarantine new animals for minimum of 3 weeks
• Biosecurity goals
• Reduce the introduction of new diseases from an
  external source
• Reduce the spread of established infectious
  diseases
• Monitor for itchiness, lameness, external lumps,
  weight loss
• Institute regular vaccination program, deworm,
  trim the feet
• Fecal for parasite count before and after
  deworming
• Soak feet in 10 zinc sulfate foot bath for 15
  minutes
• Serology CLA, CAE, OPP
• Show animals isolate from the rest of the herd
  for a minimum of 3 weeks

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Animal Density

• Stocking density
• lt 60 lbs minimum 10 sq ft (if alone) to 7.5 sq
  ft (if kept in groups of 5 or more)
• gt 60 lbs minimum 20 sq ft (if alone) to 15 sq ft
  (if kept in groups of 5 or more)
• Meat goats 6-8 adults/1-2 acres
• Other goats/sheep 10 adults/1-2 acres
• Feeder space
• 1.5-2 feet per adult

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Vaccination Protocol

• Enterotoxemia and tetanus vaccine
• Pregnant does/ewes
• Vaccinate during last month of pregnancy
• Kids/lambs
• Vaccinate kids/lambs from vaccinated does/ewes at
  1-2 months of age and repeat in 3-4 weeks
• Vaccinate kids/lambs from unvaccinated does/ewes
  at 1-3 weeks of age and repeat in 3-4 weeks
• Bucks/rams and yearlings
• Vaccinate at the same time as pregnant does/ewes
• Booster once a year
• If no history of vaccine, give initial dose then
  boost in 3-4 weeks

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Vaccination Protocol

• Caseous lymphadenitis
• May reduce number and severity of disease
• May cause severe local or systemic reaction
• Does not prevent disease

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Parasite Control

• Treat at risk groups
• Kids/lambs, pregnant and lactating does/ewes
• Separate groups
• Age, sex, stage of pregnancy
• Separate pastures
• Rotate pastures
• Alternate with other species
• Horses, cattle
• Avoid moist areas

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Parasite Control

• Quarantine
• Manure management
• Dose animals appropriately
• Better to over-dose than under-dose
• Avoid treating too often and deworming the entire
  herd

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Deworming Drugs
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Drug Doses
ALL MEDICATIONS GIVEN BY ORAL DRENCH. DOSAGES PER
100 LBS
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Withdrawal Times n/a not available OTC over
the counter PO by mouth
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Any Questions?