How we can protect the kids Paul R' Earl Facultad de Ciencias Biolgicas Universitdad Autnomia de Nue

1
How we can protect the kids?Paul R.
EarlFacultad de Ciencias BiológicasUniversitdad
Autónomia de Nuevo LeónSan Nicolás, NL
66451pearl_at_dsi.uanl.mx
2
Over 35 years ago milkgoats were massively
imported into Mexico due to the weird notion that
they--without energy nor rain--could save the
consumer price of milk. The traditional goat,
cabrito al pastor--roasted kid--is a meat type.
Milk in Mexico is mostly imported powdered
milk--leche en polvo importada. Most goats have a
chronic toxemia and cannot make antibody to the
infectious agentCorynebacterium
pseudo-tuberculosis.
3
The toxinThe goats do not respond well to
phospholipase D, the toxin of their principal
disease caseous lymphadenitis. In many herds,
all goats have this disease. The secondary threat
to their lives in Mexico is winter-spring
starvation due to the December reduction of the
foliage of the matorral (short open woods) in
northern Mexico. Starvation in the north is
likely to occur when most of the goats are
pregnant. By March, the matorral usually recovers
new leaves, but it did not in 1984 or 1991,
causing the death of very many goats and kids.
However, every winter causes some starvation.
4
The goats with caseous lymphadenitis, sometimes
evinced by abcesses in the skin, produce
antitoxin to phospholipase D, but they do not
usually control the disease. Then their blood
contains a mixture of antitoxin and the toxin
continuously produced by the coryne-bacteria. The
bacterial cause of caseous lymphadenitis is
grampositive penicillin-sensitive Corynebacterium
pseudotuberculosis.
5
Immune toleranceThe fetuses are exposed to the
toxin, phospholipase D, and can become tolerized.
Immune tolerance of the fetus is caused by the
circulation of toxin in the mothers blood. This
can mean that the cabrito is born with immune
tolerance. The intoxicated but not infected
cabrito can become immediately infected and die.
Sometimes, tiny abcesses can be felt in the neck
of cabritos. These "bolcitos" are inflammed lymph
glands.
6
Many animals including man receive antibodies
from their mothers colostrum, thus have passive
immunity. The intoxicated cabrito does not have
passive immunity, because it receives toxin not
antitoxin from its mother. If the mother were
treated to reduce bacterial toxin production,
toxin would be eliminated and antitoxin
(antibody) would be available in the blood and in
the colostrum.
7
Wintertime starvationIn the winter disaster of
1984 in Los Herreras, Nuevo León, Mexico, one man
lost 250/350 adult goats. His neighbor did not
lose any goats, because he had saved 2 tons of
corn for his herd of 150 goats. The losses were
due to prolonged starvation.In the spring of
1995 in Neuva República, NL, one cooperative lost
350/350 cabritos. This loss was due to caseous
lymphadenitis.
8
Poisonous plantsIn the spring of 2002, some
goats died of toxicosis in Mina, NL. This was due
to a combination of circumstances that is common
to subsistence goat-raising 1) starvation,
2) the toxin of caseous
lymphadenitis, and 3)
intoxications by eating coyotillo, the poisonous
plant Karwinskia humboldtiana. Opacities in the
corneas of the eyes are caused by flechitas of
nopal segador, Opuntia microdassys. Goats eat
poisonous plants only when they are starving.
9
PredatorsEnemies include coyotes, puma, jaguar,
bear and others at night. Most dogs are afraid of
these creatures. They will bark, yet not go near
very often. Still, coyotes will not engage a
brave dog. You can protect yourself with a
flashlight, but in the day you must stand because
if you run, they then know you are prey. Horned
bucks will charge any predator or perhaps another
male when the breeding season is on. They have
twice the weight of a coyote. If they can toss it
into the air, with a charge they can break some
bones at landing. Incidentally, rattlesnakes
don't seem to bother goats.
10
More hazards for goatsThe toxins of both
coyotillo and corynebacteria attack the covering
(myelin) of the nerves. Paralysis tends to be
ascending first seen in the hind legs. When
progressively and finally the nerves of the
diaphragm are damaged, the goat will die. In
1993, 53 reclined goats from Espinaso, NL were
brought to Monterrey and set down on grass that
they could reach and given water by syringe as
they would not drink. All of these cases of
coyotillo toxicosis died in 2-4 weeks. All cases
were diagnosed by myelin damage seen in
microscope slides.
11
What about management ?What do we really have?
We have folklore in a cost/benefit analysis. Up
to 1994, the free trade starting year, goat milk
was subsidized. Our job is to change the
management. Our job is to change the subsistence
attitude to a more productive one. Even though
the goal is santitation and disease control,
possibly with the quarentine of caseous
lymphadenitis after a cleanup, the goats could
remain profit free !
12
What is the solution to the continuing
catastrophic loss of adults and cabritos? It is
emergency supplementation. Every winter is a
disaster.The key is penicillin G.Begin with
some corn, sorghum, etc. for the adult goats in
December January, assuming also that they are
browsing in the matorral however reduced it is.
This can mean raising a special crop for the
goats. And this is antieconomic. Mexican crops in
a certain tradition are for DIRECT HUMAN
CONSUMPTION.
13
Reduce the mortalityAdult goats, pregnant or
with kids, should be given milk replacer with
penicillin G at least once a week. However, a
successful antibiotic-containing milk replacer
may not be available in the market and may have
to be specially mixed. The goats can get the
penicillin G that they need in a salt mixture of
salt, bonemeal with or without dry milk replacer.
A more conventional option is adding the
antibiotic carrier (the milk replacer) or the
antibiotic to the mixture phosphoric acid urea
molasses, commercially available and sometimes
known as Morea.
14
All cabritos from birth to market at 30-60 days
of age should be given at least 1/10 liters of
milk replacer with penicillin G every day or
twice a day until 3 days before market. Then
residual penicillin in the cabrito is not a
consideration. The milk replacer can contain
about 12 micrograms/ml de penicilina G for 6
body weight per feeding. The program that is
given above will reduce economic losses of
cabritos. It is true that intramuscular or oral
injections of antibiotics such as for cabritos at
birth and adults at partum are improvements, but
somewhat more expensive. THE COST OF REDUCING
MORTALITY HAS NEVER BEEN TESTED.
15
What is the point?The point is that each
caprinacultor should realistically analyse his
situation. To do this, he must keep records and
not depend on memory. How much does it cost to
supplement goats, and what is the financial
return from the sale of cabritos? Note that the
caprinocultor does not know what is killing his
cabritos, and he may think it is
septicemia.Again, he does not understand the
toxin pathology.
16
Although we may know what to do technically, we
cannot be optimistic about goat survival and
profitability, because this program in not in the
tradition of caprinacultura. Even a component as
simple as bonemeal may not actually be easily
available to isolated ranches. Generally, product
X is not available, because there is no demand
for it. In the end, the caprinocultor may be
unwilling to invest anything to save his own
business, often because he does to see the
benefit. The benefit is more larger cabritos by
controlling caseous lymphadenitis.
17
The goats get water daily or twice a day from
arroyos and aljibes (streams and ponds) and live
on the leaves of the matorral. In such a
subsistence tradition they are not in any way
supplemented and therefore it is hard to medicate
them. Todays technology is simple, but applying
it to ranches without the barest conveniences
such as electricity is severely difficult.
Fatalism through centuries of accepting large
animal losses rounds out the picture.
Caprinacultores pay by losses, not by
prevention.
18
The rural human diet of tortillas, beans and
chili is ACUTELY short of microelements, vitamin
B12 and fats leading to considerable stunting,
and can be improved by milk from household
goats. The federal replacement of meat goats by
milk goats caused a permanent disaster. Can this
be rectified ?