sciencegal
Member
Hi, new posting here, but I've been reading posts for about six months. I lost my very first heifer that I raised from the time she was about 2 weeks old. She was about 9 months old, when she died 10 days ago. This heifer has been very healthy and just fine at 6:30 the night before when I fed her. She was pushy with getting her share of oat hay with just about a quart of alfalfa pellets. I have a donkey and a 6 week old bottle calf that were with her. Mostly they graze on my property.
At 7:30 the next morning she was dead, extremely bloated like she had been dead for days. There was frothy blood coming out of her nose. She died where she normally beds down for the night. I called the vet and she said to take a chunk of muscle from her shoulder, just before they bury her, put it in water and refrigerate it for testing. This was a Saturday so I couldn't get the sample in until Monday. The test results came back with no bacterial growth, histology perfectly normal. This heifer was vaccinated one time about 4 months ago, I'm not sure with what, the ranch branded and vacc'd her for me. She was scheduled to go to the butcher next week.
I dosed the bottle calf immediately with penicillin when I found the heifer dead and he has had his first 8-way vaccine. I'll be boostering the crap out of him.
A year ago I lost a goat in nearly the exact same way. This goat was penned, she did not graze, I did not have any cattle at that time. She was off went I went to feed, and found upon examining her that her gums were pure white and she was cold to the touch. She nibbled at a treat but I suspected she would not survive the night. I found her in the morning, with the same extreme bloating with frothy blood coming from her nose and blood from the vagina.
I expressed my concerns to the vet today that these signs are very consistent with anthrax. Neither animal had the crackly skin like I understand is common with blackleg. Blackleg is possible but not common in goats. The vet insists that anthrax is too rare, that it had to have been a clostridial bacteria.
Since I have raised dairy goats for 12 years and feel confident that I understand ruminants (see my signature below) I believe that I am not completely off track here. Rather than wait for another animal to die I want to give my animals the anthrax vaccine. I don't know if I can do that without the vets permission.
Any input or ideas would be most appreciated.
Karin Christensen
The Biology of the Goat
http://goatbiology.com
At 7:30 the next morning she was dead, extremely bloated like she had been dead for days. There was frothy blood coming out of her nose. She died where she normally beds down for the night. I called the vet and she said to take a chunk of muscle from her shoulder, just before they bury her, put it in water and refrigerate it for testing. This was a Saturday so I couldn't get the sample in until Monday. The test results came back with no bacterial growth, histology perfectly normal. This heifer was vaccinated one time about 4 months ago, I'm not sure with what, the ranch branded and vacc'd her for me. She was scheduled to go to the butcher next week.
I dosed the bottle calf immediately with penicillin when I found the heifer dead and he has had his first 8-way vaccine. I'll be boostering the crap out of him.
A year ago I lost a goat in nearly the exact same way. This goat was penned, she did not graze, I did not have any cattle at that time. She was off went I went to feed, and found upon examining her that her gums were pure white and she was cold to the touch. She nibbled at a treat but I suspected she would not survive the night. I found her in the morning, with the same extreme bloating with frothy blood coming from her nose and blood from the vagina.
I expressed my concerns to the vet today that these signs are very consistent with anthrax. Neither animal had the crackly skin like I understand is common with blackleg. Blackleg is possible but not common in goats. The vet insists that anthrax is too rare, that it had to have been a clostridial bacteria.
Since I have raised dairy goats for 12 years and feel confident that I understand ruminants (see my signature below) I believe that I am not completely off track here. Rather than wait for another animal to die I want to give my animals the anthrax vaccine. I don't know if I can do that without the vets permission.
Any input or ideas would be most appreciated.
Karin Christensen
The Biology of the Goat
http://goatbiology.com
