Why are we talking about Johne's?

This is just a cow & deer disease.

WRONG!!

This is a goat disease!! Make sure you test for it!

WSU has said that there are more positives than people care to admit.

They recommend testing for Johne's twice a year.

Did you know that you can have a goat that is spreading the Johne's virus in it's feces? Even if your goat tests negative for Johne's today, two weeks after stress your goat may just start shedding the johne's virus in it's feces.  A kid comes along and nibbles poop, or if you are feeding on the ground, accidental consumption of poop and now your kid is infected.  Bad thing is, you may never know unless you happen to keep this kid and watch it grow up. Say at 5 years old you cannot get this kid, now goat, to gain weight. It's just wasting away. No matter what or how much you feed it or worm it, this goat just isn't thriving. Do not sell this goat, unless you sell it for meat. Test this goat for Johne's. If this goat is positive and you want to keep it, learn and practice biosecurity measures. Remember, you put your whole herd at risk to keep this one goat alive. If you are okay with that, there is no right or wrong thing to do. I do not know what I would do. I have a lot invested in my herd, but my main weakness is for the love of each individual animal. It would be extremely hard for me to sacrifice even one for the safety of all, but I would have to make that tough decision, especially for the health of the animal.

To waste away would be a horrible fate!

12/12/2010

If you are anything like me, these photos with this young girl did nothing but make me angry!! I was so mad that she could do it, yet I still could not!  I will teach you how to draw blood - check back for photos that WILL help you!