Disease Management and Vaccination schedule in goats

Generally, goats are sturdy and resistant to many diseases. However, when we rear the number of goats under one roof, there are a lot of chances to get a Disease attack. Due to insufficient fresh air, feed contamination, or even due to bacterial infection. Disease management should be given higher priority in Goat Farming Business.

Even the minutest carelessness will spread the disease at a faster pace. This will reduce the production potential and also leads to more mortality which in turn causes economic losses to the farmers. Below are some of the common diseases in Goat.

Common Goat Diseases

Common Goat diseases, their symptoms, and the prevention are discussed below. The Symptoms are more self-explanatory if you come across any of these diseases in your goat alert your veterinarian. Some of the below diseases are deadly and also spread fast among other goats, so you should be cautious.

Disease	Symptoms	Prevention
Anthrax	Sudden fever and death Dark color bloody discharge from the natural orifice such as nose and external genitals.	Vaccination once a year in the affected area Disposal of carcass either by burying or burning Don’t open the carcass as the germ spread through the air
Haemorrhagic Septicemia	Fever, dysentery, swelling of lower mandible and death More occurrence in rainy season	Vaccinate the animal once a year before the onset of the rainy season
Brucellosis	Abortion during late pregnancy, infertility, scrotal swelling in male, joint swelling	Disposal of dead fetus and placenta Use gloves while handling infected items as it affects human beings
Enterotoxaemia	Sudden death in young growing kids. Mucous diarrhea may also be seen during death	Vaccinate the animals once a year before the onset of monsoon Don’t feed on young grass
Peste Des Petits Ruminants (PPR)	Fever, Ocular and nasal mucous discharge, mouth lesion, respiratory distress	Yearly vaccination Separation of infected one from healthy animals
Foot and Mouth Disease	Fever, wound lesion in foot and mouth, excess salivary secretion, difficulty in walking	First vaccination at the 3rd month and then once in 4-6 months interval
Fluke infection	Emaciation, anemia, edema in the lower jaw	Control of snails, avoid grazing in the early morning and late evening, deworming of animals periodically
Tapeworm	Reduced growth, fever, kid mortality	Deworming of animals periodically
Roundworm	Fever, anemia, edema in the lower jaw, reduced the growth	deworming of animals periodically
Coccidiosis	Blood tinged brownish diarrhea, anemia, kid mortality	Clean house, a spray of 10% ammonia solution, administration of anticoccidial drugs

Common Vaccinations for Goats

Mostly in goats, 5 major vaccinations are needed to be done. All major vaccines their doses and their repetition schedules are given in the table.

Vaccine Name	Dose	Immunity	Repetition	Age
PPRPeste Des Petits Ruminant	1 ml	4 year	4 year	Above 3 month
FMDFoot and Mouth Disease	2 ml	6 month /1 year	1 year	Above 3 month
HSHemoregic  septicemia	2 ml	1 year	1 year	Above 3 month
ETEnterotocimia	2 ml	1 year	21 Days (Buster dose)1 year after Buster	Above 2 month
G.POXGoat pox	2 ml	1 year	1 year	Above 3 month

Note :

• The age of goats should be above 3 months for the first vaccination.
• Minimum 21 to 30 days interval is mandatory/compulsory between two vaccines according to veterinary protocols.
• For safety and good results of the vaccine, we should maintain a one-month interval between two vaccines.

Disease Management in Goats

• Be on the alert for signs of illness such as reduced feed intake, fever, abnormal discharge or unusual behavior.
• Consult the nearest veterinary aid center for help if the illness is suspected.
• Protect animals against common diseases.
• In case of an outbreak of contagious diseases, immediately segregate the sick animals from a healthy one and take necessary disease control measures.
• De-worm the animals regularly.
• Examine the feces of adult animals to detect eggs of internal parasites and treat animals with suitable drugs.
• Provide clean and uncontaminated feed and water for minimizing health disorders.
• Strictly follow the recommended vaccine schedule.

Preventing Diseases in Goats

Dirty surroundings
If goats are kept in a dirty kraal, they could wind up drinking water contaminated with droppings. These droppings may contain germs that could make them sick.
Solution: Try to clean out kraals where possible. Remove manure regularly.

Poor condition
If your goats are in poor condition and if you aren’t feeding them well, they can become sick easily.
Solution: Supplement rations with extra feed during winter and remember that pregnant females need more feed to produce healthy offspring.

Stress
Overcrowding, underfeeding, poor transportation methods and management procedures (tail docking, castration, ear-tagging, and shearing) cause stress, which can make animals ill.
Solution: Avoid overcrowding and treat the animals in a relaxed manner. If you are transporting them, make sure they have enough water, and that they are not too hot or too cold. Avoid loading too many animals on one truck.

New animals
Buying goats without checking them carefully could bring all kinds of diseases onto your farm.
Solution:Buy from a farmer you can trust and check the animals properly to ensure they are free of diseases. If you’re unsure about what to look for, consult your local animal-health technician or vet.