The CD/T Vaccine:
What Does That Stand For?
CD - Clostridium perfringens, types C and D
T - Clostridium tetani (Tetanus)
What is Clostridium perfringens?
- Rod-shaped bacteria
- Gram positive
- Lives in the gut
(intestines)
- Creates toxins as a
byproduct of explosive
growth
Image Source: Clostridium perfringens-Induced Necrotic Diseases: An Overview
by Ying Fu, Tahrir Alenezi and Xiaolun Sun
What is Enterotoxemia?
Enterotoxemia is also called "Overeating Disease"
- Typically caused by a sudden, large, unusual intake
of food high in starch, sugars, and protein.
Symptoms:
- Abruptly going off their feed (lack of appetite)
- Lethargy (exhaustion / lack of energy)
- Signs of stomach pain
- Diarrhea (loose stool, sometimes bloody)
- Inability to stand
- Head and neck turned sharply to one side
What does Enterotoxemia look like in goats?
What is Tetanus?
A clinical infection of the bacteria Clostridium tetani
- Lives in the soil and manure
- Enters the body through a wound or surgical incision
What does Tetanus look like in goats?
Symptoms:
- Muscle stiffness
- Unsteady gait
- Drooping eyelids
- Changed voice
- Erect ears and tail
- Inability to eat or drink.
The tetanus toxoid produced by the tetanus bacterium
interferes with muscle function, causing muscle spasms
and eventually paralysis.
How can you help prevent Enterotoxemia and Tetanus?
Vaccinate your goats!
Enterotoxemia and Tetanus progress quickly, there is
very little chance for treatment.
Thus, most cases are, unfortunately, fatal.
These bacteria are common in the environment, so
vaccination against them is the simplest and easiest
way to prevent unnecessary deaths.
Internal Parasites:
What they are,
How we treat them, and
What we can do to help
prevent them!
Signs and Symptoms:
- Losing weight but eating a lot
- Dull, wiry coat
- Lethargy
- Underweight with a "pot belly"
- Anemia (gums, eyelids paler than
they should be)
- Diarrhea
Treatment:
Common de-wormers:
- Oral De-wormers: Ivermectin, Fenbendazole, Amprolium,
Albendazole, Levamisole, Moxidectin, Morantel tartrate
- Pour-on De-wormers: Eprinectin, Ivermectin
- Injectable De-wormers: Ivermectin
The method of application matters! For internal parasites,
an oral de-wormer is best. For external parasites, a pouron or injectable treatment is best.
Prevention:
While you can never completely eliminate parasites,
there are steps you can take to reduce your animals'
parasite load.
1. Provide feed off the ground
2. Don't graze goats in short pastures (grass < 3")
3. Don't graze goats in soggy pastures
4. Perform regular fecal egg counts
5. Don't over de-worm, or you will increase resistance
to the de-wormers, reducing their effectiveness.
Remember: An ounce of prevention is
worth a pound of cure!