Contents

This edition first published 2009
© 2009 Blackwell Publishing Ltd

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Matthews, John G.

Diseases of the goat/John G. Matthews. — 3rd ed.

p.; cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-4051-6136-7 (pbk.: alk. paper) 1. Goats—Diseases—Diagnosis

2. Veterinary clinical pathology. I. Title.

SF968.M37 2009

636.3’90896—dc22

2008039841

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Preface to Third Edition

Diseases of the Goat was originally conceived as a reasonably priced text providing the clinician and interested goatkeepers with readily accessible information on goat diseases and their treatment. Although the third edition has been expanded and completely revised, it still aspires to fulfil its original concept.

The recent introduction of exotic diseases into the UK, particularly foot-and-mouth disease and bluetongue, has emphasised the vulnerability of national herds and the need for increased vigilance and biosecurity on both a national and an individual herd level. Movement restrictions, increased legislation and changing social patterns have led to a reduction in the number of goats kept by smallholders, but commercial herds continue to expand and goat’s milk and goat’s milk products have become a regular feature of the British diet. However, intensification brings increased problems and Johne’s disease and caseous lymphadenitis continue to cause concern in the commercial sector. Within the veterinary profession, there is an increased emphasis on preventative medicine. A new chapter considers biosecurity and herd health. The chapters on Surgical Techniques and Anaesthesia have been enlarged and new chapters on the Geriatric Goat and Inadequate Growth Rate introduced.

I hope this book continues to provide anyone interested in goats with an easily usable reference work which they can use on a regular basis.

John Matthews

Preface to Second Edition

In the 8 years since the publication of the first edition of this book in 1991, the population of goats in the UK and hence the veterinary surgeon’s involvement with them have changed. The hype surrounding Angora goats has subsided and their numbers have stabilised. There are fewer small herds of dairy goats being kept for milk and showing, but truly commercial dairy goat farming is well established, with herds of 1000, or even 2000, milkers becoming a reality and British goat products featured on the supermarket shelves. The veterinary surgeon is as likely to be presented with a pygmy goat as one of its larger cousins. I hope this book will continue to provide the veterinary surgeons with a readily accessible source of information on the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the goat, which they will find useful, however great or small their professional involvement with the species.

Drugs in the text marked ‘G’ are licensed for use in goats in the UK.

John Matthews May 1999

Preface to First Edition

The increasing interest in goats in the UK, both for milk and fibre production, has been matched by a corresponding awareness in the veterinary profession that the species merits consideration as an animal in its own right. The formation of the Goat Veterinary Society in 1979 provided a means of collating and disseminating information on goat management and disease control, but until now there has been no readily available text covering goat diseases. Hopefully this book will, at least in part, fill that gap.

This book gives an outline of the more common clinical problems likely to be met by the general practitioner involved with goat medicine, with each chapter covering a major presenting sign. Each chapter starts with the initial assessment and clinical examination of the patient, together with further investigations which may aid diagnosis, before considering specific diseases, their diagnosis, clinical signs and treatment. At the end of each chapter there is a short list of references - these are generally review articles which the clinician will find of interest. A list of general references is included at the end of this book. In addition, there is a chapter on plant poisoning.

It has been said that the ‘goat is mostly sheep and partly cow’ and, undoubtedly, any veterinary surgeon with a working knowledge of other ruminants should be able to satisfactorily diagnose and treat most medical conditions in the goat. There are, however, important behavioural and physiological differences between the species resulting, in the most instances, in important differences in their response to disease, so that it is not always safe to extrapolate from one species to another. In addition, drug metabolism shows species variation, with the result that does rates and excretion times for goats are not simply obtained from cow or sheep data. I hope that having read this book, the clinician will feel confident in treating not a small cow or a large milking sheep but the animal in its own right - the goat.

Acknowledgements

I acknowledge with grateful thanks the forbearance of my colleagues at Clarendon House Veterinary Centre during the writing of this book.

My wife Hilary has provided encouragement and support and given valuable advice on goat husbandry.

Dr Tony Andrews, David Harwood and Peter Jackson have supplied photographs that are reproduced with their permission and I am pleased to acknowledge their contribution and that of their colleagues involved with the clinical cases to which they relate. Peter Cox supplied the photographs for the cover.

Author’s Note

For many medical conditions, there are no drugs available which are specifically licensed for goats. Dose rates are quoted in the book for many unlicensed drugs. These dose rates have been obtained from published reports, data held on file by the drug manufacturers and from personal experience. Wherever possible, the clinician should use drugs which carry a full product licence for caprine treatment. If in doubt about the use or dosage of any drug, consult the manufacturer. In all cases where unlicensed drugs are used, milk should not be used for human consumption for a minimum 7 days and meat for a minimum of 28 days following the administration of the drug. Not all the drugs mentioned have a current licence for food-producing animals in the UK. It is the reader’s responsibility to ensure that he/she is legally entitled to use any drug mentioned.