The next issue of the Goat Gazette, “ Caprine Arthritis Encephalitis Part Two: Preventing and controlling CAE” will discuss steps producers can take to minimize the impact of the disease on their herd.Caprine arthritis encephalitis (CAE) is a severe and chronic devastating disease of goats caused by a lentivirus that is characterized by significant economic loss. CAE is easily spread, and healthy goats can be carrying the virus. This means that using the same alleyways or handling equipment for infected and uninfected goats can spread disease, even if the goats never see each other.ĬAE is a serious infectious disease that reduces production and is a threat to animal health and welfare. The virus can survive outside the body until the fluids have dried up, meaning if a goat coughs and leaves mucous on the wall or drops milk or birthing fluids on the floor it has the potential to infect goats for several hours. To prevent the spread of CAE in your herd you will need to control the spread of these body fluids. More research is needed on additional routes of transmission, but until the research is available, it is safest to assume that any contact with infected goats, bodily fluids of infected goats, shared airspace or ventilation, or sharing equipment with infected goats may transmit CAE. If a goat is diagnosed with CAE and the disease progresses to the point where they are no longer productive members of the herd and are not fit to ship, humane on-farm euthanasia is recommended to minimize suffering.ĬAE can be spread through contact with milk, saliva, or mucous of infected animals, via coughing, and possibly via other routes if infected and healthy goats are mingled. Remember, it is better to ship a goat a week too early than a day too late. Shipping is stressful, and can cause a sick goat to become much worse quickly. Ensure that CAE affected goats are culled early, so they are still fit to ship. Goats displaying signs of CAE should be seen by your herd veterinarian. In CAE infected goats, symptoms typically appear around two years of age, but can appear at any time in adulthood. Less often diagnosed are pneumonia and progressive weight loss. The udder will not be hot or painful, but is quite firm to touch. The mastitic form of the disease, more often referred to as “hard bag,” usually appears in first time doelings that come in with udders that appear large and full but have no milk. Kids will still be bright, alert and responsive, showing no signs of fever and still maintaining a good appetite. In just a few weeks kids will become progressively weaker unable to stand on the hind legs first and then on the front. It is most often seen in animals less than six months of age, and symptoms develop much more quickly than the arthritic form. This occurs when the virus affects the tissues of the brain and spinal cord. The second most common form of the disease is meningitis. Clinically infected joints swell slowly, show no heat or pain response to touch, but are extremely painful to walk on. This is why the knee joint and the joint where the head attaches to the neck are most commonly affected. When a joint is overused or bruised, it stimulates white blood cells to enter the joint, bringing in more viral particles. In an infected doe, the virus is present in every joint, however the joints that become swollen and painful are those most commonly used. There are five main presentations of the disease, with arthritis being the most common in Canada. They are also able to travel into other body fluids such as milk or mucous. The CAE virus lives within white blood cells that circulate in the blood stream to fight disease. This joint has locked up as a result of CAE.
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