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Pneumonia In Goats
by Mary Blankevoort, DVM
“Pneumonia” is the term
given to describe inflammation or infection of the lungs.
Bronchitis, tracheitis and laryngitis describe infections of
the upper portion of the respiratory tract.
Pneumonia and respiratory
disease in general is very serious and widespread among goat
populations, dairy herds and pygmy alike. Much of the problem,
I’m afraid, is due to poor management practices which
predispose the animals to infectious disease. Some of these
predisposing factors include:
1. Environmental insults,
such as poor ventilation, dirty conditions, and overcrowding in
barns and sheds. Inadequate air circulation, especially when
combined with high humidity and a manure pack, is a deadly
insult to lung tissue. Goats don’t need to be warm and cozy as
much as they need to breathe fresh air at all times. A
three-sided shed or lean-to with 100% air exchange is ideal for
them. (Try sitting down on the floor of your goat shed -
pygmy-nose level – and breathe the air down there for awhile to
get some appreciation of the situation.)
Dusty
feed and bedding, and drafts can also be detrimental.
2. Lungworms can produce
a good deal of damage to lung tissue on their own, but their
presence debilitates tissue, making it easy for secondary
infection to set in.
3. Stress of any kind-
shipping, goat shows, etc., - will lower an animal’s
resistance, making it more susceptible to infection. In goats,
respiratory infection seems to be a common sequella to stress.
4. Aspiration of drench
material, (especially mineral oil), or vomitus, sets up a nasty
infection known as aspiration pneumonia. With careful drenching
technique and adding a flavored substance to mineral oil, this
should not occur.
The actual infection
agent that causes pneumonia may be a virus, Mycoplasma,
Chlamydia, bacteria or fungus, or a combination. The most
common are bacteria such as Pasteurella, and Corynebacterium.
Many of these infections
are spread by aerosol transmission, so animals can give them to
each other. This occurs with increased frequency when strange
animals are introduced to a herd.
Signs of pneumonia in
goats include labored breathing (sides heaving), rapid, shallow
breathing, a “rattle” heard in the chest, standing with
forelegs apart and neck stretched out, intolerance to exercise,
nasal discharge, and eventual weight loss and often death.
There is usually a fever initially, but the temperature may be
normal throughout most of the disease, which may last for
months. A chronic cough may accompany pneumonia, but a cough
may also mean a bronchial or laryngeal infection. These signs,
however, are not always that obvious to the untrained eye.
[. . .]
On examination, a
veterinarian will gather history and clinical signs, and may
get a culture and sensitivity from tracheal or nasal exudate,
or do fecal for lungworms. [. . .]
Prevention and control of
pneumonia and other respiratory diseases involves removing the
predisposing factors, isolating sick animals, parasite control,
and vaccination where this is appropriate. I can’t
overemphasize the importance of good ventilation and
sanitation. Sometimes, when a specific causative organism has
been isolated which seems to be a herd problem, a commerical or autogenous
vaccine can be recommended to protect your herd.
[. . .]
Excerpts from:
Hale, Lydia, and Ellen Kritzman, eds.
Pygmy Goats: Best of Memo
(1976-1981)
National Pygmy Goat Association: pp 89-90
This document is for
informational purposes only and is in no way intended to be a
substitute for medical consultation with a qualified veterinary
professional. The information provided through this document is
not meant to be used in the diagnosis or treatment of a health
problem or disease, nor should it be construed as such.
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