Sheep and Goat Production

Sheep and Goat Production

Discussing current topics in Ontario sheep and goat production

All posts tagged Goat health

CAE Testing 101: Getting All The Facts To Pick The Right Test For You

Posted on Author Jennifer MackenziePosted in HealthLeave a Reply

This article was written by Dr. Lisa Sharko (Lead Veterinarian Animal Health and Welfare, OMAFA). This article was originally published in the Spring 2026 issue of the Dairy Goat Digest. Introduction Caprine arthritis-encephalitis (CAE) virus is a Lentivirus that infects a goat’s white blood cells leading to caprine arthritis-encephalitis disease. The virus travels through the body inside infected white blood cells, where it is unable to replicate and stays inactive. During this time, the goat is infected, but the virus is almost impossible to detect via testing and the goat may look and act completely normal for a long time. The virus can remain inactive for months to years, allowing the virus to spread throughout the body like a “Trojan…

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Colostrum Quality Impacts on Kid Viability

Posted on Author Kristy BlankersPosted in Health, Nutrition, Reproduction, UncategorizedLeave a Reply

This article was written by Marlene Paibomesai and originally published in the August 2018 issue of the Dairy Goat Digest. What is colostrum? Colostrum is the first secretion from an udder after birth. Colostrum is rich in nutrients and immune factors, such as immunoglobulins and immune cells that are important for immune and digestive system development (Sanchez-Macias et al., 2014). Colostrum is higher in protein, fat, growth hormones and immune factors than milk. Why do newborns need colostrum? Unlike other mammals, ruminants transfer limited amounts of immunoglobulins and other immune factors from the dam to the fetus during pregnancy. Instead, the majority of immune factors are transferred through colostrum to the goat kid after birth. This is called passive immunity.…

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