# CAE and swollen tail?



## ozarksvalley (Nov 22, 2007)

Hi all! 

I have a question. I just bought a two year old ff french alpine a couple days ago. A beautiful doe, wide and long with pretty color. BUT now that I have her I am seeing some things I don't like. I want to test her for CAE. I would like to keep a negative herd and if she is positive I will have to convince my dad to let me sell her. How do I do this (dad can pull the blood) what do I put it in, where do I get it, and who do I send it to and how much do I pay? If it will save money I might to several in the herd.

On the CAE issue.... this doe's knees are not swollen, but when she is standing still they bend a little. I have never had that problem in a goat and am not thrilled with this... Also her udder, when full, is a bit on the lumpy side. Soft, but lumpy at the rear arch. AND, her tail appears swollen. I haven't heard of that being a symptom, but want to know what this is? It's not red or inflamed or anything, but its a *tiny* bit puffy and soft and she has no 'dip' or 'fold' in her tail right above the anus. (do you know what I mean? it can get really dirty in that part...) I'm wondering if this is just an idividual charateristic or if it's something else. I've never seen a goat like that. I can take pics if that will help.

Also, I need opinions on wether or not to breed her to my buck. Is CAE transmissable through breeding? I don't want hearsay here, I'd prefer facts. For instance, have any of you ever bred a positive doe to a negative buck and he came up positive? 
I am pasturizing her milk and mixing it with the raw for my kids' milk until I get her results. ( I really need her milk, that was apart of why we bought her.) I am calling the previous owner today and asking her if she has tested this doe. 

I'm trying not to freak out here but this is the first time I've dealt with the possibility of a nice doe having CAE. My first goat probably had it, and she left pretty quick. (sale barn goat... will never do that again.) 

Thanks in advance for any information. I really appreciate it!


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## sparks879 (Oct 17, 2007)

If you can pull your own blood its definatly cheaper. You will have to get the blood tubes from your vet, or someone else who sells them. Thankfully i can by them from my vet. If you can afford it do the whole herd at once, that way you only have to draw blood once. You can overnight it to WADDL at WSU. thats where i send mine. I put it in a small box, a cell phone box is perfect sized for me. Put the paperwork in a seperate plastic zip;ock baggy. i wrap the tubes in a paper towel and then pack any excess space with paper towels so nothing rolls around. 
beth


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## susanne (Nov 13, 2007)

kelsey as long as you have not raised your own stock on cae prevention for at least two to three years, it would be best to do strict cae prevention. means only feed pasteurized milk. no matter where the animals came from.
you should test every incoming stock, no matter if they are coming from "negative " herd. only this way will you ever be confident to have and maintain a negative herd.
now to your doe. bending her knees when staying can be from mineral deficiency or bad leg structure. 
i have never heard about a swollen tail as a symptom for cae. 
you can draw your own blood and send it to waddl. go to their website and you will find all the info how to ship it and how much it will cost. you can eve cal them and they will help with what ever you need help with.


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## enjoytheride (Oct 5, 2007)

For all it means- when Dottie was going through that staph dermatitis thing (little bump all over her rear under her tail and on her stomach) what happened before the bumps broke out is that her tail down past her vuvla was swollen and pickish (normally greyish) and her tail folds disappeared with the swelling. You mentioned the bit of lumpiness in her udder - maybe the start of this with her too?


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## jBlaze (Oct 9, 2007)

I would say test every animal in you rherd, otherwise why bother. Less that 20% of positive animals EVER have any signs. So it is quite likely that your herd may have it and just not show any signs. Also, do not just believe what sellers tell you. Last year I stupidly bought two goats that the lady told me were negative, well, they weren't. 
As far as breeding, bucks are more likely to catch it through breeding than does are. 
I also was awarded a doe kid from a judge that pasturized her milk, and oh gee what a surprise, kid was positive. Grrr. 
WSU lab website answers a lot of questions, as well as hot to package and ship. If you still have questions, call them, they are great folk and very helpful. I would recommend asking the people at WSU before any vet.


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