# Goat with Lump on Face



## prairiegal (Apr 23, 2010)

Hey guys-
Kinda stressing out here-- went out this afternoon and noticed one of my girls (2 year old Nubian) has a lump on the side of her jaw- I don't know how long it has been there...

It is about the size of a large marble- hairless and semi-squishy. Not rock hard, but not as soft as, say, a water ballon, either.

Obviously, I know CLA is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear "lump on goat", but could it be a salivary cyst?

She is acting perfectly fine otherwise- eating, drinking, etc.

What should be my next course of action? Take her to the vet, or address it at home? (the local vets are large animal, but aren't technically "goat vets"...)

I'm still a semi-newbie to goats and just need the advice of some seasoned goat folks! 

Thanks in advance, I'm worried about my girl....


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## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

Yes, it could be a salivary cyst or she could have been poked with something.
Chances are it's not CL.
Have the vet lance it & send the contents to WADDL for testing to be sure.
Meantime dont stress over it, easier said than done. :hug:


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

I agree with nancy d...if you can have the vet do it that would be great, if not and you want to try doing it yourself, you will need to pen her separate from the rest, prepare a sterile area with newspaper on the floor, use an 18 gauge needle and tap it on the bottom of it, close to her face, not the top or the center...tapping the bottom will allow it to drain downward. Once you have the gunk sucked into the syringe, cap the needle and place it into a disposable cup. Take another syringe minus the needle and flush the now empty hole with a gentled iodine solution, wear gloves and have a roll of paper towels close by to hold a wad under her jaw so the flushed out material soaks the paper, get a tube of dollar store triple antibiotic ointment and literally fill the flushed out hole with it. Wipe any of the mess from the lump off of her face and then take all the newspaper you laid as well as the paper towels and syringe used to flush AND the empty tube of ointment and put it all in a trash bag, remove the gloves and put those in too. Burn everything. Take the gunk that is in the syringe and have a red top tube( vet can supply this) ready, take the rubber stopper off the top, push the gunk into it, replace the stopper, wrap in paper towels place in plastic bag and send it to WADDL. Keep her in quarantine until you get the results back otherwise you risk exposing the rest of your goats to something that may hurt them.
If you can take her to the vets office, even better, this way you won't need to do all the bio security above as it will be opened off of your property.


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## imaginationacres (Sep 27, 2009)

I agree with Nancy and Liz for sure. I recently had a similar issue with my girl Dixie, a maleable abscess/lump on the side of her face. Interestingly after it was tapped with an 18 G needle by the vet for testing it disapeared. The fluid inside we a serous pink-clear liquid. I'm waiting on the CL results now on pins and needles. Good luck!!


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

It could be several different things besides CL. She could have been poked inside her mouth, bottle jaw, tooth issue, etc. If it gets bigger to where you can stick a needle in and get fluid out, do that and send it into WADDL. Good luck...will be crossing my fingers for ya...but I have a feeling this is not CL.


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## lissablack (Nov 30, 2009)

Everyone is right to recommend testing. If you can do it somewhere off your property (at the vet) it is much better. You do need to keep her isolated until you have the test results. Hope it will be negative, but at least you will know for sure. I have a friend who had everyone telling her the abscesses she was seeing in her herd were not CL, including her vet, and it turned out some of them were. This was a terrible disaster for her. Her conclusion is that she will never sell another goat. It just isn't worth it to take the risk. Nobody seems to know just how long the bacteria lives in the environment after an abscess ruptures. I have heard from months to 10 years, they just don't know.

You need to do it fast, and isolate her now. What you are describing is the lead up to rupturing.

Jan


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Like everyone else said, I would take her to the vet. If it is a tooth abscess, you will want that taken care of right away. Hopefully your girl will be ok and it isn't something serious. Good luck with her.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Ditto.... :wink: :thumb:


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## kelebek (Oct 5, 2007)

Yep - Isolate, test, and go from there!!


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## prairiegal (Apr 23, 2010)

Hey guys-
Just wanted to give an update!
We tested the abscess and it is NOT CL, thank goodness!
I was so relieved. My gut feeling was that it was not, because of it's location on the side of the goat's face, but I couldn't take a chance.
I think from now on I am going to maintain a closed herd.
That whole ordeal was just too stressful for me!

And I wanted to say THANK YOU for all the great input- you guys really put my mind at ease and gave me a good game plan.


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## lissablack (Nov 30, 2009)

That is terrific news! And now you don't have to wonder, couldn't be a better outcome. You made good decisions.

Jan


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## farmgirl42 (Jan 3, 2010)

Whew! That is good news! :leap:


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## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

YAY! Great news!! and way to go!


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

> We tested the abscess and it is NOT CL, thank goodness!


  :leap: :hi5: :hug: Congrats..what wonderful news...... :greengrin:


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## yellowstone (Jan 9, 2011)

Reviving this old thread because I have a friend in the exact same situation as the original poster. She's got the doe isolated and thinking about draining it the way Liz said to...but she is terrified that if it is CL the virus will pass to her. So I'm trying to figure out, how common is it for the CL virus to be transmitted to humans? And what happens to the human if it is transmitted?

I am just trying to convince her that it's probably a salivary cyst... but it's not my funeral if it's not...


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## lissablack (Nov 30, 2009)

It is extremely rare for the CL bacteria to infect humans, but it is still a good idea to use gloves and be very careful. If it gets on the property anywhere it can transmit to other goats. If it's a salivary gland abscess it will spew saliva all over the place.

Jan


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## yellowstone (Jan 9, 2011)

Thanks so much, I will pass it on!


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

I dont know how common it is, but if she wears gloves to protect any scratches she has should be fine. I had a doe with a salivary cyst, and was thinking it was cl, did a lot of reading, If it is cl, and the hair has not come off, she will most likely get nothing out with a needle, till the hair comes off it is the puss is almost rock hard.


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

Ooops lisa, didnt see page #2


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## lissablack (Nov 30, 2009)

Hey Jessica, your answer was terrific. Confirmation is always terrific.

Jan


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

lol, thanks, just didnt want to steal your thunder


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## Markzee (Jan 13, 2016)

Hello I am experiencing this problem I have never had any cl or Cle issues head goats in the past no cl issues. 

I was wondering what kind of antibiotics are used to treat the marble like lump on my male whether nigerian dwarf goats face it is interesting in that KT was a marble like then it was gone and then it is back yesterday but today not as big also he is active and eating and drinking fresh food and water daily. I think him and his brother were playing rough banking heads etc . Thanks I love love my goats they are my world


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## Markzee (Jan 13, 2016)

My goat Austin is doing better with his Lump marble size it actually disappeared from right side of middle side of his face then appeared on left side appears to be shrining he does spend time bashing heads with his twin brother and other Brother I love my goats and dont want to see him be feeling bad he is active and eating and having fun


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Good to hear.


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