# Does ANYONE test for G6S?... and a couple of other questions



## FreckledFarmer (Oct 27, 2012)

I have read about this and it seems that such a large portion of nubian's are affected by it in some way (25% are either carriers or affected) that it seems like everyone would test for it to avoid passing it on but hardly anyone ever tests for it. Neither of the farms we are getting our goats from do and I have only found 1 farm in VA that seems to in all of my research. 

I have considered testing my herd just so I know and can tell people who purchase my kids in the future but I am debating if I should ask the breeder if I can have a vet out to her farm to test before we pick them up. Do people not test because it really isn't all that common? The breeder has never lost a goat young and has an exceptionally healthy herd but the two goats we are getting are on the small side (because as I stated in my last post - they were preemies because their kidding had 6 goats in it). I know small stature and slab side (what is that exactly?) are some of the only early signs of G6S... I mean how tall is a 7 month old nubian supposed to be anyways? These goats have no problem with weight. They look extremely healthy and are well filled out. Maybe I am just second guessing myself.. maybe they aren't so small. I didn't measure them but based were their backs came up to on my leg they are between 21-24 inches tall

Finally so I can schedule a visit if I need to... Is it normal to have a vet out to your farm right after you get new animals if they had a vet visit them recently on the farm the came from? So, if we don't have a vet out to the breeder's farm. Do I need to schedule a visit to my farm


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

It certainly never hurts to have the vet out shortly after you bring your goats home. You can have a fecal done as well as any further testing you want to do. 

I have Nigerians so can't help you with the G65.


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## Serenity Woods (Apr 2, 2012)

Having my girls tested for G6S was one of the scariest things I've had to do. Thankfully, they both came back normal. 

When we were looking to buy our goats, I had never heard of it. Certainly none of the ads we looked at mentioned it. But it does seem that this disorder is becoming more recognized recently. I hope so, anyway.

My guess is that if you are showing and selling your goats to a "higher end" market, having them tested will pay off. If, on the other hand, you're selling off Craigslist to people who want "just any old goat", it won't mean squat, unfortunately. If you're like me, you'll get them tested anyway, just to avoid future heartbreak.

I agree, it never hurts to have a vet out for a "well goat visit", if you can work it into the budget. We did, not long after we got our girls. We wanted to get them checked out, but we also wanted to get to know the vet before we needed him in an emergency situation.


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## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

Does anyone know where to send the test for G6S off to? I've got some plain vials here..... And I have a male nubian that never grew. He's like 6 months now and only weighs 30#'s. Has been treated for just about everything.


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## Serenity Woods (Apr 2, 2012)

It's the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory. Their website is down right now. Hopefully it will be back up shortly.

http://tvmdl.tamu.edu/

A search on G6S should bring up what you need.


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## ptgoats45 (Nov 28, 2011)

I had all of my Nubians tested for G6S. I tested mostly because I didn't want to be selling goats with a genetic disorder. Most people don't test because it is very expensive (I think it is about $42 per goat). Also, many of the top bloodlines in the country have G6S carriers and people don't want to lose those genetics. I think eventually it will become more widespread that people will test once more and more buyers demand that the goats be tested before purchase. If you are really worried about it and want to have G6S normal goats, I would have them tested before you buy. The seller should not have any problem with you having the goats tested first as it is just like having them tested for CAE before buying. You would, of course, be the one to pay for the test but for your peace of mind it is much better to test than not.

A 7 month old Nubian should weigh any where from 60-80 lbs or more. 60 lbs would be on the smaller side, but if they were born in a litter of 6 they were probably very small at birth so may take longer to catch up to kids born at the same time who were only twins or triplets. The two kids I kept this year were 7 months old in August and weighed 80 lbs and 90 lbs, they were twins and were about 10 lbs at birth.

I've never had a vet come look at my goats after I buy them, but it certainly wouldn't hurt. If you just want them to be given a once over by a vet that you trust there is nothing wrong with that.


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