# Is a Goat with Polioencephalomalacia ok to Eat?



## Hamakua_Ranch (Sep 15, 2014)

Hi I am was planning on butchering a goat when it was a little older but it is showing signs of Goat Polio. It is a 100 pounds now so it is a good weight if I were to butcher it but I was wondering if it can be eaten. I would rather kill it now then to spend the time and money trying to cure it just to kill it in 2 months. He is a Boer.


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

Thats a good question...Polio treatment is pretty cheap..Fortifeid b complex or straight Thiamine is all that needed...if it is indeed polio...Listeriosis has the smae symptoms and I belive I would not consume meat from an animal with listeriosis...
this is where My concern would be...If you treat for Polio and the goat recovers quickly..then you can be sure he is safe...however if the treatment does not work..then you should assume he has listeriosis...


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## kc8lsk (Jan 10, 2014)

Yes you can eat a goat with Polio I would suggest you can the meat instead of just cooking it that way you make sure it is throughly cooked.


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## Hamakua_Ranch (Sep 15, 2014)

So Is Jerky Off of the table? haha I really wanted him to make a lot of jerky.

Also he has had no fever or central nervous system symptoms. He just suddenly stopped being able to bear weight at the front leg and then a back leg. He was given Nuflor with Banamine sub cut pulsed for 2 weeks due to the thought that it might be Mycoplasma. He was given probiotics for over 2 weeks. Most of this was done by a friend that has goats but I want to know if we can stop trying all this and just turn him into jerky. He fights other bucks and is very active he just has lame legs. thus I came to the conclusion of Goat Polio.

My friend might have even given thiamine to the goat. if he has is it possible that there is simply permanent damage?


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

sounds more like injury or posible CAE symptoms ..polio would have him star gazing,walking drunk ect...are his knees swollen? any heat in them..are his knees bald? or have hair?...


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## kc8lsk (Jan 10, 2014)

You do know you can can Jerky too my grandmother did it all the time and i can a lot of smoked meat.


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## Hamakua_Ranch (Sep 15, 2014)

I did not know that you could can jerky.. Wouldn't that defeat the purpose of dehydrating your meat? 


Here is a Picture of him. I am not with him right now so I asked my friend about the knees and am waiting on a response.


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## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

If you gave him antibiotics, you will want to wait before you kill him for meat. The holding time is 44 days for Nuflor Gold. (that is the Nuflor with Banamine). 
To help him heal, feel better or just prevent further injury, you might want to separate him from the other bucks.


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