Miscarriages in Goats Caused by Infections

Send us a text

One of the most common questions I get during kidding season is, "why was this kid born dead?" Unfortunately, I can't answer that question because there are dozens of possibilities, starting with a long list of possible infections that can cause abortions, stillbirths, and neonatal death.

As I was planning this episode with Dr. Jamie Stewart, Assistant Professor in Production Management Medicine at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, I thought we'd discuss all the possible infectious causes of abortion, but when I opened just one veterinary textbook and looked at the possibilities, I realized there was no way we could cover all of them in a single episode.

Dr. Stewart and I decided to cover the most common causes that she sees in practice, and I added the diseases that I get the most questions about.

In this episode, we are talking about the causes, symptoms, and diagnoses of chlamydia, q-fever, campylobacter, toxoplasmosis, Cache Valley virus, the goat version of hairy shaker disease in lambs, blue tongue, brucellosis, mycoplasma, e. coli, and strep. We also cover transmission, prevention, and treatment.

While some of these diseases will affect only a single goat, others can cause an abortion storm, affecting potentially every pregnant doe in your herd. This is why it is so important to get a proper diagnosis if you have more than one doe giving birth prematurely or to stillborn kids.

See full show notes here >> https://thriftyhomesteader.com/miscarriages-in-goats/

To see the most recent episodes, visit  ForTheLoveOfGoats.com

Thanks for listening!

No one ever said raising goats was easy, but it doesn't have to cost a fortune or drive you crazy! You just need the right information. Click here to learn more about our Goats 365 membership.