CL (caseous lymphadenitis)

[Jamie]

can anyone tell me about goats or sheep that have this? Can you eat them or sell them or do you have to put them all down if one comes down with this?

Jamie

[quietH2O]

Here's some of what I've learned about CL. It sound like it is highly contagious, difficult to irradicate, once contracted in the flock, and impossible to cure.

CL is an infection of goats, caused by Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis. It is also referred to as "abscesses", because of the peripheral swelling, rupture, and drainage of pus from affected lymph nodes. The prevalence of CL in the commercial goat herds may be as high as 30%.

If abscesses affect more than one lymph node, the carcass will be condemned at slaughter.

Decreased body weight and milk production also occurs, and reproductive efficiency is often lower when these animals have developed internal abscesses.

If you are concerned I recommend that if you have the animal(s) slaughtered at a USDA approved slaughter house. There an agent can determine the health and safety of your meat animal and advise as to whether they should be condemned. That would be the safe thing.

BTW Pipestone Veterinary Clinic is a mailorder catalog for sheep equipment. They have veterinarians on hand to answer most questions over the phone or email.

www.sheep@pipevet.com
(800) 658-2523

[mistyriver]

We had a pet goat develop CL. We opened an abcess and sent the exudate to UC/Davis for testing. We put him down.
Apparently it can be found in the soil in this area.
Our sheep are vaccinated against it and the other goat never contracted it so we were lucky.