24 Sept 2024
David Harwood highlights topics covered at the latest Goat Veterinary Society annual congress in Harrogate.
David Harwood
Job Title
Delegates at the Goat Veterinary Society (GVS) annual congress in Harrogate.
In a new venture for the Goat Veterinary Society (GVS), its annual congress – held on 26 and 27 June in Harrogate – took place at a hotel, moving away from the traditional racecourse conference venues around the country.
This meant delegates could stay in the hotel, with a conference dinner held on the first night – which seemed to have been a popular choice with between 50 and 60 delegates over the two days.
During the first afternoon, delegates travelled by coach from the hotel to a commercial dairy goat unit with an average yield of 1,093 litres per goat, with all milk going for cheese production. After touring the farm, delegates were split into three groups, with demonstrations on body condition scoring, milking parlour management and oral rehydration therapy.
The meeting on the second day began with a short annual meeting, at which the Nick Clayton Cup was presented to Arthur Otter (in his absence accepted by the author) for the best paper from 2023 meetings.
The first paper of the day was given by Jonathan Statham, chairperson of the Animal Health and Welfare Board England.
On 11 November 2020, the Agricultural Act 2020 entered the statute book, marking the ending of the UK’s involvement in the Common Agricultural Policy. Major changes were ahead, with environmental policy becoming the driving force behind both agriculture and food production.
Sustainable health and welfare can be achieved by reducing disease wastage – for example, through Johne’s disease control, a more efficient nutrition programme, and breeding for both resilience and efficiency.
The control of zoonotic disease and antimicrobial resistance awareness are also key factors. The Animal Health and Welfare Pathway was discussed, although this does not currently include goats.
A goat rotary carousel milking parlour.
Eleni-Anna Loundras – a molecular virologist from The Pirbright Institute – discussed the current bluetongue virus (BTV) situation in the UK and Europe. She reminded the audience that BTV is a non-contagious, vector-borne virus affecting sheep, goats, cattle, camelids and deer, and that significantly more than 29 distinct serotypes exist, resulting effectively in 29 separate diseases.
The most severe disease is seen in sheep, with goats and cattle typically acting as reservoir hosts with mild signs, but acting as reservoir hosts. Clinical signs in goats when affected include loss of appetite, depression, lethargy and a reduction in milk production.
BTV8 was confirmed in northern Europe in 2006, with confirmed disease in the UK in 2007, but was effectively controlled by vaccination. Currently in northern Europe (including the UK), the dominant serotype is BTV3.
It seems likely that BTV3 infection will overwinter in Europe and is likely to re-emerge again in the UK in 2024. With BTV3 vaccines available, this will offer the best means of control.
Satish Bhande, of Venky’s Indian goat division, then gave an overview of Indian goat keeping. With 148.6 million goats in total, the goat sector makes up 27.8% of India’s livestock sector.
Around 70% of this population is farmed traditionally in groups of between 2 and 50. Much larger units of up to 1,000 goats do exist, but these make up only 5% of the total population.
More than 50 registered goat breeds exist across the country, with some breeds being confined to only single states. Meat eating varies across India, with almost 100% of the population in the south being regular meat eaters, but only 31% in the north. Poultry makes up 50% of the meat eaten, with goats at around 14%.
The next speaker was Dave Bartley from the Moredun.
It is perhaps unfortunate that the two most pathogenic worm species (Haemonchus contortus and Teladorsagia) are also the two most likely to develop forms of anthelmintic resistance (AR).
Evolving as grazing ruminants seems to have led to a subdued immune response, such that significant worm burdens can be encountered in both young and adult goats. To compound this, the different metabolic pathways in goats to sheep results in more rapid metabolism of xenobiotics.
Turning to AR, the speaker described this as “when worm populations survive a correctly applied, standard dose of anthelmintic”. Resistant worms will continue the cycle by producing resistant offspring, and the process is irreversible.
One of the main drivers of resistance in goats has been underdosing by underestimating weights, poor drenching techniques and poorly maintained equipment in addition to different drug pharmacokinetics. Goats do metabolise anthelmintics faster than sheep, and higher dose rates are needed, taking care not to overdose with levamisole. Regular monitoring and checks on treatment efficacy are advised.
Tania Peralvarez from Hipra Products, Spain suggested that although clinical mastitis is not common in goats, sub-clinical mastitis can have a significant impact on milk yield and quality, and impact on resulting dairy products.
Vimco is a Staphylococcus aureus vaccine based on its biofilm antigen. The speaker discussed its role in controlling mastitis as part of any regular management programme already in place.
David Black, speaking on behalf of Vet Sustain, began by considering some definitions of the word sustainability. “Enough for everyone forever”, was one, while “meeting our own needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs” was another.
He also quoted a speech of Barack Obama in which he stated: “We are the first generation to feel the impact of climate change and the last generation that can do something about it.”
In addition to climate change, other issues to consider include the fact that 75% of newly recognised infectious diseases are zoonotic, alongside the constant threat of antimicrobial resistance. Vets typically live and work at the animal/human/environment intersection and are therefore in a unique position to have an influence on sustainability. The speaker then considered how delegates could embed sustainability in the way that goats are kept, managed and treated by owners, producers and vets.
The next speaker was the author, who had worked for 30 years as a veterinary investigation officer (VIO) with the APHA. He compared and contrasted the similarities to and the differences from abortion in sheep.
Data from two commercial herds gave “background” abortion rates of between 1.15%/annum and 3.1%/annum. The infectious agents causing abortion were similar in both species, but unlike sheep in which abortion occurs usually in the last three weeks of pregnancy, enzootic abortion in goats caused by Chlamydophila abortus results in much earlier fetal expulsion, with less dramatic placental pathology.
An aborted goat fetus
The importance of recognising the potential zoonotic implications of infectious causes of abortions – particularly on open farms on which goats are often kept – was emphasised. The speaker encouraged delegates to submit samples for laboratory examination, emphasising the importance in any submission of placenta including cotyledons.
Goats are more likely to consume placenta after kidding than sheep, meaning that it is often not readily available.
Karin Mueller from the University of Liverpool then covered the importance of recognising the risks and preventing neonatal losses.
She emphasised the importance of colostrum management, suggesting that the mean intake for a first feed should be 200ml (range 50-430) depending on birthweight, with 10% bodyweight being safe for a first tubing.
Hygiene at kidding was also of great importance. Some more unusual conditions to be aware of include abomasal bloat associated with excessive fermentation of high energy feed, resulting in abdominal enlargement and discomfort, and abomasitis involving Clostridium ventriculi (formerly Clostridium).
“Floppy kid disease” encountered between three days and three weeks of age is associated with a metabolic acidosis. The potential impact of dystocia resulting in hypoxia and rib fractures should also be considered as potential contributing factors.
The chairman of the BGS Nick Parr then gave an overview of the BGS and its origins, being founded in 1879.
The society keeps the national goat pedigree breed herd book – one of the oldest livestock records in the UK. It has more than 500 members from all parts of the goat-keeping family, has regular meetings and produces journals and leaflets for its members.
It also represents its members on a number of health schemes and initiatives, including for caprine arthritis encephalitis, Scrapie and more recently a Johne’s initiative with GVS.
Hayley Wighton a VIO from APHA Bury St Edmunds introduced the subject of health/disease surveillance in goats. One arc is “risk-based targeted surveillance”, such as TB testing in cattle; the second is “early warning surveillance” effectively monitoring disease trends.
The APHA currently has a network of laboratories around England and Wales, supported by what are referred to as partner providers based at veterinary schools. Free carcase collection is available from locations not close to one of these locations.
Delegates were directed to the APHA vet gateway website, where information on the diagnostic services available are given. Submissions from goats are sub-divided into age categories, and from submission forms completed can also include clinical presenting signs.
Diarrhoea was the main presenting signs when submitting material, and this was constant across all age groups. Not surprisingly, parasitic gastroenteritis was the most common diagnosis in all categories except neonates.
Jenny Hull of Black Sheep Farm Health gave the audience an account of urolithiasis presenting in a two-year-old castrated male. It was straining to urinate and in distress, its abdomen was tense and painful, and a very full bladder was evident on ultrasound.
It was decided to attempt surgical intervention, initially by urethral process amputation, although it proved difficult to exteriorise the penis, and surgery moved on to tube cystostomy.
After appropriate anaesthesia was achieved, the bladder was exposed via a paramedian incision partially emptied via syringe and needle to relieve the pressure and then flushed. A 16fg catheter was then inserted into the bladder, the abdomen was closed, and the catheter secured to the skin via a Chinese finger trap. Aftercare included meloxicam and antibiotic with oral ammonium chloride to prevent further calculus formation.
The final paper of the day came from GVS secretary Yasmine Cooper of Wright and Morten Farm Vets. She discussed a skin case in a two-year-old pygmy male goat showing alopecia over its back, neck and around the eyes, extending over a two-year period.
Ectoparasitic treatment and shampoos gave little relief although subsequent skin scrapes showed no parasites. Following second opinion discussion with Aiden Foster, further management of the case was directed towards pygmy goat syndrome described as an idiopathic keratinisation disorder and probably an inherited condition in the breed.
Further management of the condition was achieved by regular shampoo washes using keratolytic shampoos, prednisolone and zinc supplementation.
