Jacksonville Equine Associates provides veterinary care for goats, sheep, alpacas, and llamas throughout our Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia service area and at our Green Cove Springs clinic.  Small ruminants have unique preventative-care, nutritional, reproductive, and parasite-management needs. Our veterinarians work with owners of everything from family pets and small hobby herds to breeding and show animals to develop practical health-management plans for their animals.

 

Our small-ruminant services include wellness care, vaccinations, diagnostic testing, parasite management, reproductive services, pregnancy testing, disbudding, castration, minor procedures, and treatment of sick or injured animals.

 

Small Ruminant Wellness Care

Good nutrition and husbandry are the foundation of a healthy herd.  Routine veterinary care provides an opportunity to evaluate body condition, diet and mineral supplementation, vaccination status, parasite control, hoof health, reproductive management, and other herd-specific concerns.  Preventative-care recommendations vary considerably between goats, sheep, and camelids, so our veterinarians can help develop a program appropriate for your species, herd, and management system.

 

CDT Vaccination

The CDT vaccine is an important core vaccination for sheep and goats. It provides protection against diseases caused by Clostridium perfringens Types C and D and Clostridium tetani, the organism responsible for tetanus.

Adult animals with an unknown vaccination history generally require an initial series followed by regular boosters. Kids and lambs require an appropriate primary vaccination series, with timing influenced by the vaccination status of the dam and other individual risk factors.  Pregnant animals may also be vaccinated before giving birth to help increase protective antibodies available to newborns through colostrum.  Our veterinarians can recommend an appropriate vaccination schedule for your herd rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all protocol.

 

Herd Health & Disease Testing

Biosecurity is especially important when purchasing or introducing new animals.

A goat or sheep can appear completely healthy while carrying an infectious disease capable of spreading throughout a herd. Testing, quarantine, and purchasing animals from herds with established health programs can significantly reduce that risk.  Depending on the species and herd, our veterinarians can discuss testing for diseases including CAE/SRLV,

Caseous Lymphadenitis (CL), and Johne's disease.

 

CAE / Small Ruminant Lentivirus

Caprine Arthritis Encephalitis (CAE) is caused by a small-ruminant lentivirus. Infected goats may remain apparently healthy for years while still serving as a source of infection.

 

Clinical disease can take several forms and may include:

• Chronic arthritis or swollen joints

• Lameness or stiffness

• Neurologic disease in young goats

• Hard or abnormal udders

• Weight loss or poor condition

• Respiratory disease

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There is currently no treatment that eliminates the virus from an infected animal, making testing and herd-management practices particularly important.

 

Caseous Lymphadenitis (CL)

Caseous Lymphadenitis, commonly called CL, is caused by Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis.

Affected animals may develop abscesses involving external lymph nodes, but infection can also occur internally.

The organism can spread through drainage from abscesses and contamination of equipment, fencing, feeders, facilities, and other environmental surfaces.  Testing may include serology or bacterial culture of abscess material, depending on the individual situation.  Because interpretation isn't always straightforward, results should be considered along with the animal's history, clinical findings, and herd status.

 

Johne's Disease

Johne's disease is a chronic intestinal disease caused by Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP).

Animals are often infected when young but may not develop recognizable signs until much later in life. Clinical disease can include progressive weight loss and poor body condition despite continued appetite.

Johne's disease is particularly challenging because infected animals can potentially introduce MAP into the environment before obvious illness develops. Available testing may include serology, fecal PCR, and other diagnostic methods. No single test identifies every infected animal, particularly during the early stages of infection, so Johne's testing is often most useful as part of an ongoing herd-level disease-control program.

 

Parasite Management

Internal parasites are one of the most significant health challenges facing sheep and goats in the Southeastern United States.  Warm temperatures, humidity, and extended grazing seasons create favorable conditions for parasite transmission, while widespread resistance has made effective deworming increasingly challenging.

One of the most important parasites in our region is the barber-pole worm (Haemonchus contortus).

 

Barber-pole worms feed on blood and can cause:

• Anemia

• Pale eyelids and mucous membranes

• Weakness or exercise intolerance

• Swelling beneath the jaw ("bottle jaw")

• Poor growth or weight loss

• Collapse and death in severe cases

 

Importantly, barber-pole worm infection does not typically cause diarrhea, so normal stool does not rule out a potentially serious parasite burden.

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FAMACHA & Fecal Egg Counts

FAMACHA scoring is a valuable management tool for sheep and goats because it evaluates the color of the lower eyelid as an indicator of anemia associated with barber-pole worm infection.

However, FAMACHA only evaluates anemia. It does not identify every type of gastrointestinal parasite or tell us the complete parasite status of an animal.

That's why fecal egg counts (FECs) are another important part of parasite management.

 

Fecal egg counts can help:

• Estimate gastrointestinal parasite egg shedding

• Identify animals requiring closer evaluation

• Monitor parasite patterns within a herd

• Evaluate the effectiveness of a deworming program

• Detect possible dewormer resistance through appropriately timed fecal egg count reduction testing

 

Because resistance to commonly used dewormers is widespread, we encourage targeted treatment and strategic parasite management rather than automatically deworming every animal on a fixed schedule.

Severely anemic animals can become critically ill very quickly. Advanced cases may require intensive supportive care, including fluid therapy or blood transfusion, and recovery cannot always be guaranteed.

 

Kid Disbudding

Disbudding prevents horn development by destroying the horn-producing tissue while a kid is young.

Timing is important because horn development varies with breed, sex, genetics, and the individual kid. Rather than relying solely on a specific age, kids should be evaluated while the horn buds are still appropriate for disbudding.

Performing the procedure at the appropriate stage and with proper technique helps reduce complications and the development of scurs.  Because disbudding can cause significant pain, appropriate veterinary pain-management protocols are an important part of the procedure.  Older goats with established horns require a substantially different procedure, and dehorning is not the same as disbudding.

 

Goat Castration

Male goats that will not be retained for breeding are commonly castrated to prevent reproduction and reduce sexually driven behaviors.  Several methods of castration are available, and the appropriate method and timing depend on the individual animal, age, size, management situation, and intended use.

 

Jacksonville Equine Associates offers surgical castration when appropriate. Our veterinarians can discuss timing, anesthesia, pain management, tetanus protection, and aftercare with you before the procedure.

Because urinary calculi are an important concern in male goats and sheep, prevention should focus heavily on appropriate nutrition, mineral balance, adequate water intake, and overall management throughout the animal's life.

 

Small Ruminant Reproductive Services

Jacksonville Equine Associates can also assist with reproductive management for goats and other small-ruminant patients.

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Services may include:

• Reproductive examinations

• Pregnancy diagnosis

• Reproductive ultrasound

• Stall-side blood pregnancy testing for goats

• Pregnancy and kidding management

• Evaluation of reproductive problems

• Newborn care

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Our portable stall-side pregnancy testing allows us to obtain rapid blood-based pregnancy results for goats during certain farm visits, while ultrasound may be recommended when additional reproductive information is needed.

 

 

Small Ruminant Veterinary Care in Northeast Florida & Southeast Georgia

Jacksonville Equine Associates provides veterinary services for goats, sheep, alpacas, and llamas throughout our ambulatory service area in Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia. Small-ruminant patients are also welcome at our Green Cove Springs haul-in clinic, including owners who live outside our regular mobile service area.

Whether you need routine herd-health care, diagnostic testing, parasite management, reproductive services, pregnancy testing, or evaluation of a sick animal, our veterinarians can help develop a plan appropriate for your animals and management goals. 

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To schedule a small-ruminant appointment, contact Jacksonville Equine Associates at (904) 387-3330.