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EXTERNAL ABSCESSES IN GOATS

Managing absesses is part of raising goats. Of the many kinds of bacteria that result in external abscesses in goats, Caseous Lymphadenitis is only one of them. None of them respond to antibiotics, either orally or injectably. None are desirable to have in a goat herd. But none of them should cause goat raisers to panic. They are manageable. The goat's body does a miraculous thing: The lymph system filters the bacteria into a thick-walled abscess outside the body to prevent illness in the goat. If the lymph system does its job, the goat never experiences any ill effects from the bacteria. There is no reason to euthanize the animal simply because it has an abscess. There are multiple lymph gland sites on the goat's body. The first set of lymph glands is in the head along the jaw line under the ears. Most abscesses, regardless of the bacteria involved, show up under the goat's ears. Location of the abscess does not identify the type of bacteria present.

The only accurate way to identify the type of bacteria is to have the pus (exudate) tested. Blood testing can produce false positives and false negatives. Bob Glass, owner of Pan American Vet Lab in Texas, offers accurate and reasonably priced testing. Contact Bob at 512-964-3927 and he can tell you how to collect the pus and ship it to him for testing.

One of the most common bacteria causing abscesses is currently called Truperella pyogenes. Formerly know as Arcanobacterium pyogenes or Actinomyces pyogenes, it is often the bacteria present in thorn, stick, wire, horn, or other externally caused injuries that develop into abcesses. Until the irritant is removed, the abscess gets bigger as the thorn or other object continues to irritate and the body reacts by producing fluids. Truperella pyogenes abscesses in chest walls can produce up to a gallon of liquid and must be lanced and drained to get the irritant out before the goat can heal.

The abscess most often mistaken for Truperella pyogenes is Caseous Lymphadenitis. Many goat owners as well as professionals in the veterinary and university worlds assume that any abscess is CL and that the animal should be destroyed. This is not true.

This most distressing part about raising goats is finding out that hardly anyone knows anything about them and so much misinformation/bad information is circulating about goats. This includes vets and universities. I've known two vets since I began raising goats in 1990 that knew anything about goats. I received a call from the chief vet of Canada a few years ago, asking for basic management information. He said he couldn't find any vet in Canada who knew basic goat husbandry. This is tragic.

External abscesses of all types are easily managed, including Caseous Lymphadenitis. Anyone who tells you otherwise is wrong. Over the last 30 years, I've received calls from multiple goat raisers who were told by UC-Davis or WADDL to destroy their herd that tested positive for CL and killed them, then found my article on CL and called me after the fact. Occasionally a goat is so badly infected that management isn't an option, but this is rare.

Injectable antibiotics are not effective because the bacteria is encapsulated into a thick-walled abscess outside of the goat's body. So the appropriate treatment is to wait until the abscess is soft, lance it with a #10 disposable scalpel, squeeze out the pus, and flush with iodine. My article on Caseous Lymphadenitis on the Articles page at www.tennesseemeatgoats.com details now to cut, clean, and flush abscesses. Using 10% Formalin is not a good alternative in most instances, especially Truperella pyogenes. And the only way you will know what bacteria you are dealing with is to have the pus (exudate) tested. Bob Glass, owner of Pan American Vet Lab in Texas, performs these tests quite reasonably. Contact Bob at 512 964 3927.

Internal abscesses, which are not common in goats, require a different approach which will be addressed in another article.

Suzanne W. Gasparotto, ONION CREEK RANCH, Texas 5.1.25

CASEOUS LYMPHADENITIS - UPDATE IN 2025

Since Texas Vet Lab's vaccine to prevent CL in goats was permanently withdrawn from the market on June 1, 2021, because sales were not enough to continue vaccine production, how do goat raisers handle CL? The CaseBac vaccine for CL in sheep does not prevent CL in goats and its manufacturer, Colorado Serum, recommends against its usage with goats.

Caseous Lymphadenitis is a contagious bacterial infection that appears at lymph gland sites as abscesses. Not all abscesses are CL, but the contents of all abscesses should be tested to determine their bacterial content. Because the bacteria Corynebacterium Pseudotuberculosis is resistant to all antibiotics, Caseous Lymphadenitis (CL) should be considered neither curable nor completely preventable at this time. However, CL is MANAGEABLE.

CL is primarily a management and nuisance disease. Unlike Caprine Arthritic Encephalitis (CAE) and Johnes Disease, CL does not damage the health of or kill the goat except in very rare instances. CL also does NOT pass in semen, vaginal fluids, saliva, or milk. The bacteria only passes from goat to goat by direct contact with the pus, either through cuts on the body or oral ingestion by the goat. Quality goats do not have to be culled or euthanized. Caseous Lymphaditis is manageable.

Most abscesses, whether CL or another bacteria, appear under the ear, because that is the location of the first set of lymph glands closest to the mouth where the pus was likely ingested.

If you buy and sell goats or have any significant number of them, you are likely to encounter CL. Transmission vectors (ways to spread the disease) can be insects, birds, animals, tires, clothing, footwear, and a host of other ways over which you have little control.

Prepare yourself in advance on how to manage and control CL.

Alternative #1: Have an AUTOGENOUS vaccine made for use with your herd. Texas Vet Lab, now owned by Bimeda, may develop an autogenous vaccine for you. Goat raisers must go through a licensed vet to obtain this vaccine and that VOR (Veterinarian of Record) must make the contact with Bimeda or other vaccine manufacturer. The minimum order is usually 1000 doses. The VOR must collect samples of pus from actively infected goats and ship them to the chosen lab. Make arrangements through your goat vet.

Alternative #2: Formalin, chemically classified as a DISINFECTANT , is a buffered solution of formaldehyde. I recommended its usage before the Texas Vet Lab vaccine was available, and I am again suggesting investigating its usage now that the vaccine is off the market ONCE YOU DETERMINE THAT THE BACTERIA IN THE ABSCESS IS CASEOUS LYMPHADENITIS. While Formalin usage will not cure CL (nothing will, at present), it does provide an effective management and control alternative, and IF USED PROPERLY, can be very effective. Use only 10% buffered Formalin.

The FIRST STEP is to make sure that you are dealing with CL. Do NOT automatically assume that an abscess is CL. There are many types of abscesses, and most types need to be lanced, drained, and flushed with iodine; they should NOT be injected with Formalin.

Bob Glass, owner of Pan American Vet Lab near Austin, Texas, can test for CL. He performs both blood and exudate (pus) tests. Blood tests are not nearly as reliable as testing the pus. Call Bob Glass at 512 964 3927 or email him at bglass@pavlab.com for collection instructions, shipping, and pricing.

Alternative #3: Lance the abscess with a #10 scalpel, clean out the pus, and flush with strong iodine or equivalent. Confine the goat to the "sick pen" until the abscess heals over and put the animal back in the herd.

Whether you choose to lance the abscess or inject 10% buffered Formalin into it, the ONLY time to lance or use 10% buffered Formalin is when the hair has begun to come off and the knot is soft. CL abscesses do not appear overnight -- you just didn't notice its development. CL abscesses develop slowly over a period of weeks or months as the lymph gland system filters this bacteria from the body into an encapsulated abscess outside the body. Some abscesses encapsulate into several knots, while others become a single mass. Pregnant does are a special concern, because you don't want newborn kids exposed to the CL bacteria if the abscess ruptures. See my article on how to use 10% buffered Formalin to control CL abscesses on www.tennesseemeatgoats.com or in MeatGoatMania.

Note: I am NOT a veterinarian and the usage of Formalin is NOT "approved" for this specific purpose, but it isn't illegal either, to my knowledge. You may find difficulty in locating and purchasing this product. Like so much of what we have to use with goats, this is an off-label/extra-label usage. Withdrawal time isn't an issue since the Formalin goes into the encapsulated abscess, not the goat's body.

CL abscesses encapsulate; they create a thick wall around the exudate (pus), isolating the infected material from the rest of the goat's body. It is highly unlikely that Formalin would be able to migrate to any other part of the goat's body IF you use it correctly.

When a goat is slaughtered and the hide is removed, subcutaneous (under-the-skin) abscesses peel off with the hide. Internal organs that have abscesses, such as udders and lungs, go into the offals (trash) bucket as parts of the goat that are not eaten. Abscesses are visible in the organs of slaughtered goats, making them easy to recognize, cut out, and discard.

Above all else, find out what bacteria you are dealing with and do NOT use Formalin with abscesses other than CL.

Suzanne W. Gasparotto, ONION CREEK RANCH, Texas 5.1.25