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PART II:  HOW TO USE 10% BUFFERED FORMALIN WITH CASEOUS LYMPHADENITIS ABSCESSES

First step is to make sure that the abscess is CL.   Abscesses that are not CL should be lanced, cleaned out, and flushed with strong  iodine or equivalent.   Do NOT inject Formalin into them.   For example,  arcanobacterium pyogenes (aka trueperella pyogenes) is often the bacteria found in abscesses involving thorns or other sharp objects that have entered  the goat's body.   Until the object is removed from the abscess, the body will continue to produce large amounts of fluid into an increasingly larger abscess.  I have seen a. pyogenes abscesses  in chest walls  that, when lanced, the pus filled  a gallon milk jug.   They must be lanced and cleaned out.

Supplies needed for using 10% buffered Formalin in a CL abscess:          3cc Luer-lock syringes, 25 gauge needles, disposable gloves, paper towels, protective eye wear,  plastic disposable Wal-Mart type bags, strong  iodine or equivalent in a squeeze bottle with an applicator tip, #10 disposable scalpels,  container into which discarded needles can be placed, bleach, bottle of 10% buffered Formalin, small-animal portable electric clippers or hand-operated hair-cutting scissors, and a strong person to hold the goat very still.

After you have had the exudate (pus) tested and determined that the abscess contains the CL bacteria,  then  put your fingers  around  the abscess.    If you can move the skin over it, the abscess is NOT ready for Formalin injection (or lancing). If you can get your fingers almost completely around the abscess and pull it away from the body, this means that the abscess is now adhered to the underside of the hide and almost always is soft enough to inject Formalin.   (If the pus inside the abscess is still hard, Formalin cannot mix with it and kill the bacteria.)   If you wait until the hair is completely off the abscess, the skin will be drawn too tight and  thin and injecting Formalin will likely  cause it to rupture. Formalin injection is most successful when the knot is soft, still has most of the hair on it, and can be pulled away from the body by wrapping your fingers around it.

NOTE: If you cannot or do not want to use  Formalin, you can cross-hatch lance, clean out, and flush with strong iodine, then isolate the goat for a few days to make sure the abscess isn't dripping.  You may have to go back in and clean it out a second time, repeating the procedure.  If pus drops on the ground or equipment, clean it up, properly dispose of it, and pour bleach over the area affected.

Using a 3 cc Luer-lock syringe (to prevent the needle from blowing off the syringe) and a 25-gauge needle (to produce as small a hole as possible to prevent Formalin backflow), have someone  hold the goat still.  Think of the abscess as a clock face and inject PARALLEL TO THE BODY  into the abscess at the 12 o'clock position (when the goat is on its feet) so that the Formalin is less likely to run out. Be positive that the needle is in the abscess and NOT in the goat's body. Be aware of major artery and vein locations in order to avoid them -- particularly the jugular vein in the goat's neck. While slowly pushing the syringe's plunger, move the needle inside the abscess in a windshield wiper motion to better distribute Formalin throughout the soft pus.

Start with a 3 cc syringe filled with about  1-1/2 cc's Formalin and SLOWLY fill the abscess until it is firm but not tight.   Use only what is needed;  do not overfill with Formalin.   Overfilling the abscess can result in swelling  and discomfort for the goat.   Feedback that I've received from people that have injected Formalin indicates that they often use too much.

Hold a paper towel over the injection site when the needle is removed to prevent Formalin from flowing back out,  like a lab technician does when drawing blood. Some goats seem to  feel the flow of Formalin, possibly in the form of coldness or pressure.    Mostly the goat doesn't like being held.

Confinement of the goat in your Isolation Pen is recommended until you are positive that you have the abscess sufficiently filled with Formalin. If you don't have an Isolation Pen, build one now.   Every goat raiser needs one.

Sometimes abscesses occur within abscesses. Check the goat's abscesses for several days after initial injection of Formalin, feeling for soft spots. It will always feel slightly soft around the perimeter of the abscess where it meets the goat's body.   Inject SMALL  amounts of  Formalin into any other remaining soft spots. The goal is to achieve a hard (embalmed) knot. Formalin combines with and hardens the pus quickly.

Once the abscess feels hard all over, leave it alone. Over a period of weeks, it will shrink as a hard black/grayish thick scab develops. Eventually the scab will loosen around the perimeter's edges and either fall off or will need to be gently pulled off. The hardened abscess that comes off will have dry pus inside that has been disinfected by the Formalin; dispose of it properly. Fresh pink skin will appear inside a slightly-recessed hole. Let it heal and hair grow over it.   If done correctly, no visible evidence of a CL abscess will remain. Put the goat back with its herd.

If you get Formalin on your skin or in your eyes or mucous membranes, flush thoroughly with clean tap water. While applying Formalin to the hoof of a goat with hoof rot, I have gotten Formalin in my eye (under my contact lens) and it didn't sting or affect my eyesight. Formalin is odorless, colorless, and the consistency of water.

The plus side of using Formalin to manage CL abscesses is no exposure of the bacteria to either the environment or other goats, no long-term isolation of the treated animals, and less stress on the goat raiser.  The negatives include concern about off-label usage, possible objection of some authorities to this application, and the fact that many goat raisers do not use the Formalin properly.     NOT  all abscesses are CL abscesses.  Have the PUS tested.

There are articles on my website's Articles page at www.tennesseemeatgoats.com on CL and other types of abscesses, as well as a diagram of lymph gland sites in the goat's body.

You must do your own due diligence and decide which course of action to follow when dealing with Caseous Lymphadenitis. It is my opinion that unless goat breeders want to continue destroying good animals and incurring the financial losses that such decisions bring, then we all must learn  how to manage  Caseous Lymphadenitis if and when it appears in our herds.

Suzanne W. Gasparotto, Onion Creek Ranch, Texas 10.1.22