EXTERNAL   ABSCESSES  AND  THE  BACTERIA  THAT  CAUSES   THEM

There are many kinds of bacteria that cause  external abscesses in goats.   None of them are desirable to have and none of them respond to antibiotics.    They are also nothing to get freaked out about.

The goat's body does a marvelous thing when certain bacteria are present.  The lymph system has the ability to push the bacteria outside of the goat's body  into a thick-walled abscess  that prevents the bacteria from making the goat sick.   If the lymph system  does its job, the goat never experiences any ill effect from the bacteria.  The goat does not have to be euthanized.    External abscesses are manageable.  This is simply part of raising livestock.

The most distressing part  of raising goats is learning that hardly anyone knows anything about them and that there is so much incorrect information available about them. Sadly, this too often includes vets and universities.

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.  Therefore, most abscesses, regardless of the bacteria causing them, show up first under the ears and down  the neckline.  Location of the abscess has nothing to do with the type of bacteria involved, nor does the look, smell, or consistency/texture of the pus (exudate).

The only way to find out what bacteria is involved is to have the pus (exudate) tested.   (Blood testing is available but is not as accurate as testing the pus.)  Bob Glass, owner of Pan American Vet Lab in Texas,  offers accurate and reasonably-priced testing.  Call Bob Glass at 512 964 3927.

One of the most common bacteria causing abscesses is currently named Truperella pyogenes.  Formerly known as Arcanobacterum pyogenes and Actinomyces pyogenes, this is often the bacteria present in thorn, stick, wire, horn, or other externally-caused injuries that develop into abscesses.   Until the item causing the irritation is removed,  the body continues to react by producing fluid-filled cavities.  Truperella pyogenes abscesses in chest walls can produce up to a gallon of liquid and must be 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 and too many professionals in the veterinary and university fields  think that any abscess is CL and that the goat should be destroyed.

This is not true.   External abscesses of any type are usually readily managed  -- including Caseous Lymphadenitis.   Anyone who tells you otherwise, vets and university personnel included, are simply WRONG.   Over my 35+ year career of raising goats, multiple people have called, telling me that labs (UC-Davis and WADDL were often mentioned) advised them to destroy their goats whose blood tests for CL were positive.   They euthanized their goats (in some cases, their entire herd), then they discovered my articles on CL and called me.   This is beyond sad. Very occasionally a goat is so badly infected that management isn't an option, but this is the exception, not the rule.

Injectable antibiotics are not effective because the bacteria is encapsulated in a thick-walled abscess outside the body (so that it doesn't hurt the goat).  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.  Using 10% buffered Formalin is not a good alternative in most instances, especially Truperella pyogenes (see reasons in paragraph above).  My article on Caseous Lymphadenitis on the Articles page of www.tennesseemeatgoats.com details how to cut, clean, and flush abscesses.  This procedure applies to most external abscesses.  External udder abscesses, which are not common in goats,  likely need the hand of a vet skilled at lancing abcesses on such a sensitive part of the doe's body.

Dairy-goat producers, who raise goats in close confinement, should want to lance and test the pus of the abscess to determine the bacteria involved.  Every goat raiser should have "sick pens" in which to isolate goats for such purposes.

Internal abscesses require a different approach and will be covered in another article.

Suzanne W. Gasparotto, ONION CREEK RANCH, Texas  4.1.24

The author, Suzanne Gasparotto, hereby grants to local goat publications and club newsletters, permission to reprint articles published on the Onion Creek Ranch website under these conditions: THE ARTICLE MUST BE REPRODUCED IN ITS ENTIRETY AND THE AUTHOR'S NAME, ADDRESS, AND CONTACT INFORMATION MUST BE INCLUDED AT THE BEGINNING OF THE REPRINT. We would appreciate notification from any clubs or publications when the articles are used. (A copy of the newsletter or publication would also be a welcome addition to our growing library of goat related information!)

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