Buy from
Johne's disease-free herds and use good hygiene for rearing of kids.
Kids should be kept
away from infected adults and adult manure that may be contaminated with the organism.
Learn the Johne's disease infection or test status of the source herd for any
goats you are considering for purchase. Should you need to hand-rear kids, use
pasteurized milk.
The most
common way that the infection is introduced to a herd is through purchase of an
animal from an infected herd. Prior to purchase, the optimal course is to learn
the test-status of the source herd and to test
the goats that are to be purchased. If the prevalence of M. paratuberculosis
infection is not known, the best most purchasers can do is to closely assess the
body condition of all the adult animals in the source herd, discuss the clinical
history of the herd over the past few years with seller and the seller's veterinarian
if possible and test the animal to be purchased by AGID or fecal culture. Results
for the test should be received prior to introducing the goat to the new herd.
Following
general rules of sanitation are helpful in blocking transmission
of the infection should it sneak into the herd. Feeders and waterers
should be designed to minimize fecal contamination. Kidding should
occur in clean, dry areas. Animals with weight loss or diarrhea
should be segregated from the rest of the herd and tested.
test
the goats that are to be purchased. If the prevalence of M. paratuberculosis
infection is not known, the best most purchasers can do is to closely assess the
body condition of all the adult animals in the source herd, discuss the clinical
history of the herd over the past few years with seller and the seller's veterinarian
if possible and test the animal to be purchased by AGID or fecal culture. Results
for the test should be received prior to introducing the goat to the new herd.
