Goats: vaccination

programme
Goats are susceptible to a number
of diseases. This programme is
only an indication of the type of
vaccinations that should or can
be given to goats. To determine
if it is necessary to use a specific
vaccine various factors have to
be taken into account, such as
area, the diseases which occur in
your area and the management
system. Whether the animals are
kept in intensive farming systems
is another important consideration.
Consult your local veterinarian if
you have questions about specific
vaccinations.
Vaccination programme

Month Essential vaccines Optional vaccines

January

Kids (4–5 months • Epididymitis (male goats) • Quarter evil

of age) (Brucella melitensis) (1st inoculation)

Weaning • Enterotoxaemia • Botulism

(oil vaccine) (1st inoculation)

Adult animals • Anthrax (in areas where

the disease occurred in
the last 5 years)

February

Adult animals • Enzootic abortion • Blue udder

(4–6 weeks before (Chlamydia) • Wesselbron disease*
breeding season) • Rift Valley fever

Kids • Enterotoxaemia • Rift Valley fever

(5–6 months old) (oil vaccine) • Wesselbron disease*
• Quarter evil
(2nd inoculation)
• Botulism (2nd inoculation)
• Anthrax (only if disease
occurred in the area for
the last 5 years)

March

From 15 March
breeding season

April/May

All animals • Botulism

• Pasteurella
• Quarter evil

*If not immunised before

——
Month Essential vaccines Optional vaccines

June

Adult animals • Tetanus (if kids are castrated • Blue udder

(not immunised before) using rubber ring) (1st inoculation)
(6–8 weeks before (1st inoculation)
kidding) • Vitamins A, D, E

All animals • Deworm

July

Adult animals • Tetanus (if kids are castrated • Blue udder

(not immunised before) using rubber ring) (2nd inoculation)
(2–4 weeks before (2nd inoculation)
kidding) • Vitamins A, D, E
• Pasteurella

Adult animals • Tetanus

(2–4 weeks before • Pasteurella
kidding)

August

Kids • Pasteurella
(2 weeks old) • Vitamins A, D, E
• Heartwater (in heartwater
area)

September

All animals • Enterotoxaemia (alum) • Pasteurella

• Deworm

Kids • Pasteurella
(6 weeks old)

October

All animals • Deworm

——
Remarks
• Bluetongue rarely occurs in goats as severely as it does in sheep, and
therefore is not mentioned in the list.

• Rift Valley fever and Wesselbron disease are rainfall related (distributed
by mosquitoes) and animals should only be vaccinated if these
conditions occur. These diseases can result in heavy losses.

• Lamb dysentery does not often occur in goats and vaccination is

therefore not mentioned.

• Pasteurella is stress related, caused by adverse weather conditions,

weaning and change of diet. The animals should be vaccinated
preferably 2 months before a possible stressful time.

Diseases

Enterotoxaemia

(Pulpy kidney/bloednier)

Cause: Clostridium perfringens, also known as Clostridium welchii type D

(bacterium)

Symptoms: • Acute death of animals.

• Laboured breathing, salivation, diarrhoea.
• Twitching muscles, rolling eyes, grinding of teeth.
• Many animals in one herd (herd problem).

Treatment: Unsuccessful, because disease is noticed too late.

Prevention: • Vaccinate all animals according to the vaccination programme.

• Kids are vaccinated 2 times with an interval of 4–6 weeks.
• Adults are vaccinated annually.
• Do not make sudden changes in diet, grazing or deworming.
• Vaccinate at least 3 weeks before deworming.
• In a severe outbreak you may consider treating all animals once
with a long-acting tetracycline.

——
Pasteurella

(Pasteurellosis/infectious pneumonia/harslagsiekte)

Cause: Pasteurella haemolytica and Pasteurella multocida (bacterium)

Symptoms: • Acute death of animals.

• Fever, lack of appetite, rapid breathing.
• Coughing, loss of condition, difficult breathing, discharge from nose
and eyes.
• Animals lie down with neck stretched out.

Treatment: Inject with sulpha or oxytetracycline (Sulphatrim or Liquamycin L A).

Prevention: • Vaccinate all animals according to vaccination programme. The

vaccine does not give complete protection, therefore cases of
pasteurella can still occur.
• Kids are vaccinated 2 times with an interval of 4–6 weeks, with an
oil vaccine.
• Adults are vaccinated annually with an alum vaccine.
• This disease is stress related. Make sure animals are protected
against possible stress: weather, weaning, scarcity of feed, etc.

Epididymitis

(Brucellosis)

Cause: Brucella ovis (bacterium)

Symptoms: • At first swelling of the testes, later only a hard area in the testes.
• Leads to infertility of the males.

Treatment: • No treatment.
• Infected animals should be removed from the herd.

Prevention: • Vaccination of male goats at weaning.

• Males should be tested for diseases before introduction into a herd.
• Do not vaccinate female goats, this may cause abortion.

——
Enzootic abortion

(Chlamydiosis)

Cause: Chlamydia psittaci (bacterium).

Symptoms: • Low kidding percentage.

• Abortion in later stage of pregnancy.
• Weak lambs.

Treatment: • No treatment.
• Infected animals should be removed from the herd.

Prevention: Vaccination of all animals before annual breeding season.

Rift Valley fever

(Enzootic hepatitis/RVF)

Cause: Bunyavirus

Symptoms: • Acute death of kids.

• Kids show fever, tremors and weakness, adults abort.

Treatment: No treatment.

Prevention: • Vaccination (once per animal, lifelong immunity).

• Vaccination together with that for Wesselbron disease.

Wesselbron disease

Cause: Flavivirus

Symptoms: • Acute death of kids, not as acute as in RVF.

• Kids show fever, tremors and weakness, adults abort.

Treatment: No treatment.

Prevention: • Vaccination (lifelong immunity).

• Vaccination together with that for Rift Valley fever.
• These two diseases are difficult to distinguish.

——
Heartwater

(Rickettsiosis/hartwater)

Cause: Cowdria ruminantium (Rickettsia)

Symptoms: • Loss of appetite, listlessness, rapid breathing.

• Followed by muscular tremors, circular movements, grinding of
the teeth.
• Recovering animals show diarrhoea.
• Immune animals show a slight fever.

Treatment: • Treatment should occur as early as possible (preferably before

the nervous symptoms occur).
• Oxytetracycline (Liquamycin L A).

Prevention: • Vaccination after 2 weeks of age may cause severe disease reaction,
therefore end treatment on day 8 or 9 with long-acting tetracycline in
a lower dose than prescribed.
• Eliminate transmission (the bont tick) by dipping.
• Do not import animals from a heartwater-free area into a heartwater
area without vaccination.

Blackquarter

(Quarter evil/Black leg/sponssiekte)

Cause: Clostridium chauvoei (bacterium)

Symptoms: • Fever, loss of appetite, stiffness and swelling of affected area.

• Initially the swelling is hot and painful, but soon becomes cold
and painless.
• Overlying skin becomes dark.
• Death occurs within 24–36 hours.

Treatment: • Early treatment is necessary, as soon as fever occurs.

• Treat with penicillin or oxytetracycline (usually unsuccessful).

Prevention: • Vaccination, twice at about weaning age, repeat annually.

• Disease is almost always result of infection of a wound, management
practices (castrating, etc.) and environmental causes (steekgras,
thornbushes, etc.).
• Hygiene is very important.
• Destruction of carcasses by burning.

——
Botulism

(Lamsiekte/gallamsiekte)

Cause: Clostridium botulinum (bacterium)

Symptoms: • Stiffness of the limbs (noticed in leg and neck muscles).

• Followed by partial or complete paralysis of all muscles.
• Tongue may protrude.
• In less acute cases, animals have difficulty feeding and drinking.

Treatment: No treatment.

Prevention: • Vaccination (especially if animals are fed with chicken litter), twice at
about weaning age, repeat annually.
• Destroy all carcasses.
• Bacteria form spores which occur in the soil. Make sure animals
do not suffer from mineral deficiency and show signs of pica.

Blue udder

(Blue bag)

Cause: Staphylococcus areus or Pasteurella haemolytica (bacterium)

Symptoms: • Occur in female goats soon after kidding or even before.

• Udder becomes infected, swollen and painful, later it turns purple
to blue.
• Loss of appetite and fever, milk is abnormal and may cause death
of kid(s).
• Toxins produced by the bacteria cause general disease signs and
eventually death.

Treatment: • Difficult and costly to treat.

• Penicillin or oxytetracycline.

Prevention: • Hygiene.
• Vaccination, animals that have not been immunised before are given
two vaccinations, 6–8 weeks and 2–4 weeks before kidding.
Repeat annually.

——
Anthrax

(Miltsiekte)

Cause: Bacillus anthracis (bacterium)

Symptoms: • Acute death without any symptoms.

• High fever, shivering and trembling, sometimes diarrhoea.
• Rapid bloat and decomposing of the carcass. Rigor mortis does not
occur.
• After death blood appears at the natural openings (nose, anus, etc.).

NEVER
NEVER OPEN
OPEN THETHE CARCASS!!
CARCASS!! ThisThis
will will spread
spread the disease.
the disease.

Treatment: No treatment. Disease is noticed too late.

Prevention: • Vaccination if there are known cases in the area for the last 5 years.
• Vaccination at weaning, 5 to 6 months of age, repeat annually.
Bury and burn carcass to prevent spread of the disease.
• Prevent animals from grazing near the infected areas.

NOTIFY
NOTIFY THE
THE STATE
STATE VETERINARIAN!
VETERINARIAN.

Caseous lymphadenitis

Cheesy gland disease/pseudotuberculosis/absesse

Cause: Corynebacterium ovis

Symptoms: Development of one or more abscesses in the lymphatic glands.

Treatment: Open mature abscess with a clean scalpel or knife on a soft spot.
Squeeze the pus out of the abscess and collect it in a tin or plastic
bag (do not leave it lying around). Rinse the empty abscess with
hydrogen peroxide. Fill the empty abscess with a disinfectant cream
and spray with a disinfectant. Inject the animal with penicillin to
prevent secondary infection.

Prevention: • Vaccination repeated every 6 months (not very successful, treatment

of the disease might be more economical).
• Does not provide complete cover. The disease might still occur.

——
 Tetanus

(Lock-jaw/klem-in-die-kaak)

Cause: Clostridium tetani (bacterium).

Symptoms: • Muscular stiffness, noticeable in neck and legs.

• Animal cannot eat or drink.
• Sensitive to any light touch, sharp noise or bright light.
• Animal may lie down on its side with stiff limbs stretched out and
off the ground.

Treatment: • Treat the animal with penicillin.

• Keep animal in a dark, quiet place.

Prevention: • Vaccination, twice, a month apart before kidding, then annually

1 month before kidding.
• Disinfecting of any wounds (castration, etc.).
• Do not use elastic bands for castration.

For further information contact the

ARC-Animal Nutrition and Animal Products Institute
Private Bag X2, Irene 1675
Tel: 012 672 9305

or

the Boer Goat Breeders’ Association of South Africa

Tel: 042 43 2130 or 042 243 2130

or

Döhne Agricultural Development Institute

Tel: 043 63 1240

— 10 —
 This publication is available on the web at: www.nda.agric.za/publications

2007 Third print

2003 Second print
1998 First print

Compiled by
Directorate Agricultural Information Services, Department of Agriculture
in cooperation with the Boer Goat Breeders’ Association of South Africa and
Döhne Agricultural Development Institute

Printed and published by

Department of Agriculture

Obtainable from
Resource Centre, Directorate Agricultural Information Services
Private Bag X144, Pretoria, 0001 South Africa