Results of the CAE Test
After poor Falsie came down with severe arthritis and pneumonia for a week or two we tested her for a condition called CAE (Caprine Arthritis Encephalitis Virus) and she tested positive. After this result we took blood from all our does and sent it off to be analyzed. The results are:
positive - they have the CAE virus (ie: bad news)
negative - they do not have the CAE virus (ie: good news)
# Name Status Birth Date Local Mother CAE Rasputin buck 3/2/08 Dairy son of Prince Mac. weak pos DOES 2 Triple Teat milking 1999 Dairy negative 6 Gracie milking 2002 Dairy positive 7 Duchess milking 2/1/03 Dairy Big Mama weak pos 9 Jezabelle milking 2000 Dairy weak pos 10 Allie milking 6/3/05 Dairy Duchess positive 13 Phoebe milking 5/1/04 Dairy # Nine negative 14 Vivie dry 5/1/04 Dairy Triple Teat negative 20 Saxon milking 2/22/07 Dairy Gracie negative 4 Falsie dry 1998 Dairy positive 17 Squash dry 5/30/06 back Falsie weak pos 15 Wappy dry 5/30/06 back Falsie positive 12 Eliza dry 5/13/05 back Big Mama positive 19 Vicki dry 12/21/08 back Rebecca positive 21 Maasai dry 3/3/07 back Eliza negative Frosty dry 4/1/02 back Pleasant Farm Snow negative KIDS 22 Ellie 5/8/05 back #2, Triple negative 23 Sahara 5/23/08 back #7, Duchess negative 24 Freya 5/23/08 back #13, Phoebe negative 25 Suzie 6/5/08 back #6, Gracie negative 26 Columbia 6/10/08 back #20, Saxon negative
This is good, bad, and wacky. The primary way the CAE virus is passed is through colostrum. So technically everyone who has nursed off a mom who has CAE should also have CAE . . . but Falsie who certainly has the virus also has triplets! One of the triplets is positive, as expected (Wappy - #15). The other is Squash (#17) who has a "weak positive" . . . i have no idea what that means and from what i can tell by my research, no one else does either.
I think I'm going to treat all the weak positives as if they were complete positives just to be safe, but what's weird is that I have these kids (#22-#26) who are all negative, but some of them have moms that definitely have the disease. Take Suzie (#25) for example! Her mom, Gracie, definitely has CAE (i knew that before we even sent the test away just by how she acts and her milk production levels), but Suzie tested negative. There is controversy that kids can be tested too young for the disease to show up in their blood . . . but what does that mean for the other weak positives? Does that mean they really are positive? I am certain that Jezabelle (#9) is positive beyond a doubt. Duchess is obviously positive because her mom was Big Mama . . . who tested positive before she died. Allie being positive is a serious blow to our organization. She is out absolute best producer right now and to have her producing kids that are CAE positive would suck like crazy!!!!
Basically this disease will probably be the cause of death for these goats, or at least the reason why we decide to put them to sleep. It can manifest in several different ways. Way 1: nasty death of young kids, Way 2: neurologic problems (encephalitis), Way 3: chronic pneumonia, Way 4: chronic mastitis and CL absesses, Way 5: degenerative arthritis. These manifestations are not exclusive of one another, for instance: Jezabelle has chronic mastitis, CL absesses, and degenerative arthritis. Martin (who is Jezabelle's kid and also tested "weak positive") has encephalitis and facial abnormalities characteristic of encephalitis, chronic pneumonia, and degenerative arthritis. The method of treatment is prevention: prevent kids from nursing off an infected doe. Some people say that CAE can be contracted en utero, but most people say that if you prevent a kid from getting infected colostrum then you're free and clear. Not much is known about it though.
I must say, I'm sad to see who is infected, but I honestly thought there would be more does with CAE in our herd. Thank God Phoebe, Triple, Vivie, Maasai, and Frosty are safe! I question Saxon's negative result because her mom was Gracie . . . but Freya, Ellie, and Columbia have a great chance of being negative as well! And thank God that we bred Maasai and Frosty for the express purpose of having other kids nurse off of them if some of our other girls tested positive! Wheew =)
positive - they have the CAE virus (ie: bad news)
negative - they do not have the CAE virus (ie: good news)
# Name Status Birth Date Local Mother CAE Rasputin buck 3/2/08 Dairy son of Prince Mac. weak pos DOES 2 Triple Teat milking 1999 Dairy negative 6 Gracie milking 2002 Dairy positive 7 Duchess milking 2/1/03 Dairy Big Mama weak pos 9 Jezabelle milking 2000 Dairy weak pos 10 Allie milking 6/3/05 Dairy Duchess positive 13 Phoebe milking 5/1/04 Dairy # Nine negative 14 Vivie dry 5/1/04 Dairy Triple Teat negative 20 Saxon milking 2/22/07 Dairy Gracie negative 4 Falsie dry 1998 Dairy positive 17 Squash dry 5/30/06 back Falsie weak pos 15 Wappy dry 5/30/06 back Falsie positive 12 Eliza dry 5/13/05 back Big Mama positive 19 Vicki dry 12/21/08 back Rebecca positive 21 Maasai dry 3/3/07 back Eliza negative Frosty dry 4/1/02 back Pleasant Farm Snow negative KIDS 22 Ellie 5/8/05 back #2, Triple negative 23 Sahara 5/23/08 back #7, Duchess negative 24 Freya 5/23/08 back #13, Phoebe negative 25 Suzie 6/5/08 back #6, Gracie negative 26 Columbia 6/10/08 back #20, Saxon negative
This is good, bad, and wacky. The primary way the CAE virus is passed is through colostrum. So technically everyone who has nursed off a mom who has CAE should also have CAE . . . but Falsie who certainly has the virus also has triplets! One of the triplets is positive, as expected (Wappy - #15). The other is Squash (#17) who has a "weak positive" . . . i have no idea what that means and from what i can tell by my research, no one else does either.
I think I'm going to treat all the weak positives as if they were complete positives just to be safe, but what's weird is that I have these kids (#22-#26) who are all negative, but some of them have moms that definitely have the disease. Take Suzie (#25) for example! Her mom, Gracie, definitely has CAE (i knew that before we even sent the test away just by how she acts and her milk production levels), but Suzie tested negative. There is controversy that kids can be tested too young for the disease to show up in their blood . . . but what does that mean for the other weak positives? Does that mean they really are positive? I am certain that Jezabelle (#9) is positive beyond a doubt. Duchess is obviously positive because her mom was Big Mama . . . who tested positive before she died. Allie being positive is a serious blow to our organization. She is out absolute best producer right now and to have her producing kids that are CAE positive would suck like crazy!!!!
Basically this disease will probably be the cause of death for these goats, or at least the reason why we decide to put them to sleep. It can manifest in several different ways. Way 1: nasty death of young kids, Way 2: neurologic problems (encephalitis), Way 3: chronic pneumonia, Way 4: chronic mastitis and CL absesses, Way 5: degenerative arthritis. These manifestations are not exclusive of one another, for instance: Jezabelle has chronic mastitis, CL absesses, and degenerative arthritis. Martin (who is Jezabelle's kid and also tested "weak positive") has encephalitis and facial abnormalities characteristic of encephalitis, chronic pneumonia, and degenerative arthritis. The method of treatment is prevention: prevent kids from nursing off an infected doe. Some people say that CAE can be contracted en utero, but most people say that if you prevent a kid from getting infected colostrum then you're free and clear. Not much is known about it though.
I must say, I'm sad to see who is infected, but I honestly thought there would be more does with CAE in our herd. Thank God Phoebe, Triple, Vivie, Maasai, and Frosty are safe! I question Saxon's negative result because her mom was Gracie . . . but Freya, Ellie, and Columbia have a great chance of being negative as well! And thank God that we bred Maasai and Frosty for the express purpose of having other kids nurse off of them if some of our other girls tested positive! Wheew =)