[Bagot]

So we have three Bagot billies and were advised rather than vaccinating them with Lambivac we should use Heptavac P because it has a broader spectrum . However, two of our three billies have now got abscesses. One has already burst and we are treating it, cleaned the site this morning, one which has a very localised pussy sack which we will lance later and one which has a deeper lump which may yet develop into an abscess. Is this normal for a first vaccination of Hep? Haven't got the same reaction from the sheep, we have four Balwens. Interested in finding out what the general consensus is and whether we should just return to using Lambivac? 

[Anke]

I don't know where you got the info re Heptavac rather than Lambivac from, but actually goats are not very good at building up immunity from multi vaccines, and are also much less líkely to suffer from the 7 (or more) diseases covered by the likes of Heptavac. The two main killers are enterotoxaemia and pneumonia pasteurella, plus tetanus for young stock. So Lambivac followed by Ovipast would have been the right choice. Goats also need boosters more regularly than sheep, I now booster my younger stock at 3 to 4 monthly intervals, going to 6 monthly for older adults. Pasteurella every 6 months booster.


As to the abcess - this is more likely to be a reaction to the carrier fluid in the vaccine rather than the vaccine itself, and some goats get quite bad abcesses to Lambivac too. I normally don't touch them and they will eventually disappear.

[Bagot]

Thank you so much for your replies. The information came to me from a local farm supplies and then the vet also recommended Heptavac over Lambivac. I'm not sure what we should do now. Should we return to giving them Lambivac?

[Bagot]

I should add that this is the first Heptavac and that they should have a second one in four weeks.

[Anke]

Most vets aren't that well clued up on goats, they do not get much at vet school, unless they are really interested.


Historically many goatkeepers have used Heptavac, believing that the more diseases to be vaccinated against the better.


You can switch to Lambivac for the second shot if you want to, but then it may be better to have a booster sooner than 6 months. Lambivac vaccination does not always work either, I have had young goats dying of enterotoxaemia despite 6 monthly boosters, so now on 4 monthly system. There isn't that much research on vaccine efficacy for goats....


Heptavac isn't going to cause much harm, just maybe the immune response is not quite so good.

[Bagot]

That's incredibly useful information to have, as with many on here, what vets in a regular livestock practice really know about goats could be written on a the back of a fag packet. We have had our Bagots for less than a year, and we also have four Balwen sheep also which we have had for less than a year, so we are new to keeping livestock, well to be honest they aren't livestock but part of the family. I will absolutely join the GVS. Having access to information not readily out there would be very useful indeed. We are vegetarians so we want our ruminants to live out their lives in the best manner possible, therefore knowing the dos and don'ts is crucially important for us. 

[Bagot]

You are of course correct, we spend a lot of time with them, all they want from us are cuddles...really seriously, they like me putting my head underneath theirs and then they fall asleep on top of me. I work from home anyway, so they are great to have around and a good distraction. We are slaves to them!! But we have 12 cats so we know what being a human slave to our animals means. We've been conditioned. Balwens are far more independent and seem to be a lot more Zen about life. Saying that we have an issue with them at the moment because they have become photo-sensitive. Assuming they must consumed something they shouldn't have, only signs I can see are the tips of wild daffodils have been eaten. So they stay in their shelter in the day and come out once the sun has gone down and the temperature has dropped. We believe they have turned into vampyric sheep! Surely the only explanation. And before anyone accuses me of being dismissive of their current condition, we have had the vet out who had no idea what it could be. He thought Scab, but upon inspection they are showing no sign of it. Anyway, we are keeping them in at the moment just to see if it improves. Awaiting blood tests to confirm they have or haven't got scab. I have found no evidence to say that being light sensitive is a symptom of scab. Farmers sheep around us also aren't showing signs of Scab, so again I find myself returning to them having eaten something they shouldn't have. Bagots on the other hand seem fine. I chuckled at your reference to Bagots and grapes. Certainly their favourite treat.