[Rhi]

Hi, I have 4 goats,
We live on a large farm and our cattle have gone down with TB, I have been told goat need testing for TB?
Is this true? Can they get it or carry it?
Also do the restrictions with our cattle affect goat movements?
Thank you

[Anke]

Yes, they will be tested along similar lines to cattle. Same consequences as cattle if they are positive. Sorry, but unfortunately goats can and do get bTB. There was an outbreak in the Golden Guernsey herd in Wales a few years back.
As far as I know, if you are on a farm shutdown your goats can't go anywhere either. But your local AH will advise, your vet wil also know.
I am sorry, but hopefully your goats won't test positive. Where in the country are you?
Are you drinking the milk? If yes, you would be safer to pasteurize it from now on.

[Rhi]

Thanks, I'm in mid wales. Oh dear I wasn't aware, thank goodness I asked, our whole cattle herds due to be re tested next week after having 2 reactors in a test before sending stores to market.
We don't milk, I just keep them as a hobby and was hoping to breed off them.
Thank you

[Anke]

If you want to breed from them this year and maybe are on a standstill/shutdown, it may be best for you to buy in a male or see if there is a local person that is a trained (goat) AI inseminator (and has their own tank for storing straws). May be quite difficult to get a male on loan or send the girls away.
What breed are your goats?

[Rhi]

This was my dilemma, I was concerned about the TB as my girls we're supposed to go away to stud, but I'm now considering buying my own billy.
I have abit of a mix, 1x togg, 1x togg x saanen, 1x saanen and 1x guernsey x saanen, none are registered, just pets and abit of a hobby. X

[Rhi]

I have just spoken to my vet, and because I'm not milking or consuming their milk they don't have to be tested. Which is a huge relief, but even though I only have 4 girls, I'm considering buying my own billy anyway, make thing a little less complicated. Thanks

[bloomer]

surely if the cattle are positive you want the goats tested, as otherwise they will keep infecting other animals surely???

[Penninehillbilly]

surely if the cattle are positive you want the goats tested, as otherwise they will keep infecting other animals surely???

I agree, for your own piece of mind as well, if you do get more reactors in the cattle (hoping you don't of course) then there would always be that question - if only?

[Anke]

mmmmmh.... difficult one I think   I was under the impression that you don't have a choice. But I am in Scotland, and so far no TB here.
When the outbreak happened in the Golden Guernsey herd it caused a lot of heartache as goats had been sold from the initial outbreak farm (it was then thought that goats cannot get bTB, and to date I think the only outbreak has been in GG's)....
But humans do get bTB too, so another thought to consider... I normally get quite close to my girls, and the goat kids have no manners like "hand-in-front-of-your-mouth" when coughing, even when jumping up to me (and my human kids). I would probably be worried sick that my human kids could be getting infected, and for peace of mind have the goats tested.
But if the goats test positive.... 
Your vet will be the best person to advise. Do you know any other goatkeepers nearby?
Re male - I would go with a Saanen type, but then most will turn out white...

[Rhi]

I have been led to believe by my vet that goats can carry TB to cattle but not actually get it (I think =/) the goats don't mix with the cattle, and the ones that reacted we're on our other farm, but because its the same holding number we automatically go down, because the 2 who reacted we're kept isolated before sending away if we don't get any reactors next time we hopefully have restrictions lifted. I only know one person with A goat local to me, I know there are people within a 20 mile radius who keep them, and I've asked them and none of them test for TB, which I was suprised at.
I never realised getting some goats as pets would be such a complicated hobby, my husband doesn't like them anyway, he'll like them even less now!! X

[SallyintNorth]

I am in Scotland, and so far no TB here.

Scotland's status is "TB free" but it is a fallacy to think that this means there is no TB in Scotland.  There are cases from time to time; there was one in Dumfriesshire (in cattle) fairly recently.  But the level at which there are cases in Scotland allows the country to use the status "TB free". 

Don't ask me, I don't make up the rules. 

[jinglejoys]

I had TB in the 60's apart from check ups at the doctors and taking some ghastly quinine tasting milk shakes twice a day no big deal (Mum had it and was sent away to knighton clinic where the windows were left open and the squirrels and snow came in...all visitors wore thick coats.Dad got fed up after 9mnths of travelling 50mls and no improvement and insisted she was moved to the clinic two miles away.Warm wards and proper care and she was out in two months)
   I don't think goat TB is the same as the cattle one is it from what I can remember...just hope you don't vaccinate for Johannes because it can cause positive tests

[Dogwalker]

I think from recent reading and talking to the vet, goats can get bTB but are more resistant to it. She checked with AH for me and said if the neighbouring farm came down with it again, my goats would get tested by AH. It's a blood test, not the same as the cattle test.
 All the goats in the badger vaccination area were apparently tested in the spring and none had TB.

[plumseverywhere]

This is something I worry about quite a lot as we live on land that was formerly used to film BBC Badgerwatch as we have so many! I keep goats on that land and the neighbouring farmer has Dexter cattle. He lost a whole herd (small herd) to TB 3 years back.
Am I right in thinking that DEFRA contact us to say if there's a local outbreak? I might have dreamt that.

[Dogwalker]

This is something I worry about quite a lot as we live on land that was formerly used to film BBC Badgerwatch as we have so many! I keep goats on that land and the neighbouring farmer has Dexter cattle. He lost a whole herd (small herd) to TB 3 years back.
Am I right in thinking that DEFRA contact us to say if there's a local outbreak? I might have dreamt that.

I think Animal Health deal with it but talk to your vet if your worried about it, they'll know the local situation.