Background

Goat thinness is noticeable in appearance and weight and is the result of some unidentified problem. These are goats whose thinness is noticeable, their stance is unstable and their hair is thin and brittle. In most cases weight loss is the only noticeable clinical sign. Various factors can cause the phenomenon of thinness.

Possible factors for weight loss

Nutritional Factors

Nutritional factors are split in two:

• Primary causes - lack of suitable food or a specific nutrient. These are caused due to extensive interface conditions, lack of Suitable grazing, or overgrazing, overcrowding or severe weather conditions. All of these may impair the supply of the nutritional requirements of the goats.
• Secondary factors - factors that limit the ability of an animal to obtain or utilize foods served to it.

Behavioral issues

• Goats of a low social status in the herd hierarchy may be removed from food access by more dominant goats.

Mouth issues

• Goats with one jaw significantly shorter than the other, may have difficulty grasping and chewing food, especially in grazing. Worn teeth, gum problems, infections, tooth loss all aid in making grazing and eating in general difficult.
• In older goats teeth condition should be checked. Increased tooth erosion can be caused by a lack of calcium, or an inappropriate calcium to phosphorus ratio in the feed. Fluoride poisoning can also damage the teeth. Goats with tooth damage can lose weight and as a result be exposed to diseases such as pneumonia and pregnancy poisoning. Gum disease can also aid in the process of tooth loss.
• The signs of loss of molars are an accumulation of food in the tooth pocket (which will make the goat's jaw appear swollen), food falling from the mouth, and a foul odor from the goat's breath.
• Mild dental problems can be treated by providing softer or ground food. In some cases, unevenly worn teeth can be sanded. The right ratio of calcium to phosphorus in the dish must be maintained.
• Goats with severe dental problems should be removed from the herd.

Leg injuries

• Injuries to the legs can impair grazing and eating from the manger. Injury to the legs causes pain and the goat prefers to lie down rather than get up to eat. Injuries are due to hoof rot, abscesses, chronic arthritis caused by goats by mycoplasma or CAE, or non-infectious conditions such as fracture, trauma and damage to the peripheral nerves.

Health Factors

Viral diseases

CAE

The main disease that causes chronic weight loss in goats is Caprine Arthnitis Encephalitis This is a viral disease that affects various body systems as well as joints, leading to weight loss.

symptoms of CAE

The first sign of CAE is an unexplained weight loss, accompanied by joint stiffness, and the goats' unwillingness to move. Some goats will walk on their knees and some will show intermittent limpimg and restriction of movement. CAE can cause pneumonia in adult goats, which can turn into bacterial pneumonia, resulting in decreased activity and weight loss. Some of the serologically positive goats for CAE show no signs of thinness, so other causes of thinness should always be examined.

Other viral diseases that affect the mouth in goats are ecthymש and foot-and-mouth disease. Infection will lead to reduced eating and weight loss.

Bacterial diseases

Paratuberculosis

Paratuberculosis is among the causes of thinness in goats. It is common in goats aged 2-3 years. The disease is caused by the bacterium Paratuberculosis Mycobacterium, which affects the digestive mechanism in the intestines.

Disease symptoms and duration

The cause is usually some strain following a gradual process of weight loss in the infected goat, lasting weeks to months. Symptoms include gradual loss of appetite, faded and brittle hair, fatigue and depression, to a state of extreme thinness. In later stages, anemia as well as edema in the lower jaw area occur due to a loss of protein. Certain diagnosis of the disease can be made by laboratory examination only - blood tests, feces and histology of the goat's digestive system after death.

lymphadenitis Caseous

lymphadenitis Caseous is a chronic contagious disease caused by the bacterium Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis. The bacterium causes abscesses in the subcutaneous lymph nodes, usually without affecting the health of the goat. Abscesses that form in internal lymph nodes and abdominal organs can cause thinning. Diagnosing internal abscesses in the animal goat is usually difficult. Ultrasound and X-ray examinations may help.

additional diseases

Any illness in a chronic bacterial disease, such as pneumonia caused by the bacterium Pasteurella, and not diagnosed in time, can lead to the production of cytokines that cause weakness and thinness in goats.

Parasites

There are external parasites and internal parasites which may harm goats and cause thinness.

Outer parasites indirectly cause thinness. By damaging nutrition or with any other comorbidity, external parasites such as lice, fleas, ticks and stocking can cause itching and result in decreased eating and thinness. Fleas can cause blood loss, resulting in anemia, weakness and weight loss.

Internal parasites directly cause thinness. Usually the damage is to goats going out to pasture. Goats going out to pasture can be harmed by intestinal worms, nematodes and stumps.

Goats raised in the pen may be harmed by coccidia at a young age, which can damage the intestinal mucosa, and later - inefficient absorption of food in the intestines, throughout the life of the goat.

Signs of parasite-ridden intestine and treatment

Pale mucous membranes, fluid accumulation under the lower jaw, weakness, decreased growth or thinness and diarrhea. Since these are not permanent signs, the prevention of infection with internal parasites will be done by seasonal treatment with the appropriate substances according to the instructions of the attending veternarian.

Cancerous Tumors

cancerous growths are very rare in goats. However, cancerous growths in the intestines (adenocarcinoma) can cause weight loss. Symptoms include discharge from the nose and difficulty breathing. Certain diagnosis is only post-mortem.

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