Posted by Sherry on March 30, 2001 at 20:04:05:
In Reply to: CAE milk posted by Robin on March 30, 2001 at 14:23:19:
If it were me, I would wait a few months and test everyone for CAE. Sometimes CAE won't show up until the animal has been stessed in some way (i.e. moving). It can be spread through bodily secretions but it isn't likely. A doe is most "contagious" when lactating as the virus is concentrated in the udder. A buck is more likely to transmit to a doe if she has an open wound when she is bred....again it's not likely but it can happen. How you feel about it may not be the same as me. I know some people who really freak when they hear CAE! I prefer to do what I can to stop the spread of the virus without becoming an alarmist about it. It is a most horrible death and I don't want any of my girls to die in pain but I won't discard them for something that isn't their fault. So far it hasn't been an easy path to follow.
I have three positive does at the moment and they are pastured separately from the does that have tested negative. There's a big pig lot in between them! Luckily I have the room to do that. I know of people that have kept positive and negative does together for years with no change in status. I have bought does that I knew were CAE positive because they were excellent stock. I also bought two does that showed no signs and I was told they had both tested negative. After an hour's drive, one of them had knees already swelling and two months later they both tested positive. I don't believe the woman I bought them from was lying to me...I believe the virus wasn't active in them until I moved them.
If you search "Caprine Arthritis" you'll come up with a whole bunch of stuff. The best advice I can give here is learn what you can and decide what is right for you. In the long run it's a personal choice as to whether or not you keep positive does...some people actually destroy them. I can't do that...I chose to provide a safe and happy environment for them for as long as they live because another stress just might be what kills them and I haven't the heart for that.
Good luck.