# How to test my dairy goats to make sure their milk is safe...



## Pronking Publius (Mar 29, 2012)

Can someone take me through the process of how you would go about testing them to make sure they don't have any harmful diseases that could be passed on in their milk? From what I hear Brucellosis is one to test for, but from what I hear, that it is also very very uncommon in the U.S. I think TB is another to test for. Are these tests all done by getting their blood tested, or can you test the milk directly, and if so, where do I send them? As you can see, I'm kind of oblivious on this whole thing. Can someone take me through the process of what to test for, and how to test it? I believe my goats to be pretty healthy goats, but I want to test them regularly just as a precaution, and in case I decide to sell their milk. Thanks.


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## fmg (Jul 4, 2011)

Brucellosis is a blood test, and tuberculosis is an injection that is given intradermal, which is checked 3 days later, just like in humans. I think both have to be done by a vet.


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## smithurmonds (Jan 20, 2011)

Brucellosis doesn't have to be done by a vet- you can send your samples to WADDL.


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## Rose (Oct 26, 2007)

You live in a "brucellosis free" state. 

I don't test for anything but CAE. Blood test. I draw blood and send to Biotracking.

www.biotracking.com


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## Pronking Publius (Mar 29, 2012)

This may be a stupid question, but what if a goat HAD TB or Brucellosis....would pasteurizing the milk make it safe to drink? Let's say a goat had one or both of those diseases, what exactly is the danger of drinking the milk? I'm not implying anything here....I haven't had my goats tested....I'm just trying to learn more about these diseases and the danger of them.


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## Pronking Publius (Mar 29, 2012)

By the way, I found this link when I was poking around the internet. It's not very specific on anything, but it's a good overview on what to test for: http://hoeggerfarmyard.com/test-your-goats/.


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## fmg (Jul 4, 2011)

If a goat had one of those two things and you drank their milk raw, you could possibly get one of those diseases from them. Brucellosis is an abortion disease and is sexually transmitted. Tuberculosis is an awful bacterial lung disease. Both are very uncommon in the US. TB, at the least, is the biggest reason that commercial milk started being pasteurized. Yes, pasteurizing milk will kill both of these. You can also get both of these diseases by just working with positive animals and their fluids.


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