# ringworm in goats



## lorit (May 10, 2010)

I don't have it in my herd, never had. A friend has/had and is selling some animals.

I have another contact looking for a doe and first friend has one that would be a good fit. Before I make recommendations, I want to understand the "carrier" factor with ringworm.

Can a doe who does NOT currently have it, but has been housed with others who have, be a carrier to a new/different herd? If so, how long before a herd is considered clean and safe to sell?

If you bought a doe from "infected" herd and quarantined her, would you then be infecting your quarantine pen and risking future contamination to your herd? 

How prevalent can ringworm be? It seems my friend who has it, is constantly fighting outbreaks. The ones who have had it, don't seem to have re-occurences but new kids or new goats in the herd get it so it just keeps on going. Should she shut her herd completely (no ins or outs) for an extended period of time and if so, how long?

And does it look and sound worse than it is? is there merit to it going thru a herd and everyone becoming immune - sorta like chickenpox in children?

TIA


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## jdavenport (Jul 19, 2012)

From the Tennessee meat goats website: http://www.tennesseemeatgoats.com/articles2/skindiseases.html

"Fungal Diseases

Ringworm is the most recognized fungal disease in goats. It is not a worm, but rather a fungus which usually appears during prolonged periods of very wet weather, often when it is difficult to keep the pens clean and therefore less likely to harbor disease-causing organisms.

Ringworm can be located almost anywhere on the goat's body; its appearance is that of a rounded patch of hair surrounded completely by a hairless ring. Left untreated, it gets bigger and bigger. Ringworm is contagious both to goats and to humans.

Treatment involves donning disposable gloves and thoroughly washing the area with a topical skin disinfectant like Betadine Surgical Scrub. Wipe the cleansed skin surface dry and apply 1% Clotrimazole Cream to the affected area. Repeat this treatment daily for at least two weeks and possibly longer, until the ringworm is gone. While ringworm usually doesn't bother the goat, it can take up to a month to cure.

An even better treatment for many fungal diseases involves the use of 97.8% lime sulphur concentrate diluted and applied in dip form to the goat's body. This product must be obtained from a vet."

So, it looks like it would take a month or so to treat and you just have to have really dry weather for a while for it to not be in the environment. As far as I know you don't develop an immunity to it, you can get it over and over and transmit it to any mammal on the farm including people, dogs, horses, rabbits, etc. Flies and mosquitos also transmit fungal spores.

I would think if you treated the goat with the lime sulfur spray and you didn't see any new patches for a month, she would be clean.

I would wait until the rain stopped for a while (like in August) then see how everyone was doing. Maybe have your friend purchase once things dry out.


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## doublebowgoats (Mar 6, 2008)

And remember that these kinds of nuisance problems can be related to mineral deficiencies and/or an inappropriate diet. Goats with enough copper zinc and selenium just don't suffer from this kind of thing on a regular basis.


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## fmg (Jul 4, 2011)

Does the rain stop in Western Oregon?? LOL, sorry. I have had ringworm before. It's annoying, but not harmful. I think it can live on surfaces of things for awhile, so that may be how the goats are reinfecting themselves. As I recall, it actually likes lower than body temperature--to culture it you grow it at room temperature. It is slow growing.


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