Does anybody know how to get cdt-for-goats in the Philippines?
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Thanks for helping- it’s a fairly remote part of central Bukidnon which is far from the big cities…
Hi Keith,
I saw that article and another that said NGOs were helping the less developed parts of Asia. It seems the coverage is still patchy and they tend to target only some areas for help…
Regards
James
Hey James. Greetings from GenSan. I see I’m ten days late.
the lack of CDT vaccinations was a primary stressor when I moved from running a goat dairy in north america to assisting a SALT/Goat project here in South Cotabato. CDT isn’t a stocked item. CDT, as I am sure you know, needs to be kept chilled in storage. I have yet to see it anywhere.
I have yet to see any goat die to an overeating disease, mainly due to the prevalence of cut-carry systems, and the lack of grain based feeds. I’m not saying its impossible, and you are clearly asking for reasons. Tetanus, however, is an extreme concern. Tetanus is treated here, both in people and in animals, with an anti-toxid as needed. You need a rX from a vet or doc, and have to buy it from strategic pharmacies. I found it once in a rural seaside pharmacy in Sarangani, but its not common. A pharmacy beside a Dept of Ag office with a vet is often the most likely. The anti-toxid is also kept in refrigerated as well. Locally its kept in the break-neck glass vials for single dosing.
I would encourage you to cultivate a relationship with a vet who could sign off a stack of rX for tetanus and a relationship with the nearest pharmacy. At least, that is what I am trying to negotiate currently.
This is all compounded by the fact that when you start seeing tetanus symptoms it is often to late to save that particular animal.
Because you are in Bukidnon, you potentially have easier access to resources given your region is known to be agricultural. The DA has several projects there, and you might be able to access things for their Carabao program (example lang) that could potentially be dosed off-label.
We dose vitamin B inter-muscle when we start to see similar symptoms of lethargy etc.
Hi Joel
I find it very challenging and more so because I haven’t worked in a farm in the USA or GB at all. I can tell the vets are often not very competent and was shocked by the lack of vaccinations in all the animals. I tried to cultivate a relationship with the local university and agri suppliers with little success so far… however I have now got a fairly large herd of goats as my friend is brilliant at keeping them strong. I use half a hectare for growing forage crops and half a hectare for grazing together with growing matured durian and coconut. 4 goats were obtained originally from a simple local market but they turned out to be great Anglo Nubian crosses and we now have over 20. We lost some kids last two kidding times due to a parasite as they weaned but now my friend is back looking after them and they are much healthier- so should make it through that stressful time. I did get some anti parasite medication but it wasn’t very effective. Goats are still the strongest animal to try in these remote places.
Regards…
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Hi James,
It says I can respond to this email, so here’s to that if it works!
I would be hesitant to agree to your vet comment. I have found, having worked extremely closely with vets in America, and been trained by a nurse turned shepherd so I did a lot of my own vet care, that medical knowledge is different here. They have a different wealth of experiences to draw from. There are some points where local farm management is 20 years behind current practice, specifically parasite management, but I would also say that they haven’t reached a point where loss has dictated innovation.
It’s awesome your friend is talented! Alhumdililah!
I’m gonna drop some keywords that maybe you and Google can go down a rabbit hole together.
FAMACHA eye score. It’s not perfect but gives you a window of observation. Do some digging, it’s easy to test at a monthly interval (record data!).
Parasite resistance. The same thing with antibiotics can happen with parasites. Current Filipino practice is to rotate between two classes of dewormwe at a three month interval. This calendar rotation can also cause parasite resistance. Also under-dosing medication can. You’ll get a wealth of info looking into this.
There’s some articles you can find on copper wire particles and papaya seeds. Nicotine is also anti-parasitic. I’m not your vet, so I won’t prescribe anything. But make an informed decision, hopefully this book of a response points you in a good direction.
Rotationally grazing your half hectar, mob-grazing, with temporary fencing, is a good idea. In the Filipino context that might mean tethers instead of fences. Parasites live near the ground often, so you want to graze down to a 4inch - ish mark and then move the herd. Changing to a cut and carry system will help you manage parasites as well (poop cycle growth, poop near food, etc). It also created a resource in manure than can be amplified into vermi-compost easily, because the manure is localised under the housing.
There are books recommended by ECHO for goats in the tropics. You might enjoy them! Sounds like a great time, if you have time I’d privately love to hear about your hoped for community impact, or your private goals for your herd.
Peace to you.
Hi James,
Your question is from a while ago, so perhaps you have tackled this situation. My experience from the subtropics, in Haiti, is that sudden death of adult goats after changes in weather, introduction to lush pasture, transport, etc. is fairly common, and that Clostridium types C or D bacterial overgrowth may indeed be the cause. The disease doesn’t require a high concentrate diet to proliferate and wreak havoc, only a change in diet or environment that leads the Clostridial bacteria, already present in the rumen, to start multiplying and producing the fatal toxin. So if you are seeing unexplained sudden deaths, especially in adult goats after a weather or feed change, and possibly with some severe neuro signs before death, I would consider this disease and try to vaccinate for it.
As for the vaccine, in my experience, it is 1) combined with tetanus, still relatively cheap (50 cents a dose), 2) quite stable, since it is a deactivated toxin proteins, not a live or killed bacteria that is present, and 3) often hard to find, in my opinion because its importance is not recognized. A visitor to your area could carry this vaccine with an ice pack, and if you don’t have a fridge, but kept it in a container in a shaded stream, if necessary, I think the potency and safety would remain for a number of weeks. You give two doses 3-4 weeks apart and then a yearly booster.
Having said that, we often had difficulty getting the vaccine shipped into Haiti, even being that close to the US.
Thanks Paul- I noticed that this can happen and that experienced people never let the goats out onto damp grass or during cooler mornings. Good idea about bringing it with me. It does seem hard to find there…
Regards
James