Since we, as humans, have been able to create a vaccine for every disease that chooses to exist, is there still a possibility that animals can get those diseases and pass them to humans? Polio is an extremely dangerous disease, so if humans an get it, can goats get it as well?
Goats get something known as polio, but it is a vitamin deficiency, and nothing similar to what humans know as polio, which means humans cannot contract it. Polio is commonly associated with the Thiamine vitamin, which if this is deficient, it can cause brain cell death as well as other neurological deficiencies.
Though humans are unable to get this type of polio, it is still deadly for goats, and it is important to understand it and best how to treat it. Lucky for you, we have curated this special article just for you! Go on, keep reading.
What Exactly is Polio for a Goat
For goats, polio is a deadly disease. It is a when there is a pH imbalance in a goat’s rumen, which then causes the vitamin Thiamine to stop producing, then leading to sudden brain cell death. Once the brain cells begin to die, this will then lead to other neurological problems, such as: blindness, shaking, diarrhea, loss of appetite, increased heart rate, high temperatures, as well as staggering and weakness of the limbs.
An early sign that your goat may have polio is if they begin to stare off into space. Goats are very attentive and active creatures, and when they start to show signs that they aren’t paying attention or as energetic as they once were, that means there is something to be concerned about. A major mood killer for goats is when the rumen is not functioning properly, which will instantly prevent a goat from being energetic. The rumen is what helps to regulate the health of a goat, and anything that negatively impacts the rumen can instantly kill your goat.
How Does Goat Polio Differ from Human Polio
The difference between these types of polio is drastic. For a goat, it is something that can be easily treated. Not that polio for humans can’t be easily treated, but before vaccines, polio was and can still be incredibly dangerous. For humans, polio affects the brain, which will eventually lead to total paralysis and death. It is an easily contractible disease, and will pass from person to person easily, if not caught and vaccinated quickly.
There are quite a few people who may not show any symptoms at all, but can pass the disease through water, food, or contact. The poliovirus can survive for up to two months on outside surfaces, which makes it incredibly deadly to any who come in contact and don’t wash immediately.
Goat polio is only a vitamin deficiency, and can only be “transmitted” if the goat(s) eat or drink from the same source. Where human polio is a disease that can only be treated through a vaccine, goat polio can be treated with an extra boost of the vitamin Thiamine. Of course, both are easily treatable now, which makes contracting it hard, but still not impossible. So being aware of the symptoms will help keep you, and/or your goats safe.
What Can Cause Polio
A common reason goats can get polio is if they are eating a diet rich with hay, but not enough roughage. Some of you may be wondering what roughage is. Well, roughage is course, fibrous foods that take a goat twice as long to chew and digest. Roughage is a form of fibrous hay, but can also be found in plant foods such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and beans. The rumen is a stomach within the goat that force food back into a goats mouth, as cud, that go back for a second round of chewing before being completely digested and then secreted out. If the rumen isn’t functioning, you will be able to instantly notice that your goat isn’t chewing its cud, which is a sign that it needs to see a vet immediately.
Some other causes of polio are too many high doses of deworming, grazing on recently fertilized pastures, high sulfur intakes from water, or even from being extremely stressed. All of these greatly affect the rumen and it’s ability to properly produce Thiamine. By regulating what your goat(s) eat and making sure to feed them the proper amount or roughage is what will help keep your goat(s) healthy, active, and producing the correct amount of Thiamine to maintain a healthy body and brain.
Diseases that Mimic Polio
Sometimes, it may not even be polio that your goat has. Some other diseases that mimic similar symptoms of polio are chronic arthritis-synovitis (CAE), Listeriosis, Enterotoxemia, Toxemia of Pregnancy, grain poisoning, plant poisoning, Rabies and Tetanus. The most common diseases that goats will get before polio are Tetanus and Listeriosis. Some common signs that it’s Tetanus is if the third eyelid flashes across the eye that is pathognomic for tetanus, otherwise it is Polio; another common sign of Tetanus is if the joints cannot be manually bent while in Polio they are flexible. These are less serious than a goat having polio, but can also be another root cause of a thiamine deficiency. Most of these diseases/illnesses are more easily treated on your own and have less of a likelihood of killing your goat(s).
How to Treat Polio in Goats
Treating a Thiamine deficiency is very simple. Giving specific dosages of Thiamine to either an adult or kid can make a vast difference in their health within a few days. Depending on the veterinarian, as well as how low the goat’s Thiamine is, dosages can vary. For a kid, a dosage of 1-2cc of 200mg/ml can be used, and for an adult, a dosage of 6-8 cc can be used. If more dosages are needed, they can be given every 24 hours.
Depending on the severity of the deficiency, these dosages can be repeated for up to three days if necessary. Because Thiamine is water soluble, there is no need to be concerned if there will be an overdose. If anything, your goat will excrete anything that it doesn’t use. Once you’ve given your goat the first dose of Thiamine, you will notice immediately how they are affected and an immediate reaction in their mood and temperance.
Is Polio in Goats Contagious
Fortunately, polio is not contagious among goats, unless they happen to be receiving the same diet, such as grazing in the same pasture or drinking from the same water source. In this case, all of the goats in a herd will experience the same symptoms because they are eating and drinking from the same source.
It’s not difficult to treat a lot of goats at the same time, but some of the symptoms may show up at various times in the goats, so if you notice that one is showing symptoms, more than likely all of them will end up showing symptoms sooner or later. Thiamine is not an expensive vitamin to purchase through a veterinarian, so it won’t be horribly expensive to treat your entire herd if necessary.
Best Ways to Avoid Polio
First, the easiest way to avoid a Thiamine deficiency is to make sure that your goat(s) is receiving enough roughage on a daily basis. Fibrous foods help to encourage extra chewing of cud, which promote good gut health as well as flora within the digestive tract. Roughage is better when it comes in the form of hay, but if you want to give your goat an extra treat, then allowing them to eat composted materials is completely fine. Try avoiding fruits with natural sugars, as they can disrupt the flora within a goats system. Don’t overfeed them roughage, as it can also make them sick. Their diet will mainly consist of hay, which will be about 3-4% of their body weight, roughage is just an additive to encourage Thiamine production.
The pasture that you goat(s) roam should never be disrupted. Preventing extra or natural elements from disrupting the growth of grass within the pasture will help lower the risk of your goat(s) experiencing polio. If they happen to eat hay that has been fertilized or eat grass from the pasture that has chemicals on it, this will disrupt the rumen and if not caught quickly will kill the goat(s). Another element is ensuring that their drinking water never gets contaminated. Whether its from a bucket into a hose or a natural flowing creek, a disruption in the pH of a goat will certainly lead to polio.
This doesn’t happen often, but a goat can get extremely stressed out, which will impact their rumen through their diet. A goat can occasionally become stressed due to environmental changes, new furry friends, changes in their diet, as well as becoming pregnant. Most breeds of goats are active and friendly creatures, and they don’t often get stressed. However, stress will most likely impact their diet, which can lead to increased risks of having polio. Being observant of their behavior as well as what they’re eating will aid in preventing the probability of them getting polio.