Enterotoxaemia (Overeating) is a bacterial disease that is not caused by bacteria itself, but rather by a powerful poison produced by the bacteria under certain given conditions. The bacteria, clostridium perfringens, type C and type D, are normally present in the soil and in small numbers in the intestinal tract of the animal. Under appropriate conditions these organisms produce billions of their own kind and produce poison in lethal quantities in the small intestine.
A predisposing condition is ingestion of large quantities of starchy grains when the intestine is not accustomed to it. Sudden exposure to grain mix, access to a lot of milk, or exposure to lush and fast growing pasture predispose the animal to the disease. These circumstances cause indigestion in kids and provide an ideal condition for bacterial proliferation which slows down the normal movement of the intestinal tract and allows more time for the toxin (poison) to accumulate in the intestine. The toxin reduces the intestinal movement even further, and increases the permeability of the gut, facilitating its own absorption and thus causing the disease. In an acute case, a baby kid may be found dead with no signs or lesions. This happens usually after sudden access to highly palatable feed, or after prolonged hunger followed by normal feeding. The acute case lasts 4 to 26 hours.
Clinical signs include body temperature rise (105°) with severe abdominal pain (kid screaming), diarrhea, depression, convolutions, coma, and eventually death. The subacute case occurs in the older kids and adults. The animal may be ill for several days or weeks, off feed with occasionally severe diarrhea. With appropriate treatment, animals can recover. The chronic case is characterized by recurring illness, which lasts several weeks. The animal (usually an adult) will have a dull look, loose feces, irregular appetite, and reduced milk production if nursing. Diagnosis sometimes resembles coccidiosis. In the case of sudden death, consult your veterinarian for a definite diagnosis in the laboratory.
Vaccination with Clostridium perfringens type C and D toxoid is available. It is recommended to vaccinate kids at two to three weeks of age and then four to six weeks later. If you have problems in your herd, you may have to vaccinate kids within one week and again at one and two months of age. Unvaccinated adults should be vaccinated twice, four to six weeks apart. Vaccinating the pregnant goat during the last month of pregnancy boosts the immunity and provides extra protection for the newborn kid. By doing so, vaccinating kids at two to three weeks of age may not be necessary.
Another preventive approach is good feeding management. Avoid sudden changes in diet and increase feed or milk intake gradually. Follow a routine schedule of feeding and do not keep animals, especially kids, hungry over a long period of time. Treatment against acute cases is ineffective. However, consult your veterinarian, who, after diagnosis, can recommend antitoxins along with antibiotics for subacute and chronic cases.
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