Lump on jaw??

[sydneyjd]

This morning my goat was fine,and whe I checked on her tonight,she had a lump on her jaw??? Its soft,and i wonder if it is a bruise bumb,or what? What do you guys think?
Thanks!!

[sweetgoatmama]

Do you know what CL is? That would be my main concern with a jaw lump. Don't try to drain it but have a vet look at it if it doesn't get significantly smaller in a day or two. It could be a bump or a sticker of any number of less ugly things but you'll want to know. How big is is and exactly where is it located?

[Teckelhut]

Added note. The reason you do not want to drain it is that if it IS CL, it's like opening up Pandora's box. Best to have a Vet check it that knows goats and knows what CL is.

[Charlie Horse]

Probably just got whacked by something.

[sydneyjd]

Ok,thanks!! I didnt drain it,but It has gone down drastically overnight.
Thanks all!!

[Dwite Sharp]

If The lump is above the jaw bone or on the side of it, it is more than likely not CL. If the lump is just slightly under the Jaw bone (where the lymphoid are located) this could be CL. Many a CL negative goat has been condemned because of speculation. If it is CL it will take weeks or even months to get to the Rupture open stage that is contagious to other goats and sheep and humans too. A blood draw CL test or puss test is the only way to confirm the "Truth". The heavy, thick, odorless puss that is encapsulated inside of a CL abscess is what is so contagious. The disease is spread by contact of this puss with mucus membranes (eyes, mouth, lungs etc. or possible open sores). CL is a virus that there is no cure for and when the animal has a ruptured CL abscess it is highly contagious to goats, sheep and even humans. The majority of the time these CL lumps are under the jaw, on the side of the head (just below the ear) or on the front of the chest. Almost always in front of the shoulders. But not always, they have been rarely seen on the hind legs and scrotum of bucks. And on occasion they have been known to form inside the lungs of both does and bucks. These lung born CL abscesses are extremely dangerous for spreading CL because the animal contaminates everything by coughing and sneezing and you usually have no idea they even have CL until they have spread it everywhere. When in the lungs it is eventually fatal with pneumonia like symptoms. Animals with lung borne CL should be euthanize immediately. When the abscesses are external it is totally possible to control this disease without throwing the baby out with the bathwater. A CL positive goat is more than capable of living a completely normal life without spreading this disease to others. They can have offspring that are CL negative. This disease is "Manageable" unlike the hysteria that has been hoovering over it for decades. There is 16 different strains of CL, so if you have a vaccine manufactured for your herd it will have to be designed for the strain your trying to protect against. The vaccines sold on the open market are not effective. Having a vaccine designed is quite expensive, but very effective. You can manage CL without the expensive custom made vaccines. I have known individuals who have paid thousands of dollars for a breeding animal only for it to be sold at a sale barn for meat market prices because of a CL abscess, that's "Hysteria". If these goats had been managed correctly they could have been very productive without spreading CL to others. You absolutely can not ignore CL because it will then become the "Monster" in your life.

[sweetgoatmama]

Better to know what you are dealing with. The fact that it went down overnight was good news but still a CL test would give you peace of mind and make it less likely to end up with it going through your herd.

[deschutes dawn]

Great info, Dwite. I've seen many wethers I would have liked to have had over the years to take packing but worried about bringing in an animal to my herd that might be CL positive.

[sydneyjd]

It is under the jaw,in a circular shape,but the whole under-jaw is slightly swollen i think. I will try to get a pic tonight.

[Nanno]

Hopefully it's just a bump. I'm glad it's going down. If you have a closed herd and have never had CL, then I doubt that's what it is. Cuzco got an abcess on his jaw last fall and the vet said "It's probably CL!" But I knew that Cuzco had not been around any other goats except the ones I'd bought the year before who were from clean herds and had been tested. At first I thought it might be a tooth abcess but it wasn't. It think he just got banged by one of the other goats. I got my goats all tested for CAE and CL last year and plan to do that every year for peace of mind and marketing. I'll also start testing for Johne's disease for the same reasons once more of my goats are old enough. These tests are relatively cheap and I recommend doing one if you never have. If you know your herd is clean and you know you haven't introduced any diseased ones, then you have a lot less to worry about when these bumps pop up.