3.1| EPIDEMIOLOGICAL FINDINGS
Regarding the breeding system and environment, the kid barn contained
six collective 2 m × 1 m kid pens (for different ages) with common
access to a solarium area (Figure 1D). The pens had a concrete floor
covered with shavings. Lateral walls were 1.5 meters high without
windows with poor ventilation and they were overcrowded (Figure 1C).
After birth, the kids were immediately separated from their mothers and
they received 200 mL of pasteurized colostrum, twice a day, up to two
days old. From two to ten days old, they received transition goat’s milk
as the milk replacer (20% protein, 18% fat content and probioticS. cerevisiae (Cabra Milk, Repamix®, São Paulo, Brazil) providing
around 25% of the kid’s live weight/day divided into 3 equal portions,
offered during the day. Milk replacer was then used until weaning at 90
days old. Likewise, from 15 days old, concentrates and water were
offered ad libitum .
Regarding feeding management, the milk replacer was prepared locally at
a proportion of 120 g/1 L of water (recommended by the manufacturer),
mixing with water at 40oC until it was homogeneous.
The milk replacer was offered inside a plastic bottle, previously
cleaned with boiled water, to feed the kids. The bottle was filled with
500 mL of milk replacer and then offered to the kids using a bottle
support present at site. All sucking times, carried out with
heterogeneous kid mobs, lasted for up to two minutes per mob, and then
some kids began eating the concentrate.
Regarding the immunization program, pregnant goats received a single
dose of vaccine against clostridiosis containing alpha toxoid (Covexin
9™; MSD Saúde Animal Brasil; São Paulo, Brazil), pasteurellosis, and
colibacillosis (Paraven; Vencofarma, São Paulo, Brazil) at 30 days
before delivery. Female and male kids received their first doses against
clostridiosis (Covexin 9™; MSD Saúde Animal Brasil; São Paulo, Brazil)
at one and two months old. In summary, the main possible associated
factors and preventive measures indicated are summarized in Table 1.
From dairy farm data collection (45 days), the morbidity, mortality and
lethality rates were 53.7% (44/82), 15.9% (13/82) and 29.5% (13/44),
respectively. A total of 76.9% (10/13) of kids that died, during this
period, developed an acute disease course (less than 18 h) and other
three kids showed two (2/13) or three (1/13) relapses before death. From
recovered sick kids, 51.6% (16/31) did not presented posterior relapse
and 22.6% (7/31), 16.1% (5/31), and 9.7% (3/31) showed one, two or
more than three relapses, respectively. Lastly, considering a total of
82 births (up to corrective measures), with 13 deaths during data
collection (45 days) and seven deaths before due to the abomasal bloat,
the final mortality rate was 24.4% (20/82).