The Goat (Capra hircus domesticus) is one of the most versatile animals ever domesticated by man. It can survive in the most difficult locations with bare vegetation. It eats almost anything, including your laundry.

But just like other domesticated animals, the goats, however sturdy they may be, are also affected and afflicted by diseases.

This corner, which will regularly appear in the braveheartfarms.com website, intends to address some common health management problems encountered by our goat raisers and breeders in the Philippine setting.

Now, let me explain why I differentiate goat raisers from goat breeders. Basically, the goat raiser is somebody who raises goats for the meat market and sells his goats by the kilo.

The goat breeder, on the other hand, is one who is concerned with developing a strain or breeds of goats which could serve as the source of breeding stocks for the goat raiser.

We will reach out to both groups because our intention is to be able to contribute to the development of the goat industry in the Philippines which has great potentials in giving our farmers additional income.

The main feature of this column would be the answers that we will provide to the questions both the raisers and breeders would submit to us. We will accept questions from you to be submitted to my email address: epgarzon@yahoo.com or to johnpagaduan@gmail.com and braveheart_efp@yahoo.com.

We will tackle your concerns on a weekly basis unless you indicate in your query that you need the answers right away as it would mean life or death for your beloved goat.

A word of caution though. Since we will be making the diagnosis and provide answers based on the signs and symptoms that you submit to us, we may not be 100% accurate in our diagnosis. This is mainly because the best way to examine a sick goat is to really look at it. Therefore it is still advisable that you seek advice from the veterinarian near you.

While I may have been involved with goats for many years now, in fact I am the consultant of Vice Governor Manny Pinol's Braveheart Boer Farms, I cannot claim to be an expert. Therefore, from time to time, we will get the views and opinions of other veterinarians especially from the University of Southern Mindanao College of Veterinary Medicine where I graduated.

In the Philippine setting, here are some of the common diseases of goats:

   1.  Pneumonia - This is manifested through coughing and physical weakness

There maybe other more complicated diseases which may be brought to our attention later such as Urinary Calculi, Caprine Arthritis and Surra/Tripanosomiasis. We will address these diseases as we move along.

This week, we will discuss the Orf or Sore mouth which is prevalent among goats in the tropics, especially the Philippines. Following our format, here is our Question and Answer portion on Goat Diseases.

The blisters around your goats' mouth are indications of a disease called Orf or sore mouth. It is a viral infection common in goats and sheep in all parts of the world and is highly contagious.

Unless controlled or treated, this could result in the emaciation of the goat and even death because of secondary bacterial infection.

The moment you see Orf or sore mouth in any of your goats in the herd, immediately isolate or segregate the affected animal.

Treatment is simple. Just clean the affected areas by using  water and soap and apply Gentian Violet or Betadine on the blisters.

To ensure control and prevent secondary bacterial infection, and that is if your budget will allow you, you can inject the affected animal with broad spectrum antibiotics (i.e. oxytetracyline or penicillin) at a recommended dose of 1ml per 10 kgs. body weight

To prevent the entry of this disease in your farm, you have to observe proper quarantine measures like installing footbaths at the entry point of your farm. Also, any new animal brought into the farm must be isolated and observed for 30 days before it is allowed to join the herd.

Remember, an ounce of prevention is always better than a pound of cure.

(Editor's Note: Dr. Enrico Garzon, Jr., DVM, 42,  is a graduate of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Southern Mindanao in the Philippines. He holds a Masters Degree in Professional Studies and has been the Provincial Veterinarian of North Cotabato for the past 10 years. He has designed the Small Ruminants Development Program for  North Cotabato aimed at making the province the Number 1 producer of meat goats in the Philippines in 10 years.)