1. The wholesomeness of American
food is a cherished goal for all involved in the production
and processing of edible goods. In cooperation with
producers, federal regulations ensure that food is
safe and free from objectionable levels of residues.
All persons involved in the daily production of meat
and milk are constantly aware of the necessity to
closely monitor their management practices to assure
that their products, whether used on the family table
or sold for processing, meet accepted standards.
2. Occasionally, animals become ill
and require medication. Goats are no exception. However,
the owner has little guidance in the use of medication
because few drugs are labeled for goats and professional
advice often is not available. As a result, treatment
of an ailing animal may require a more cautious approach
when deciding on the method of drug application and
dosage. There is a greater chance for error and the
possibility that goat meat and milk could contain
unwanted chemical residues for an extended period
of time.
3. A survey conducted among goat
breeders in Pennsylvania as part of the USDA Residue
Avoidance Program found that many goat owners subscribe
to the organic method of food production. An awareness
of situations that could induce residue problems in
any food supply appears to be foremost in their management
programs. Even so, there are numerous instances where
medication of an animal for various ailments, infections,
and parasite problems is a necessity. In nearly all
cases, when animals were given medication there has
been extreme caution in the use of milk and meat from
the treated animal. Withholding products several days
beyond the recommended period is an accepted practice
among goat owners. This type of concern and caution
has sponsored a supply of meat, milk and milk products
for use in the home or for sale, that meets federal
standards. One packing house that slaughters approximately
1,000 goats each year has yet to find a carcass with
a residue violation. This would support the observation
that goat raisers are thoroughly conscious of potential
problems and are taking steps to assure a wholesome
product. The industry is to be commended.
4. There appears to be an ever increasing
number of persons practicing goat husbandry. The homesteading
movement with its agrarian intent, but often limited
to small acreage, finds the dairy goat a perfect animal
to meet home food production needs. Many newcomers
to the business are not agriculturally trained. The
lack of knowledge about adequate ventilation in goat
housing and uncertainty about sanitation procedures
could lead to a greater incidence of pneumonia, diarrhea,
and parasite problems. This, coupled with a scarcity
of drugs labeled for use on goats, and in some areas,
no access to veterinary care, increases the risk of
accidental medical application. Those raising goats
for a long period of time find it difficult to make
treatment decisions. It is doubly difficult for the
newcomer.
5. Let's examine the route that drugs
and chemicals take to get into meat and milk. Medication
may be given orally, injected subcutaneously (under
the skin) or into the muscle, infused into the udder
or reproductive tract, or applied to the skin as a
salve or a powder. Regardless of the treatment method,
the medication may be absorbed into the blood stream
and carried to all parts of the body. Therefore, a
drug injected into the muscle to treat pneumonia symptoms
or fed to the animal to control internal parasites
will eventually find its way to the milk secretory
cells and all body tissues. Body tissues may retain
detectable levels of drug residues longer than body
fluids such as milk. It is not uncommon to find labels
stating a longer withholding time before it is safe
to send the animal for slaughter as compared to using
the milk.
6. Withholding times vary! When you
treat an animal, be sure to follow directions when
administering the drugs. If it calls for intramuscular
injection and you inject subcutaneously, the stated
withholding time on the label may be rendered inaccurate.
Unusually large doses of medication will require longer
withholding times, so stay with the recommended dosage
if you expect the label to be an accurate guide. Mastitis
medication formulated for dry treatment generally
has a long meat and milk withdrawal time because the
drugs are mixed in a slow release, long acting vehicle.
Treatment over several days can extend the withdrawal
period because of the additive effect.
7. Therefore, depending on the drug
you use, the dose given, the length of the treatment,
and the drug vehicle (substance used to mix with or
dissolve the drug), you may need to extend the withholding
time to allow the body to eliminate the drug residue.
8. Residues may occur from sources
other than medication. Forages, such as hay, weeds,
and browse that may have grown on or near roadsides
or right of ways that have been sprayed with herbicides
or pesticides can become polluted by spray or spray
drift. If eaten by the goat, they can be the cause
of residues in meat and milk. The browsing nature
of goats can lead them to eat both dead and living
forage that another species of animal might shun.
In addition, if you spray or dust your sweet corn,
cabbage, turnips and other garden vegetables to control
disease or insect do not permit the goats to eat any
of the garden plants.
9. Be careful when purchasing a grain
mix, especially one not formulated for a ruminant.
Read the feed tag. If it says medicated on the tag
be sure you read further to find what limitations
may be recommended. Also, some milk replacers may
contain a medicated ingredient that could pose a problem
in the sale of a kid consuming the replacer in its
daily ration.
10. If you have treated a milking
doe for mastitis, milk her last and discard all the
milk even though you may have treated only one side
of the udder. By milking her last, you prevent possible
contamination of milk from other does. As little as
a teaspoon of milk left in a pail or in a milk line
can contaminate the milk from the next doe.
11. Don't take chances. Mark a treated
animal with a paint stick or a dye to remind you and
anyone else doing the milking that the milk from that
doe must be discarded.
12. Testing for Residues Modern-day
testing methods make it easier for officials to test
for trace levels of residues. Levels that once went
undetected now are found in both meat and milk. In
addition, procedures have been developed to permit
the tracking of a carcass in a slaughter plant back
to an auction or buyer and finally to the person who
sold the animal. Not only are the tests becoming more
accurate and refined, it is now easier to identify
the person who committed the error.
13. Several tests have been developed
to assist the producer in checking for the possibility
of residues present in the animal or the milk. The
Live Animal Swab Test (LAST) developed by scientists
in the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS),
is the first tool available for on-the-farm use in
checking animals for antibiotic residues before they
are shipped for slaughter. LAST is an adaption of
a test used since 1979 by FSIS, called STOP (Swab
Test on Premises). STOP has been used in slaughter
houses to check presence of antibiotics and other
antimicrobial substances in the killed carcass. Now
producers and/or their veterinarians can perform the
LAST on live animals at the farm simply by testing
the urine of any suspect animal. Test kits are available
for purchase and anyone wishing to learn more about
the test and how to perform it may write to Publications
Office, FSIS-ILA, Room 1163-S, USDA, Washington, DC
20250.
14. The DELVO test has been used
for several years by milk plants and sanitarians and
more recently by dairymen to check for levels of antibiotics
in milk. More and more farmers are routinely running
this test on milk from any treated, mastitic cow prior
to including her milk with that of the herd. It is
also used on milk in the bulk tank prior to shipping.
Contact any dairy sanitarian, milk plant, veterinarian
or Extension agent for information on purchasing this
test kit. Or, write to G. B. Fermentation Industries,
Inc., 555077 Centre Drive, Charlotte, North Carolina
28224. Other test kits are being developed for on-farm
use. LAST, STOP and DELVO tests are all designed to
detect the presence of antibiotics and sulfas. They
will not detect other chemicals such as wormers or
insecticides. Federal meat inspectors use other methods
to detect these chemicals.
15. Today, there is little reason
to use or sell residue-contaminated products. You
can test a product to be sure it is residue free.
This should be especially good news to the goat producer
since most of the goat products are used by the family.
Rather than to waste several days milk or hold a live
animal an extra couple weeks just to be sure the medicine
has been eliminated from the body, you can now test
and know when the product is safe to place on the
family table.
16. AVOID RESIDUES
* Provide a clean, well bedded, dry
area for the does at kidding time.
* Be sure kids receive colostrum;
4 ounces (1/2 cup) within 2 hours following birth.
Colostrum contains protective antibodies and helps
keep kids from getting sick.
* Provide kids and adult animals
with clean, dry bedding and good ventilation to reduce
incidence of scours and pneumonia.
* Feed hay in a hayrack or keyhole
feeder; protect grain boxes and watering devices from
manure contamination to reduce parasite problems.
* Dip teats in an approved germicidal
dip after each milking.
* Clean and sanitize all feeding
equipment.
* Fence animals away from chemically
sprayed areas and don't feed forages or garden refuse
that contain chemical residues.
Ask your veterinarian's advice regarding:
* Proper use of medication.
* Withholding times before slaughtering
treated animals or milk offered for sale and/or used
at home.
* Oral electrolyte mixtures--unmedicated
but effective therapy for scouring kids.
Ask your county agent's advice regarding:
* Ventilating requirements and proper
fan size to provide draft-free fresh air in stable
area.
* How to build hayracks and keyhole
feeders.
* Management programs that increase
the potential for growth and production and reduce
risks of disease.
Don't rely on memory:
* Always read label directions and
check withdrawal times. They vary with each medication
used.
* Identify with a chalk marker any
treated animal. Keep a record of the medication used
and date treated.
Use drugs wisely:
* Drugs are not a substitute for
good management.
* Permit only one person to administer
drugs.
* Limit access to drugs to competent
and responsible people.
* When possible, avoid treatment
of lactating does and does that
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