How to Prevent Ringworm in Goats

Prevention

• Preventing ringworm in your goats begins before you ever see a sign of infection. According to TennesseeMeatGoats.com, ringworm occurs most frequently during rainy or extremely wet conditions, when you may experience trouble keeping your goat pens clean. During wet times of the year, maintain your regular cleaning routine, removing wet or soiled bedding and replacing it with clean, fresh straw or bedding hay. If your goats get wet or chilled and you need to dry them off, use separate towels or rags for each goat, so you don't spread diseases such as ringworm from one goat to another.

  Maintaining optimum health for your goats strengthens their immune systems and helps their bodies fight off infections such as ringworm. Provide an adequate supply of fresh water and minerals, including copper, which is an essential mineral for goats that directly affects their hair and coat health, according to Gail Damerow, author of "Your Goats." Another important part of preventative care for ringworm is ensuring your goats always have access to free-choice forage in the form of either grass or hay, as well as additional grain supplementation if you have goats (such as nursing or pregnant does) that need additional nutrients and energy that hay can't provide.

Identification and Isolation

• Before a single goat shows signs of ringworm, develop the habit of visually inspecting your goats every day for signs of sickness, including skin disorders. This habit will help you identify ringworm sooner, which will minimize the spread of the disease to the rest of your herd. If you have milking does (adult, female goats), check them over when you have them restrained in your milking stand. Usually, feeding time gives you the ideal opportunity to inspect the rest of your goats, including kids, bucks and wethers (castrated male goats). If you do locate a lesion on one of your goats that might be ringworm, don disposable rubber gloves before touching it.

  Having an isolation pen available also helps you prevent the spread of ringworm to other goats. This pen should not share a fence or feed and water buckets with the rest of your goats. Although a completely separate pen and shed provide the most ideal location for a goat infected with ringworm, having a separate sick pen in your main barn is also an effective option. Once you've positively identified ringworm on one of your goats, place the goat in the isolation pen until you have completed medical treatment and all signs of ringworm are gone. Don't forget to sanitize the isolation pen afterward, as well.