Goat CDT Vaccine

What is the CDT vaccine and do my goats really need it? CDT, C.D and T or C.D.-T or whatever you call it is the most common type of vaccine for goats and sheep. I will refer to it as CDT. It protects your animals from types C and D of clostridium perfringens (overeating disease) and also clostridium tetani (tetanus).

Do they really need it? That is up to you. Some people vaccinate their goats and they have good healthy goats. Other people do not vaccinate their goats and they also have good healthy goats. The idea behind a vaccine is to prevent the disease if your goats get into that type of bacteria (Clostridia). You could go your whole life raising goats and not give the vaccine and not have any problems but you are taking a risk. Ruminant animals that are fed heavily on grain may be more prone to clostridium perfringens (overeating disease). So, weigh your options and do what you think is best for you and your goats. Tell us about your experience in the comments. Do you give the CDT vaccine to your goats?

We chose to vaccinate our goats with CDT. When we first got goats we decided that we would do the yearly CDT vaccine and eliminate the risk of clostridia diseases. If your goat gets clostridia disease it can take their life very quickly. It does not normally show signs or symptoms that you can catch and treat. It just strikes and kills (at least most of the time).

CDT is given subcutaneously, just under the skin, annually. If you are breeding your does it is best for them to be given their CDT vaccine about a month before they kid. This will give their kids some protection. The kids should then receive the vaccine at about 6 to 8 weeks of age. We do ours at about 8 weeks. It is recommended to give the kids a booster about 3 to 4 week after their initial vaccine. And then from there on do it yearly.

Follow the instructions on the bottle for dosage amounts and proper storage instructions. We do 2cc per goat, both adults and kids. The CDT vaccine can be given in several different places on the goat. The most common are high in the neck, the axilla region (arm pit) and right over the ribs. It commonly causes a small lump/abscess at the injection sight. This is normal and will be fine.

Be sure to use clean needles and syringes. We like 20 gage, 1/2 inch needles for all our vaccines and medications. As we all know, vet visits are expensive so if you can learn how to give your goats their vaccines on your own you will save money. We get our vaccines from Tractor Supply. But I am sure most large farm stores will have this available.