Severe Intermandibular Edema

Seemingly healthy goat with good appetite continually gets thin and unthrifty – is anemic and begins to show signs of bottle jaw..Why?

Well there are a few reasons for this to happen.. 

Copper deficiency,

Coccidiosis,

Bracken fern poisoning,

Inadequate protein synthesis due to liver damage,

Mycotoxins (a toxin produced by an organism of the fungus family, which includes mushrooms, molds and yeasts.)

Stomach worms especially Barberpole worm (Haemonchus contortus ),

Johnes Disease

and Liver Fluke  all can cause bottle jaw in the goat:

Animal ID:      CU  Misc
Species:     Goat
Tissue:     Head, Jaw, Intermandibular Space
Morphologic DX:     Severe intermandibular edema
Etiologic DX:     ACUTE HEMONCHOSIS
Lesion or DX Name:     Bottlejaw
Lesion Description:     Soft fluctuant mass of the intermandibular space.The ventral curve of this animal’s jaw region is because of marked subcutaneous edema in this region.
Remarks:     In many instances, when anemia is seen in sheep and goats, acutely and severely, it is often due to Hemonchus contortis, the large stomach worm (barber pole worm). The parasites cause the lesion as a result of hypoproteinemia as they destroy the blood in the abomasum. It should also be noted that many times “rats leave the sinking ship” so to speak, and so the worms leave the abomasum and they will disintegrate in the small intestine from the change in pH from acid to base. Thus, in some cases of acute severe hemonchosis, one may not find any parasites in the abomasum or small intestine which caused the disease, because they were destroyed. Many sheep do have a few hemonchus in the abomasum, but without anemia it should probably not be called hemonchosis, a disease caused by hemonchus. At a later date, though, this may be true and proper treatment used.
© Cornell Veterinary Medicine

This chart shows the color of differing stages of anemia looking at the inner eye membrane, due to parasite load- based on the Famacha Eye color chart,coccidiosis,goat Haemonchus contortus, Seemingly healthy goat with good appetite continually gets thin and unthrifty – is anemic and begins to show signs of bottle jaw. Copper deficiency,Coccidiosis,Bracken fern poisoning,Inadequate protein synthesis due to liver damage, Mycotoxins (a toxin produced by an organism of the fungus family, which includes mushrooms, molds and yeasts.)Stomach worms especially Barberpole worm (Haemonchus contortus )and Liver Fluke all can cause bottle jaw in the goat.

Treatment is to get  your goat on a good deworming schedule,   Deworming Goats  and use supportive care such as injections of vit b12 .. oral supplements such as redcell and nutridrench .. good quality feed .