Pasteurellosis in Goats: Bacterial Pneumonia, Fever, and Emergency Signs
- See your vet immediately if your goat has labored breathing, open-mouth breathing, blue or gray gums, collapse, or a fever with sudden depression.
- Pasteurellosis is a bacterial pneumonia syndrome in goats most often linked to Mannheimia haemolytica, Pasteurella multocida, or sometimes Bibersteinia trehalosi.
- Stressors like weaning, transport, weather swings, overcrowding, poor ventilation, and recent viral or mycoplasma respiratory disease can trigger severe illness fast.
- Early treatment matters. Goats treated before severe lung damage or endotoxemia develop usually have a better outlook than goats treated late.
- Typical 2026 U.S. cost range: about $150-350 for exam and first-line treatment on farm, $300-800 with diagnostics and follow-up, and $800-2,500+ for hospitalization, oxygen, and intensive care.
What Is Pasteurellosis in Goats?
Pasteurellosis in goats is a serious bacterial respiratory disease that usually shows up as acute bronchopneumonia. The bacteria most often involved are Mannheimia haemolytica and Pasteurella multocida, with Bibersteinia trehalosi reported in some cases. These organisms can live in the upper airway of healthy goats, then move into the lungs when stress or another respiratory problem weakens normal defenses.
In many herds, this is not a simple one-bacteria problem. Pasteurellosis often develops after a trigger, such as transport, weaning, crowding, abrupt weather changes, poor ventilation, or a preceding viral or mycoplasma infection. That is why one goat may seem mildly off in the morning and become critically ill by evening.
This condition is an emergency when breathing becomes hard, fast, noisy, or open-mouthed. Some goats develop fever, cough, nasal discharge, and obvious lethargy. Others may show very few warning signs before severe distress or sudden death. Because the disease can progress quickly, prompt veterinary care is one of the most important factors in recovery.
Symptoms of Pasteurellosis in Goats
- Fever, often over 104.5°F
- Fast breathing or increased effort to breathe
- Abdominal push with breathing
- Depression, isolation from the herd, or reluctance to move
- Reduced appetite or complete anorexia
- Coughing
- Nasal discharge, sometimes thick or cloudy
- Abnormal lung sounds or harsh breathing noises
- Dehydration, sunken eyes, or dry gums
- Froth around the mouth, collapse, or sudden death
Mild early signs can look like a goat that is quiet, off feed, or hanging back from the group. As pneumonia worsens, pet parents may notice fever, coughing, faster breathing, and more effort through the belly. In severe cases, goats can become weak, dehydrated, and profoundly toxic very quickly.
When to worry: treat this as urgent the same day if your goat has fever plus cough or breathing changes. Treat it as an emergency if there is open-mouth breathing, marked abdominal effort, blue-gray gums, inability to stand, froth at the mouth, or sudden collapse. Kids and recently stressed goats can decline especially fast.
What Causes Pasteurellosis in Goats?
Pasteurellosis is usually caused by opportunistic bacteria that take advantage of a stressed or damaged respiratory tract. In goats, the main bacteria are Mannheimia haemolytica and Pasteurella multocida. These organisms may already be present in the nose and throat of healthy animals, so disease often starts when normal airway defenses break down.
Common triggers include weaning, transportation, commingling with unfamiliar animals, sudden diet changes, overcrowding, dust, damp bedding, and poor ventilation. Young goats are often hit harder, especially around weaning or when passive immunity from colostrum is fading.
Other infections can set the stage. Viral respiratory disease, Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae, and other airway pathogens may damage the lungs first, allowing Pasteurella-type bacteria to move deeper into the respiratory tract. Once in the lungs, inflammation can become intense, leading to fever, endotoxemia, and rapid breathing distress.
In herd outbreaks, more than one factor is usually involved. That is why treatment alone may not be enough unless the management stressors are also addressed with your vet.
How Is Pasteurellosis in Goats Diagnosed?
Your vet will usually start with a history and physical exam, paying close attention to fever, breathing rate and effort, lung sounds, hydration, and recent stressors such as transport or weaning. In many goats, the pattern of sudden respiratory illness plus herd history strongly raises concern for pasteurellosis.
Because several goat diseases can look similar, diagnosis often involves ruling out other causes of pneumonia. Depending on the case, your vet may recommend transtracheal wash or bronchoalveolar lavage samples for bacterial culture, and sometimes antimicrobial susceptibility testing. These tests can help identify whether Mannheimia, Pasteurella, or another organism is involved and may guide antibiotic selection, especially in outbreaks or cases not responding as expected.
Additional testing may include CBC/chemistry, necropsy of animals that died, or other herd-level diagnostics if mycoplasma, viral disease, lung abscesses, or chronic respiratory disease are concerns. In practical farm settings, your vet may begin treatment right away while samples are collected, because waiting can reduce the chance of recovery.
A useful point for pet parents: since June 11, 2023, medically important livestock antibiotics in the U.S. require veterinary oversight, so timely contact with your vet is important if pneumonia is suspected.
Treatment Options for Pasteurellosis in Goats
Spectrum of Care means you have options. Here are treatment tiers at different price points.
Budget-Conscious Care
- Farm or clinic exam
- Temperature check and lung assessment
- Early prescription antibiotic selected by your vet
- Anti-inflammatory medication if appropriate
- Basic nursing care plan: warmth, easy access to water, reduced stress, and close monitoring
- Clear instructions on meat and milk withdrawal times when relevant
Recommended Standard Treatment
- Exam plus herd and stressor review
- Prescription antibiotic therapy with reassessment plan
- Anti-inflammatory treatment and supportive care
- Bloodwork or targeted diagnostics when indicated
- Transtracheal wash or culture in outbreak, valuable, recurrent, or nonresponsive cases
- Fluid support, probiotic or rumen support when needed, and 1-2 follow-up checks
Advanced / Critical Care
- Emergency stabilization
- Hospitalization or intensive on-farm critical care
- Oxygen support if available
- IV or intensive fluid therapy
- Repeat exams and close respiratory monitoring
- Expanded diagnostics such as CBC/chemistry, culture, and additional testing for mixed or underlying disease
- Escalated treatment plan for severe pneumonia, dehydration, sepsis risk, or treatment failure
Cost estimates as of 2026-03. Actual costs vary by location, clinic, and individual case.
Questions to Ask Your Vet About Pasteurellosis in Goats
Bring these questions to your vet appointment to get the most out of your visit.
- Based on my goat’s exam, does this look most consistent with pasteurellosis or are other pneumonias also likely?
- Does my goat need same-day treatment, and what signs would mean emergency hospitalization or euthanasia should be discussed?
- Would a transtracheal wash, culture, or other testing help in this case or in the herd overall?
- Which treatment tier fits this goat’s condition and my budget, and what tradeoffs come with each option?
- What response should I expect in the first 24 to 48 hours, and when should I call if I do not see improvement?
- Are there likely herd-level triggers here, such as ventilation, transport stress, weaning, or commingling?
- What are the correct meat and milk withdrawal times for the medications you are prescribing?
- Should I separate this goat from the herd, and how should I monitor the rest of the group for early signs?
How to Prevent Pasteurellosis in Goats
Prevention focuses on reducing respiratory stress and catching illness early. Good ventilation, dry bedding, lower dust levels, and avoiding overcrowding all help protect the airway. Try to limit abrupt changes in feed, housing, and social groups, especially around weaning or transport.
Work with your vet on a herd health plan for kids, newly purchased goats, and animals under production stress. Adequate colostrum intake, quarantine of new arrivals, and prompt attention to coughing or fever can reduce the chance that a mild respiratory problem turns into severe bacterial pneumonia.
It also helps to control the diseases that often come first. Managing viral and mycoplasma respiratory problems, improving biosecurity, and reviewing ventilation in barns or shelters can lower risk. In the United States, Merck Veterinary Manual notes there are no commercially available vaccines specifically for small-ruminant pasteurellosis organisms, though autogenous bacterins may sometimes be discussed with your vet in herd situations.
If your herd has repeated pneumonia problems, prevention should go beyond medication. A careful review of stocking density, air quality, transport practices, weather exposure, and nutrition often makes the biggest long-term difference.