The CD&T Vaccine for Goats: Timing & Schedule

If there is one vaccine every goat keeper should know, it is CD&T. It is cheap, widely available, and given at the right time it protects both your doe and her newborn kids.

What does CD&T protect against?

CD&T covers three clostridial diseases:

• C - Clostridium perfringens type C (enterotoxaemia)
• D - Clostridium perfringens type D (overeating disease)
• T - Clostridium tetani (tetanus)

Enterotoxaemia and tetanus can kill quickly, especially in kids, which is why the timing of the doe’s booster matters so much.

When to give the pre-kidding booster

Give the doe her CD&T booster about 4 weeks (roughly 30 days) before kidding. This lets her build antibodies that pass to the kids through colostrum in their first hours of life, protecting them until they can be vaccinated themselves.

Not sure when that is? The gestation calculator dates the CD&T booster for you automatically from your breeding date, alongside the rest of the pregnant goat care timeline.

The kid CD&T schedule

• Kids from vaccinated dams: first CD&T at 6-8 weeks, a booster 3-4 weeks later.
• Kids from unvaccinated dams: start earlier, at 3-4 weeks, with a booster 3-4 weeks later.
• Adults: an annual booster keeps immunity topped up.

Tips for giving the shot

• CD&T is given subcutaneously (under the skin), usually over the ribs or in the neck.
• Follow the label dose and keep the vaccine cool.
• A small, temporary lump at the injection site is normal.

Always follow your veterinarian’s advice for your herd and region - vaccine protocols vary. For background, the Merck Veterinary Manual and the Maryland Small Ruminant Page are reliable references. New to goat pregnancy overall? Start with how long goats are pregnant.