Goats live on about 128,000 farms in the United States, according to the 2012 Census of Agriculture, with a population of about 2.6 million. Sheep are on fewer farms, 88,000 with a population of about 5.4 million. Veterinarians in small ruminant practices also tend to llamas, alpacas, deer, elk who live on thousands of farms.
Source: JAVMA, April 2017.
Veterinarians who work with small ruminants say the animal types and health problems vary regionally. The American Association of Small Ruminant Practitioners, with more than 1,000 members in the U.S. and Canada, seeks among other goals “to improve the health and welfare of sheep, goats, camelids and cervids.
INSIGHTS: According to USDA, half of sheep operations and a third of goat operations in the United States consult a veterinarian each year.