Hair Loss on legs and dry coat

I have a friend who is likely going to post some questions on the list shortly. Meanwhile - I just can't stand the suspense....to hear what people think the answer is.

Two wethers, dry flakey skin and loss of hair on legs. Sounds like rest of body is generally ok. Legs seem itchy and might have scabs in a few places.

Boys are fed only hay I believe.

Goat have not had any copper bolus or supplementation other than what is in basic mineral supplement -  can't remember the brand, although they did as babies 2 years ago. Minerals do have that ammonium chloride or whatever it is that people think wethers need.

Owner did research and thought maybe this was zinc issue and her vet suggested a zinc supplement that she has been using - doesn't seem to be helping.

Another friend thought mites or lice. Owner checked for lice - can't find any.  Vet did check for mites in recent past and found none.

I've suggested copper bolus, sunflower seeds and another person suggested to add flax seed.

What do you all think????? 

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  • Sorry Myra, I just saw this.  The best one I found is THIS.  The goats really liked it.  I went through 2 bottles, and then tried another brand.  The new one they don't like as much.  It seems to foam in their mouths when they eat it, and they're not so fond of it.  I forget what brand that one was, but it was a cheap generic pharmacy brand.


    Myra Isaac said:

    Hi Patty! :) Thanks for the update! What brand of zinc tablets did you get and where did you get them from? I'd really like to try that on at least one of my does and see if it helps. 
  • I tried DE a LOT a few years ago, and ultimately I didn't find it to be effective. My poor does itched so much more after I put it on them than before, and I think it's because it dried out their skin badly. When adding it to their feed, I had one doe get a nosebleed, probably from the DE drying out her nasal passages. And unfortunately it didn't get rid of the worms or lice. Since mites are under the skin, I wouldn't expect it to work them at all. Here is a post about one of my DE experiments:

    http://www.homegrownandhandmadethebook.com/2013/10/raising-livestoc...

    We've been raising pigs for about 11 years, and the only ones that have ever needed a dewormer are those that had worms when we bought them. But once they were dewormed, they never got them again. My oldest pigs now are five years old and never been dewormed with anything.

    On the subject of baking soda, you should put it in a mineral feeder and have it available 24/7 free choice. A goat could eat something that upset their rumen at any time, so you want them to have access to the baking soda when needed. Putting it in their feed increases their sodium intake unnecessarily. They should NOT need baking soda regularly. If they do, there is a feeding problem that needs to be addressed. You are basically giving your goats an antacid every time you feed them, and that's not a good idea. Years ago, sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) was the main ingredient in Rolaids, but they switched to calcium carbonate due to concerns about too much sodium in the diet.


    connie watson said:

    Deborah,  what is your opinion on using food grade DE with your goats to kill worms inside and rubbing on their legs fo mites or lice?   I use it on my dogs, chickens, in their coop and use it in my hog feed to prevent worms in my pigs.  Haven't tried it on my goats yet.  It seems if it gets rid of fleas and mites on chickens it should work for goats too.  I give my goats baking soda in their feed which will prevent bloat.  I put a teaspoon in their sweet feed every morning.  
     

  • Deborah,  what is your opinion on using food grade DE with your goats to kill worms inside and rubbing on their legs fo mites or lice?   I use it on my dogs, chickens, in their coop and use it in my hog feed to prevent worms in my pigs.  Haven't tried it on my goats yet.  It seems if it gets rid of fleas and mites on chickens it should work for goats too.  I give my goats baking soda in their feed which will prevent bloat.  I put a teaspoon in their sweet feed every morning.  
     
    Deborah Niemann-Boehle said:

    Zinc deficiency is definitely possible. My goats are just losing hair on the bridge of their nose and getting fishtails, which seems like class copper deficiency, but they are not responding to COWP. One goat is now losing hair on her back, which my husband noted is where the kids are usually jumping around on her. I haven't seen any symptoms of copper deficiency in my goats since 2008, so this is very strange. It does seem that a lot of people are having skin issues this year. I am wondering if my feed or my minerals actually has less copper in it than the label says. I subscribe to FDA recalls, but those never happen until months after many people or animals have already been affected. My point is that mistakes happen with commercial products. I've tried the NuStock on two does and will see how they respond.  I asked my husband if he's been giving the goats sunflower seeds (for zinc) and he said yes, so at the moment, it's a mystery.

  • HI All,

    Happy Summer (almost!)  I hope your goat's coats (say that 10 times fast!)  have all grown back!  My boys' coats grew back beautifully, maybe it was the copper, the vitamin shot, the carrots or just the spring warmth and sun!

    On another matter, one of our spring chicks (12 weeks now) is a rooster.  He is a Polish Bantam, just charming and cute but we just can't have a rooster in our neighborhood.  I know they make rooster collars but we would rather he go to a good home were his "cockadoodalldooing" will be appreciated.

    Please let me know if you have any advice.


    Thanks!

    Sarah

  • Hi Patty! :) Thanks for the update! What brand of zinc tablets did you get and where did you get them from? I'd really like to try that on at least one of my does and see if it helps.

    Patty Meyer said:

    Hi Myra. :)  They are all doing much better, but the two that had the most issues took longer to show improvement than the others.  They love their zinc tablets!  They mob me for their "treat". :)  Most of the time I give it through the fence, because if I don't I'm full of little goatie mud hoof prints.

    Myra Isaac said:

    Patty, how are your does doing by now? I'm having similar issues here in southwest KS. Also which brand of zinc tablets did you get and where did you get them from?

    Patty Meyer said:

    I thought I'd share my experiences with zinc so far since this thread started.  Once again, one of my does began to look zinc deficient according to the info here.  I also read all the pages in goat medicine that talked about zinc deficiency.  This doe has hair missing at the base of her ears, around her eyes, and on her nose.  She's had her copper and it hasn't changed anything.  She's also got scaly skin where the hair is missing, and dandruff like flakes in her coat.  I got some 50 mg chelated zinc tablets to give her (two per day), and decided I'd give it to all of them since they all looked like the would benefit from it.  I was wondering how I'd get them to take it.  Well, no need to worry!  They each ate their tablet like it was candy, even the picky girls!  I wonder if that's a sign they really need it, like eating the loose minerals?  Any way, I sure hope they always take it so nicely. :)  I sure hope this is the answer for my goats' skin issues.



    Patty Meyer said:

    Wow!!  This description on zinc deficiency sounds exactly right for the issues I've seen in my herd, and in the herd my original goats came from.  Crusty nares, ring around the eyes, scabby looking around mouth and "greasy".  I mean really greasy looking.  Even caked lanolin like stuff built up around the teats.  I thought it was strange, but the goats affected in our herds tested negative for everything serious and seemed healthy and unbothered.  Now I have a possible cause to go on if this crops up again.  Thank you! :)



    Deborah Niemann-Boehle said:

    I was gone all day and evening yesterday so unable to get to my books until now. The section in Goat Medicine on zinc deficiency and dermatosis is very interesting. Symptoms of zinc deficiency, according to the textbook, are hair loss, "thick fissured crusts on the back legs, escutcheon, face, and ears, and dandruff-like scales over the rest of the body. Crusts commonly encircle the nares, eyes, and mouth. The hair of zinc-deficient goats has been described as greasy and matted." Goats with this problem have had normal blood and liver levels and were consuming a diet that should have been sufficient in zinc. However, they also say that serum (blood) levels less than .8 ppm might be associated with skin lesions. They also mention a herd in Florida that suffered from seasonal dermatitis due to zinc deficiency -- but ARGH! -- no additional details about them!

    They suggest 1 gram zinc sulfate daily for two weeks to see if the goat responds. However, they also cite one case where they gave the goat 14 grams zinc sulfate orally for six weeks, and it showed improvement. They also tried 50 to 200 mg zinc oxide per day, and that did not help. Zinc deficiency can also cause hoof and bone issues, and they say, "Successful treatment of hoof and postural problems was reported with oral administration of 250 mg of zinc sulfate daily for four weeks." Zinc is NOT stored in the body, so the goat needs a daily source of zinc. So, if anyone was considering Multi-Min, forget it because they just pee it out.

    Just to make life interesting, selenium deficiency can also result in similar skin problems, but they can be differentiated by a skin biopsy -- "selenium responsive dermatosis have revealed orthokeratotic hyperkeratosis, whereas zinc responsive disease is characterized by parakeratotic hyperkeratosis." Obviously you'd need a knowledgeable vet to do this. However, goats that are selenium deficient also tend to have other symptoms, such as fertility and muscular, so for those who have totally healthy goats with no other symptoms, I'd lean towards zinc deficiency.

    As for vitamin A deficiency, if goats are getting green leafy alfalfa, it is highly unlikely, according to Goat Medicine. In fact, if a goat is deficient in vitamin A, they recommend giving green leafy alfalfa or alfalfa meal to correct it. If you are feeding brown hay, however, vitamin A deficiency could be a very real possibility.

    However ... keep in mind that if you have dry does or bucks, feeding alfalfa to them can cause zinc deficiency because of the excess calcium in alfalfa.

  • I've had mostly Nubian and mini-Nubian goats that have had this, but my Nigerians have had it too.  We aren't so much into the warm and sunny weather yet, and certainly not getting any pasture.  Still snow, and now mud.  We are having some improvement now even in the two does who had hair loss on the base of the ears.  I think 2 years ago at this time we had some  ND does who had bald noses, a ring around each eye that was hairless and a band around the base of each ear about a quarter inch wide that was hairless.  I didn't know about the zinc deficiency then, but it did clear up in the summer.

  • Hi Myra. :)  They are all doing much better, but the two that had the most issues took longer to show improvement than the others.  They love their zinc tablets!  They mob me for their "treat". :)  Most of the time I give it through the fence, because if I don't I'm full of little goatie mud hoof prints.

    Myra Isaac said:

    Patty, how are your does doing by now? I'm having similar issues here in southwest KS. Also which brand of zinc tablets did you get and where did you get them from?

    Patty Meyer said:

    I thought I'd share my experiences with zinc so far since this thread started.  Once again, one of my does began to look zinc deficient according to the info here.  I also read all the pages in goat medicine that talked about zinc deficiency.  This doe has hair missing at the base of her ears, around her eyes, and on her nose.  She's had her copper and it hasn't changed anything.  She's also got scaly skin where the hair is missing, and dandruff like flakes in her coat.  I got some 50 mg chelated zinc tablets to give her (two per day), and decided I'd give it to all of them since they all looked like the would benefit from it.  I was wondering how I'd get them to take it.  Well, no need to worry!  They each ate their tablet like it was candy, even the picky girls!  I wonder if that's a sign they really need it, like eating the loose minerals?  Any way, I sure hope they always take it so nicely. :)  I sure hope this is the answer for my goats' skin issues.



    Patty Meyer said:

    Wow!!  This description on zinc deficiency sounds exactly right for the issues I've seen in my herd, and in the herd my original goats came from.  Crusty nares, ring around the eyes, scabby looking around mouth and "greasy".  I mean really greasy looking.  Even caked lanolin like stuff built up around the teats.  I thought it was strange, but the goats affected in our herds tested negative for everything serious and seemed healthy and unbothered.  Now I have a possible cause to go on if this crops up again.  Thank you! :)



    Deborah Niemann-Boehle said:

    I was gone all day and evening yesterday so unable to get to my books until now. The section in Goat Medicine on zinc deficiency and dermatosis is very interesting. Symptoms of zinc deficiency, according to the textbook, are hair loss, "thick fissured crusts on the back legs, escutcheon, face, and ears, and dandruff-like scales over the rest of the body. Crusts commonly encircle the nares, eyes, and mouth. The hair of zinc-deficient goats has been described as greasy and matted." Goats with this problem have had normal blood and liver levels and were consuming a diet that should have been sufficient in zinc. However, they also say that serum (blood) levels less than .8 ppm might be associated with skin lesions. They also mention a herd in Florida that suffered from seasonal dermatitis due to zinc deficiency -- but ARGH! -- no additional details about them!

    They suggest 1 gram zinc sulfate daily for two weeks to see if the goat responds. However, they also cite one case where they gave the goat 14 grams zinc sulfate orally for six weeks, and it showed improvement. They also tried 50 to 200 mg zinc oxide per day, and that did not help. Zinc deficiency can also cause hoof and bone issues, and they say, "Successful treatment of hoof and postural problems was reported with oral administration of 250 mg of zinc sulfate daily for four weeks." Zinc is NOT stored in the body, so the goat needs a daily source of zinc. So, if anyone was considering Multi-Min, forget it because they just pee it out.

    Just to make life interesting, selenium deficiency can also result in similar skin problems, but they can be differentiated by a skin biopsy -- "selenium responsive dermatosis have revealed orthokeratotic hyperkeratosis, whereas zinc responsive disease is characterized by parakeratotic hyperkeratosis." Obviously you'd need a knowledgeable vet to do this. However, goats that are selenium deficient also tend to have other symptoms, such as fertility and muscular, so for those who have totally healthy goats with no other symptoms, I'd lean towards zinc deficiency.

    As for vitamin A deficiency, if goats are getting green leafy alfalfa, it is highly unlikely, according to Goat Medicine. In fact, if a goat is deficient in vitamin A, they recommend giving green leafy alfalfa or alfalfa meal to correct it. If you are feeding brown hay, however, vitamin A deficiency could be a very real possibility.

    However ... keep in mind that if you have dry does or bucks, feeding alfalfa to them can cause zinc deficiency because of the excess calcium in alfalfa.

  • So appreciate all the thought and discussion over the last few weeks!  Thank you all!  My wethers are better after COWP, Ivermectin, Nustock, sun and warmer weather!  My brown goat's coat is almost completely grown in and the white and black goat is much better (except for some bare, pink patches on his legs).  Nustock seems to help alot!!  I did blanket them when they were very bare which they seemed to appreciate.  What a mystery this all is!  Comforted to know I'm not alone!  Happy Spring all!

  • I'm having problems with dry coat and hair loss on the bridges of my does' noses and I'm in southwest Kansas. Much farther south than a lot of you. But I know what some of the other herds within 3-6 hours west or east of us they're not having problems. I'm baffled.
  • Good point, we are in Michigan, north of Detroit. North indeed. 

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