We recently had a conversation about copper boluses in which a couple of people had noticed a lot of hair loss in connection with the timing of the boluses. This picture is awful but I can't seem to get it to look like it does in person. This is the doe that is soon to kid and she doesn't seem to have any lice or anything that I can tell that would cause hair loss. She did have a dose of copper about 2 weeks ago and has been losing her hair every since. The weird part is that just like described in that discussion, all of these places still have beautiful short hairs there. Like they are brand new fresh hairs to replace those loss. It looks very weird and different than most hair loss problems. Like mange etc. Just wanted to let you guys know. Guess you could say it is another case for statistics, must really be a connection.
Views: 152
Replies
I'm still working on catching up with message I missed over the past few days -- but yes, that is exactly what I'm getting at! The only time I've had goats wind up with bald patches after COWP was when I'd bolused them a month earlier. I gave them the COWP because of parasite issues, and in the sheep research, they have given COWP as often as once a month, but I won't be doing it again. I really wish there was a reliable test for copper deficiency on live animals!
Now that is a good point. Because she probably would have been the least likely to need the copper. But since for the most part everyone else to some degree or another had symptoms. I did everyone at once. Do you think that this could be happening to a few of them when they either do not need it or don't need as much as others. I since that may be where you are going with this and if so I agree it is a possibility.
Thanks for sharing this! What kind of symptoms did this doe have of copper deficiency before you gave her the COWP? And how did her symptoms compare to the others that also received the COWP but did not blow their coat like her?