Bad Dandruff and skin

[dcullon]

I have a wethered goat that has had dandruff all over his body and ears and face. His skin is very flaky and dry. You just pat him and its like white dust coming off him. It has gotton worse lately. The vet seemed to think it was a Zinc problem, so gave him 4 shot treatments and he isnt getting better. Its winter here so Im not sure if thats making it worse. He is acting fine other then that. Im very worried about him. All my other goats are fine.
Debbie

 

[20kidsonhill]

if the vet didn't think it was mites? then could be a mineral problem,could be a genetic problem.

 

[elevan]

Can you post a picture that would show the condition well enough?

 

[dcullon]

He's been like it for a couple yrs now. Just seems worse this year. Definitely not parasites. He's itchy and scratches sometimes till he makes a sore from biting or rubbing to much. He is A little overweight and eats well and plays. So other then the skin problem(which is bad in my opinion) He's good. I'll try and get a close picture.
Debbie

 

[dcullon]

He's the black one in the picture of my profile. I also have 4 others and 3 ewes. 13 chickens.

 

[ksalvagno]

I would get some Rex Brand Wheat Germ Oil. Here is one place that you can get it: http://www.pbsanimalhealth.com/details/Wheat-Germ-Oil/500-1720.html

I used this product and it did wonders for my goats. Gave them about 6cc daily over their feed. They loved it. They are Nigerian Dwarfs so you may want to give more to a larger goat. It will take a while to see results but by 6 weeks you should see some definite results.

Also, do you give them kelp? I now give my goats kelp and Manna Pro Goat Mineral free choice and have seen a huge difference in skin and coat. You may want to look into giving your goats a mineral that has chelated minerals in it. Manna Pro does. They utilize chelated minerals best, sulfates second and don't waste your time with oxides. There are 4 main minerals that come in chelated form and the rest should come in sulfate form. The minerals that are chelated are Magnesium amino acid chelate, Copper amino acid chelate, Manganese amino acid chelate and Zinc amino acid chelate. The rest should be sulfates.

I use the 2 sided mineral feeder and put kelp in one side and mineral in the other.

 

[dcullon]

My only problem with giving it in his food is I don't feed to much grain because they are wethered and fat all ready. I have been giving a little boss ,I could put it in there. I will see if I can get it. Thank you. I just worry it will turn into something worse then only a skin problem.
Debbie

 

[ksalvagno]

You could always just give him the wheat germ oil orally every day instead of putting it in his feed. My goats loved the taste of it so I bet he would take it pretty well. Then the kelp and minerals should be free choice anyway. I will bet that you will see a difference in time if you use these products. I was having all kinds of skin issues this year with the weather that we have been having and I finally have no skin issues whatsoever now.

 

[dcullon]

Thank you for all your help. I started giving him the wheat germ oil blend. I got it at Tractor Supply. I give it to him directly into his mouth. Dont get much of it from putting it into his food. And of course it is always the hard to handle ones that have trouble
Debbie

 

[CluckyJay]

You can also soak him in slippery elm water. It is very moisturizing.