Hello all, I’m new here but wanted some advice about one of my goats.
(Short background) I have had goats for 3 years and currently have 6.They live in an open 20x30 barn with free access to a small outdoor area. They have hay (1st or 2nd cutting horse hay) and loose minerals, and get a small amount of grain once a day.
The goat in question is a toggenburg we got about a year ago from a family that was moving and needed someone to take her. I don’t know how old she is but we believe she’s older. About 2 months ago I noticed she was starting to lose some hair. Not a huge amount, but definitely thinning. At first I thought she was just shedding, and possibly over-itching. But, she continued to lose hair and started getting small bald spots. I did some research and thought maybe she had mites/lice, and treated her with injectable ivermectin 3x (over 3 weeks). That didn’t make any difference. She has gotten worse since then and has larger bald spots on both sides. She has flaky, “dandruffy” skin too. I’m starting to think it’s some type of mineral deficiency but it seems odd that she would be the only one effected when they all get the same things and have free-choice minerals. Also, we do have well water so I don’t know if the mineral content of that would matter. What do you think?
I am calling the vet, but honestly the members of this board have more goat experience than they do. I also don’t want to call them out if it’s a simple fix, since I am by no means a goat expert!
Thank you in advance!
(Short background) I have had goats for 3 years and currently have 6.They live in an open 20x30 barn with free access to a small outdoor area. They have hay (1st or 2nd cutting horse hay) and loose minerals, and get a small amount of grain once a day.
The goat in question is a toggenburg we got about a year ago from a family that was moving and needed someone to take her. I don’t know how old she is but we believe she’s older. About 2 months ago I noticed she was starting to lose some hair. Not a huge amount, but definitely thinning. At first I thought she was just shedding, and possibly over-itching. But, she continued to lose hair and started getting small bald spots. I did some research and thought maybe she had mites/lice, and treated her with injectable ivermectin 3x (over 3 weeks). That didn’t make any difference. She has gotten worse since then and has larger bald spots on both sides. She has flaky, “dandruffy” skin too. I’m starting to think it’s some type of mineral deficiency but it seems odd that she would be the only one effected when they all get the same things and have free-choice minerals. Also, we do have well water so I don’t know if the mineral content of that would matter. What do you think?
I am calling the vet, but honestly the members of this board have more goat experience than they do. I also don’t want to call them out if it’s a simple fix, since I am by no means a goat expert!
Thank you in advance!