# What causes hair loss like this?



## Caprice Acres (Mar 6, 2005)

Andre is loosing his hair in two patches, both in the same spots, on both sides. They aren't lumps, no vaccines, no irritation, just hair loss and dry skin! He was wormed sometime this last month. He's acting normal and everything, eating, drinking, and lusting after the ladies. The other buck living with him doesn't have this, and none of my other goats do as well. At first I thought ringworm but it isn't a small area. showed up fast. It's flakey with dead skin. Any answers? Here's some pics of it...


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## marytx (Dec 4, 2002)

Is it possible that he has scratched the hair off in these spots?


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## JAS (Oct 15, 2003)

I had a few goats lose hair after worming before--it was a pour on. They lost quite a bit of hair though, not just one spot. Not all my goats lost hair, just a few.


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## Ken in Maine (May 10, 2002)

Hair loss is usually an indication of copper deficiency in the diet. Make sure the feed has copper and is a goat feed. Other feeds do not have enough copper for goats.


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## Teacupliz (Nov 20, 2003)

that is a common spot for them to rub.. Brush her out.. worm or shave..
Liz


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## Caprice Acres (Mar 6, 2005)

I've never seen him rub on anything, there really is nothing to rub on that would make circular patches. He was wormed last month, and I've tried brushing him. No shaving for him, he's a pygmy! LOL


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## Caprice Acres (Mar 6, 2005)

The feed is Kent goat feed, but he doesn't get it anymore b/c he is a buck... He does get 1/2 cup of alfalfa pellets daily, though. Should I try giving him feed again. He has mineral/baking soda access 24/7.


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## marytx (Dec 4, 2002)

I'd thought perhaps he was biting at it or rubbing his horn on it. (?)

Does he get minerals?


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## Caprice Acres (Mar 6, 2005)

I don't think he can reach it either way. He has access to salt/minerals... But they're cattle minerals b/c thats all our feed store carries (TSC) 
I'm thinking its copper deficiency, but the stupid thing is that he's a buck and I don't want to grain him! I think I'll grain him till I get some good minerals... Is sweetlix the best kind of minerals for him?


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## Goat Freak (Jul 6, 2005)

Our buck has bald spots, but it is MUCH bigger than that, his whole underside is practiclly naked, nad it looks like poop, but he is in a pen with a bunch of girls, and none of them are getting it, and another one of our bucks, his son, who is very far away from him, in a pasture on the other side of our property is getting it too, but they have had no contact, and none of our other boys are getting it, even the boy in with the said bucks son. We have no idea what it is, both have access to minerals, but I don't think they eat it.


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## Caprice Acres (Mar 6, 2005)

I think that you're problem may be ammonia burn from the urine or something. My bucks usually get it on thier front legs, but my friends bucks would get it bad when in rut, all over thier chest and some of thier stomachs. 
I think my problem is copper deficiency, so I'm back to feeding him grain. :grit: I need to go and get some sweetlix minerals for him. right now he has cattle minerals, so that's what I attribute it to.


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## Sarah J (Jun 28, 2003)

What grains do you get to compensate for a _copper_ deficiency? I'd check with the vet and see about getting a copper bolus, rather than the grains. Cattle minerals should have enough copper in them, but only if he's actually eating them - is it a block or loose? Loose minerals are best. It's the sheep minerals that don't have copper. But double check the mineral supplement he has and see what the copper ration is for it and that he's actually eating it.

Another idea, though is that he definitely could be rubbing it off with those horns. I've watched my inlaws' horned Boer buck using his horns very decisively. He knows where the tips are and how to scratch himself with them - if it's itchy there he may have scratched it bare. Also double check for mites or lice or...so many possibilities that maybe only your vet can help discover for sure?

Sarah


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## Caprice Acres (Mar 6, 2005)

I am absolutely sure he could NOT be using his horns to scratch himself there. They just aren't long enough and have too much of a curve to them. I've never seen him eat any of the minerals, ever. They are loose minerals, and I dont have the bag anymore to check the copper amounts, and neither does thier website. I would rather feed him grain untill I can get the sweetlix mineral than wrestle with his stinkyness trying to give him a cattle copper bolus, lol.


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## Sarah J (Jun 28, 2003)

Sooo...I repeat...what _grain_ will help with a mineral deficiency? I'm not trying to be difficult, I just don't see how feeding grain can help with a copper deficiency??

I'd check with the vet to get a diagnosis, though. There seems little point in coming up with a treatment plan that may or may not pertain to this particular situation...could be mites, could be lice, could be minerals, could be...and they all have different treatments...a hands-on look may be the only way to really know what's going on.

(he is a pretty boy, too! )

Sarah


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## Caprice Acres (Mar 6, 2005)

It is a pelleted grain and I think I remember reading somewhere on the tag which I misplaced or somewhere that you shouldn't feed it to sheep because of added supplemental copper... That might be something else though. Since it started AFTER I stopped feeding him grain, I believe it at least has something to do with a deficiency of something. He doesn't look as good as he used to before when he was fed grain, too. This doesn't seem to be enough of a danger for a vet call. I think I'll try the sweetlix mineral before calling the vet. He's normal other than the bald spots, no change in behavior. Not lice, he was dusted about 3 weeks ago as were all the goats and thier housing/bedding. He's never had lice before either, and I check every so often. His skin is dry and flakey, too. None of my other goats have this problem.

** checked online at the kentfeeds.com website, and it says there is copper in the feed, and to not feed it to sheep. I believe it is the 16% feed. **


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## SHELBY (Mar 9, 2003)

If I recall, our doe had something like what you are describing a few years ago.

She had patches of hair missing like yours and it seemed like dry skin underneath.

Weren't sure what it was to this day. DD would go out every day and bruch her, and would spray her with the horse spray, just incase it was some sort of parasite, and it started clearing up in a couple of weeks.


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## Jillis (Sep 11, 2005)

If it is in circular patches it could be ringworm. Have you tried spraying the area with Blue Kote? 

I would definitely use the Sweetlix minerals for your goats. It has done mine a world of good and resolved a lot of their "hair issues."


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## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

Jillis is right ....I've had ringworm on one buck I used (from another herd) but I didnt see the pics....I sprayed spots with 7% iodine and it improved...


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## Caprice Acres (Mar 6, 2005)

Thats a good idea too... With ringworm, how big would the patches be? This one is quite large, I don't know of anything to compare it to size-wise. I think I may spray Iodine on his spots... should I dilute it to 1% for use on him?  Also, should I do anything with the other goats? They all share the same housing...
I plan to go to a feed mill that carries sweetlix products, hopefully that includes goat minerals. I've wanted to go get some often but I wasn't able to find a carrier till recently, and it's nearby too!


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## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

The patches on the buck I borrowed were about silver dollar sized maybe a little bigger.....I use 7% on kid cords (spray bottle) so I wouldnt think you'd need diluting....it will stain though....ringworm didnt spread for me but I was treating him daily....

For a quick mineral source I use Ascend skin and coat formula labeled for horses in drinking water....the goats love it...


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## SHELBY (Mar 9, 2003)

Ringworm is fungal. Do you have anything like for athlete's foot or the like? You can put that on it. Works on calves. 

Sunlight will also help to heal it up, if I recall.


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## Caprice Acres (Mar 6, 2005)

I put on the iodine. He didn't like it much... It is WAY bigger than I thought it was, about the size of the bottom of the bottle of iodine, maybe bigger... Not perfectly round now, more like pear shaped and seems to be spreading. I also noticed that he feels rough, as do all the goats that I have never seen eating the minerals... I really am thinking it is copper deficiency, now. Boston, a doe with a beautiful coat most of the time has short, kinky hair along her topline now, and feels rough! Fynley and Ester are the two that don't have the weird feeling to thier coats, but Ester's coat feels "off" 
can copper deficiency cause a black goat's hair to turn reddish-tinted? Cadee, the sundgau, is looking brown-reddish in the sunlight. The buck pictured above, Andre, also has this but I assumed it was from ammonia from peeing on himself... Though it is reddish on his back and flanks, not places where he pees on himself.


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## Jillis (Sep 11, 2005)

Yes, the copper deficiency will cause black hair to "rust" and also look for loss of hair around the eyes, causing them to look like they are wearing "spectacle." 

Get them on the minerals. 

Pat Colby states that black haired people, such as Oriental people, need 6 times the copper of fair people. She believes she has seen the same with black goats.


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## Goat Freak (Jul 6, 2005)

mygoat said:


> I think that you're problem may be ammonia burn from the urine or something. My bucks usually get it on thier front legs, but my friends bucks would get it bad when in rut, all over thier chest and some of thier stomachs.
> I think my problem is copper deficiency, so I'm back to feeding him grain. :grit: I need to go and get some sweetlix minerals for him. right now he has cattle minerals, so that's what I attribute it to.


I don't think that it is ammonia burn, because he is getting it on his back legs too. Sorry that I didn't say that to begin with. Can a goat reach back there to spray himself, I mean I know they can peeon their faces and front legs, but his back legs seem a little too far.


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## Caprice Acres (Mar 6, 2005)

how clean is the housing? Fynley, my other buck was loosing hair on his back legs as well because he was peeing and pooping alot in his house so that I had to clean it about every other week to keep him from loosing hair. If your buck is laying in ammonia like that as well, it can cause him to lose hair and his skin may be irritated as well...


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## Kathy'sKID (Nov 3, 2004)

Hmmmm, reading this with interest. I have a black buck who has an awful looking coat right now, losing hair in patches here in there and has dry skin. We mix our own grain so what do I add to it to get copper? I've never heard of sweetlix, what is it and where do you get it?


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## Caprice Acres (Mar 6, 2005)

Sweetlix is a brand of goat mineral. Make sure you get the goat type. You should be able to get it at a local store, but I thought I could do that too. Now, I have Purina goat mineral which they all love, to my surprise. Mine would never touch the cow/horse/ minerals I had availible to them 24/7. I think the reason for it was that there was WAY to much salt in the mix. Purina and sweetlix have the proper amounts of everything needed. You can find a supplier near you on sweetlix's website, but be sure to call ahead and make sure that they have goat minerals. www.sweelix.com


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## witchysharon (Oct 9, 2004)

_It is a pelleted grain and I think I remember reading somewhere on the tag which I misplaced or somewhere that you shouldn't feed it to sheep because of added supplemental copper_

'Added supplemental copper' can mean as low as 20-50 ppm copper in the feed. That is hardly enough to meet a goats copper requirement. If your goat truly has a copper deficiency, he should be fed free choice minerals with copper, like sweetlix or purina. (Depends on what is available in your area)

Also, Sweetlix makes different formula goat mineral supplements. Their 16:8 Meat Maker formula has the most copper (max: 1810 ppm) while the block only has max. 250 ppm. The roughage tub has only max. 350 ppm (but from my own experience and others, goats don't seem to go for the roughage tubs)
It can be ordered from jeffers but you'll have to pay for shipping which can cost as much as the product does.

http://www.jefferslivestock.com/ssc/product.asp?CID=2&pf_id=0029517&area=goat

Purina mineral has max. 1800 ppm copper, but twice as much salt as sweetlix 16:8 meat maker. However, considerably less salt then most brands of minerals (which can be as much as 74% in cattle/equine minerals and some goat mineral formulas)

Maxi Min Caprine Mineral has no salt and 1250 ppm copper. Ordering info

"The mineral is currently being offered in 25 and 50 pound bags direct from Mary Kellogg. For those interested in more information, Kellogg may be reached via email at [email protected] or acf_kanokla.net, please put "Mineral" in the subject line, or telephone 580-694-2372


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## Kathy'sKID (Nov 3, 2004)

Hmmm, so if I suspect my Nubian buck has a copper deficiency can I give him the meat maker sweetlix then switch him over to regular goat sweelix once he seems okay? I need to spend more time researching nutrition for my goats. :\


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## Caprice Acres (Mar 6, 2005)

I got the Purina mineral just a couple days ago. They eat alot of it. His hair is already starting to grow back. I don't know if it is from the new minerals or if it is from me spraying the Iodine on the patches. The reason my goats weren't touching the salt/minerals I had out previously was because it was a cow/equine type, with WAY too much salt. Our TSC hadn't ever carried either sweetlix or purina or any other mineral type for goats... We had to go to a different place to get it.

The reason why I suspected it was the feed is because it occured about 3 or so weeks after I stopped feeding him grain. Maybe I was wrong. As I said, I don't have the tag availible to look and see how much copper is in it. 

I was thinking about ordering it from Jeffers, but it is way to much for shipping, even though the product is cheaper than in feed stores.


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