# white around eyes, scaly stuff



## SonriseRabbitry (Apr 1, 2007)

My aunt has a goat that got white around its eyes, and now it has bald spots behind its ears and a spot on its nose, and has white scaly stuff coming off from all over its body. What is this? And how do you get rid of it? Thank you.


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## Idahoe (Feb 4, 2006)

It could be many different things, from mites or lice to a mineral deficiency. I have to run and bottle the babies but I'm going to guess mites or lice, and a pretty advanced case of it.

Is she bred or recently freshened? Have you seen her yourself?


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## stacygoats (Nov 24, 2005)

Could be alot of different things, do you know what they're being fed?
- Make sure she has a good goat mineral available to them all of the time, I'd recommend Sweetlix Meatmaker. If she can not find a loose goat mineral in her area, then a cattle minerial (as high in copper as possible) but make sure it doesn't contain urea.
-I'd also treat for lice/mites.
-A few of my goats would get flaky skin, especially when they shed their winter coat, but hasn't happened since BOSS (Black oil sunflower seeds) was added to their feed mix.


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## bumpus (Jul 30, 2003)

.
Could be ringworm.

.


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## Jillis (Sep 11, 2005)

The white around the eyes strongly suggests copper deficiency, the bald patches and skin flaking also. Copper deficiency will lower a goat's resistance to parasites as well. 

I would suggest that the aunt bolus her goat with copper or supplement them with copper sulfate, 1/7 tsp. a day for a few weeks, then decrease to every few days, to weekly. 

They should be on a good mineral, such as Sweetlix Meatmaker for goats, or a cattle or horse mineral that is high in copper. Kelp powder free choice, also black oil sunflower seeds added to the diet. 

Do a fecal to see if she needs worming, which I think would be highly probable. A large worm burden lowers the copper in the system as well as copper decreasing worm burdens. 

HTH!

Jill!


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## harplade (Jul 14, 2005)

where do you get copper sulfate? I have a doe who has similar symptoms. When she was like this before, I mixed up garden grade copper sulfate and water and drenched her. Just wondering if there is an easier way. She is black-does that color have more problems with copper?

Harplade


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## homebirtha (Feb 19, 2004)

Copper deficiency would be my guess too. The raccoon eyes is a very common symptom. 

You can get copper boluses made for cows. You'll have to repack them in smaller capsules so you can them into the goat with a bolus gun. 

Here's a good article that talks about it in detail. 
http://www.saanendoah.com/copper1.html


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## Jillis (Sep 11, 2005)

You can get copper boluses for goats. Also, I got regular coper sulfate powder at the farm store. They use it for cow's hooves to control hoof rot, or fungus or something. 

It is easy to give, just pry open their mouths and drop a bit of the powder right on their tongue, it goes right down because it is a powder and sticks to the wet. About 1/7 of a tsp. daily would be good for a few days at least. 

Yes, black goats, like dark haired humans, have a much higher need for dietary copper. In fact, my back goats gobble what I give them and look for more. The white ones have to be "persuaded".


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## SonriseRabbitry (Apr 1, 2007)

Thank you everyone for all of your help. I will pass this on to my aunt.


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