Can you see that on Olga's neck? I just noticed it yesterday. I have not seen this before. And I really don't know how long it's been there. Although I think it's just happened because I would surely have noticed something so big and horrible before, right? I saw it yesterday afternoon. I ran inside and got my calendula salve and slathered it on her. She immediately started scratching it off. So I wondered if it could be a hot spot? Then I remembered I had the sheep and alpacas in the back with the goats Sunday. When I was getting them out, Misha, the red alpaca, kicked Olga. I heard it and saw Olga walk away from him. SO I wondered if maybe he kicked the hair off her neck? Then I thought maybe it could be her stanchion. Her right side is against the wall, so I don't see that side in the milk room. Her stanchion is different than Freja's. I used it for horned goats. The top goes up and there's a piece that goes over it when it goes back down. Olga will try her hardest to get the top to go up just enough to get her head out. So I have to tie a piece of leather so she can't get it to come up. So I wondered if maybe she'd been rubbing it so much, she rubbed the hair off that place. It's at just the right spot to do it.
Then I remembered a call I had from a friend who has goats this summer. And it sounds like maybe it's what some of her goats went through. She spent about $500 on vet visits and lab work and still never found out what it was. She tried all kinds of things to help the goats. Not all her goats did this, just a few. She took those goats and put them in another barn and that helped. She said she used the strongest iodine she could find. It worked.
So I found my bottle of iodine and sprayed it on real good last night. Then again this morning. I hope it helps her. I just have no idea what it could be.
I wonder if anyone has ever seen this before in your goats? And what did you do about it? This is the only place she has like this. My friend said all her goats had it on their backs or sides. She has horses too, so thought maybe a horse was taking a chunk out of the goat's hide.
I can't really tell from the picture. Probably fungus. one of our bucks gets it on the back of his head twice a year (fly season, and rainy season), and 1 of our does gets a tiny spot on top of her head (every rainy season). I spray it with Blu-Kote and it goes away. I haven't had any luck killing fungus with iodine even though its supposed to. I tried it before, because my mom told me that's what they used on the FFA steer when she was a teenager. The Blu-Kote stays on better staining into the skin, so I think that might be why I have had better luck with it.
ReplyDeleteThere aren't any signs of abcesses are there?
Kimberly
I'll also add that if you can see little tiny blisters on the skin, switch to wiping it twice a day with teat dip solution containing chlorhexidine.
ReplyDeleteNo abcess. Just looks like the fur all fell off, or was scratched off, and there's just dried hide. Soft. No bleeding at all. No scabs. Just dry hide. I'm thinking now that it's just where she rubs against the stanchion, trying to raise the bar up to get her head out. She does it every time she's in there.
ReplyDeleteI'll look for the Blu-Kote too. Thanks!