# Serious Skin Condition?



## Epona142 (Sep 2, 2009)

Long story short, I manage a small dairy farm that makes cheese.

This is something we've had going on for a while now - we don't know WHAT it is and I'm stumped as to what is causing it.

The first one that I saw, I seriously just thought the doe burned herself on something - this is Texas and it is very hot after all - maybe she touched some metal.

It appears like a burn - they come into the milking parlor with a big patch of missing hair and what seriously looks like a burn. It even has the clear fluid on top like you would get with a severe burn.

Both milking does and yearlings have had this. The La Manchas have come in with it far more often than the Nigerian Dwarves. No weanlings or bucks have exhibited these injuries. 

We've had it appear on all parts of the body - mostly the hips, sides, neck, and even on the spine. Which makes me wonder - how and WHAT are they pressing up against to cause this? 

It heals fine with ointment. 

Has anyone seen anything like it? This is one of the worst we've had.


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## Caprine Beings (Sep 19, 2008)

Honestly that looks like ringworm to me, but if it heals up with just ointment then that cannot be it. Do you shave your goats? They could have what is called rain rot. It is where dirt and oil glop up on the hair and skin and then becomes a sore. I have no other ideas other than take a scraping in to the vet. You could go get a couple of their sample swabs and take those in too. If you really want to get to the bottom of this its your best bet 
Tam


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## Epona142 (Sep 2, 2009)

We've considered rain rot, but this is like no rain rot I've ever seen in my life. Of course, I haven't seen everything so you never know. Lol. 

They appear pretty quickly - morning milking she's fine, evening milking she comes in with that huge open sore/injury. 

I hadn't thought of ringworm - we had a few small cases earlier in the year which cleared up with an anti-fungal. They presented in a more "normal" fashion - a circular hairless patch. Can ringworm present with such large painful looking sores? 

We do not shave other than udder/bellies for milking.

That's a good idea about taking some swabs/scraping in. The local vets are not the best with goats, but A&M isn't that far away.


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## MF-Alpines (Mar 29, 2010)

Maybe work backwards. What kind of ointment are you using that clears it up?


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## Epona142 (Sep 2, 2009)

I think at this point we've used multiple. I just got back in from milking, wish I would have checked the name of the newest one.

I know we've used just a regular anti-biotic paste, just what you can buy off the shelves. 

They appear, scab up, then heal and the hair eventually grows back, although one of our worst cases still has some big bald spots where she had them. The skin looks healthy, just still bald. I'll have to catch her and maybe get more pictures.


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## Bella Star (Oct 27, 2007)

I have never seen anything like what you have in the photo but could a herd mate bite and take a chunk out of the doe ?


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## LSP Farm (Dec 4, 2011)

Any possibility you have a horse or donkey? Possibly from a bite? I would also walk around and check for hair, any place they could be rubbing on and scraping skin. 
Sam


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## Laverne (Apr 4, 2010)

Do they lick, itch or bite at this?


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## Epona142 (Sep 2, 2009)

Biting was considered but these really are too large for a goat to pull off that amount of skin. We do have other livestock but they are not in contact with the does. They don't appear like bites, more like an ulcer or lesion if you know what I mean? Just the outer layer of skin is gone. 

I have not witnessed anyone trying to scratch or lick at these spots. 

Just charged up my camera battery so next time I go out will try to grab more pictures of those with healing/healed areas. We are taking Primrose, the doe pictured above, to the vet today for skin scrapings and an examination.


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## Bella Star (Oct 27, 2007)

Good idea on taking her to vet in our heat .


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## Epona142 (Sep 2, 2009)

Pictures of the lesions in various locations and stages of healing. There were more, but they have healed up and grown hair back.


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## PrairieTrail45 (Nov 28, 2011)

A couple of them look like they have been doing a lot of itching... The one also has some little spots like either bug bites or possibly staph?


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## Laverne (Apr 4, 2010)

I really think some zinc supplementation would help. Zinc deficiency really shows up with skin issues, even though there may be another issue going on, the zinc will make the skin healthy to ward off other problems, boosting the immune system.


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## Epona142 (Sep 2, 2009)

That's a good idea about the zinc - thank you.

They could be itching - I haven't witnessed any increase or obvious itching at the sites, but of course, I'm not outside with them all day long and who knows what the silly things do when I'm not watching. 

I have been very worried about these lesions becoming infected with staph or something else. So far all have appeared then healed with no obvious signs of (secondary?) infection.

None of these does have had raised temperatures or lack of appetite during these episodes.


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## fmg (Jul 4, 2011)

I haven't seen ringworm in goats yet, but all the ringworm I've seen in cats and humans has been almost perfectly round sores. I don't think that's what you have.

Do goats get "hot spots"? Something that dogs get, and is more of an allergic reaction type thing. The pictures of the non-healed ones looks like what my mother's dog used to get sometimes in the summer time.


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