Goats rubbing against/cage losing fur

[incubatingisfun]

Ok so the vet diagnoses was either a deffeciency in copper/selenium or mites and reccomended ivermectin internaly and a vitamin block so does anyone know off hand what the dosage would be for them they are both fully grown nigerian dwarf

 

[Stacykins]

Ok so the vet diagnoses was either a deffeciency in copper/selenium or mites and reccomended ivermectin internaly and a vitamin block so does anyone know off hand what the dosage would be for them they are both fully grown nigerian dwarf

Depends on the form of internal ivermectin. Are you going to give the version that is to be given orally, like the paste or drench? Are you going to by the injectable version (this what I'd recommend if you are going to do it) to be given as a SubQ injection? Do you know how much your goats weigh, exactly? If you underdose, the dose will not be effective. Thankfully, ivermectin has a very wide margin of safety, so you don't need to worry if you overdose them a little bit.

Let me clarify, are they getting no minerals whatsoever? If so, yes, they absolutely need a mineral source.

But don't get a mineral block, what is the worst form of mineral you can give. Mineral blocks are composed of almost all table salt. It is what holds the block together. It contains so little in the way of other minerals they need, such as zinc, selenium, copper, etc. that they will continue to be deficient if given a mineral block. Instead, choose a loose mineral. It is literally a bag of mineral that is in loose form, like a grainy powder. There is very little table salt in loose mineral, so they actually get the minerals they need, not just fill up on table salt.

Manna Pro Goat Mineral is a good brand to choose, since you don't have many goats. When feeding a loose mineral, make it accessible to them at all times. Keep a pan with some mineral in it in a dry, draft free spot where they can lick it up as they need it. Replenish it as soon as they empty it. I keep my goats' mineral in a small feeder attached to the barn wall, so they can't step in it.

If they are deficient on certain minerals, you need to give them something right now to help them recover. For the copper, you can give a bolus of copper in the form of copper oxide rods. Copper oxide is a form of copper that is very slowly absorbed by the body, so it is basically impossible to overdose it (if you research more on minerals, oxides have the lowest level of bioavailability). But the copper rods persist in the gut for a few months, so it helps them recover from a copper deficiency over the long term. You can get this at Jeffers. Copper absorption is inhibited by iron, so if your water and soil has high levels of iron, that can lead to a copper deficiency. Or they just weren't getting enough as it is.

For selenium, you have two routes. Many parts of the United States are have soil levels that are deficient in selenium.You can either ask the vet for some BoSe. BoSe is a prescription medication given by the vet that is composed of selenium and vitamin E. So your vet SHOULD have given this to you when they told you they were deficient. So I'd recommend calling. Again, you need to know how much your goat weighs. If your vet will NOT give you BoSe (which is wrong, IMO, it is a rather standard supplement for goats), then you can get a gel form of selenium and vitamin E that is not a prescription. You too, can get this at Jeffers. Most livestock supply stores don't carry it locally, unless your area has a lot of goats.

 

[incubatingisfun]

Sorry it took so long to get back got busy thank you for all your info with the recomendations my goats now have a full coat! So glad they are back to full health they looked so bad at first.