Is your Goat Stressed?????

[Sweet Goats]

well mine is so the vet says.

I ran my own fecal float on her and I saw these things that I had no idea what they were. So I took her to the vet because she has lost all her hair and it is not growing back like all the others have. Well he let me show him what I was looking at in the slide. He told he those were STRESS RODS WHAT???????? How can she be stressed? I mean she lives in a very loving home, fed the best hay we can get and pampered all the time.
Well he assured me it was NOT something I was or was not doing. He looked at her and she has NO hair on her ears, all over her face, around her butt, down her back and hips. Her face, ears and butt are SO dry. It looks like well I don't know how to say it other then maybe leather, it is gray and just dry and it has been really all her life. Well he did two skin biopsy's on her and drew blood. He said that for some reason he has seen a major Zinc def. here. So he will have to give me something that goats can absorb. He said that goats can not absorb it like most all other vits. There is no reason for her def, other then for some reason her body does not absorb it.
Well, I am still waiting for the lab results to see for sure what it is.

Anyone here have any suggestions on what else I can do?

She has free choice Sweetlix Meat Makers mineral, and baking soda. Free choice hay at all time and they are out grazing all day,

[crazygoatgal]

That is really wierd! If the tests come back that it is zinc, can't you give zinc tablets from any food/drug store or do they need something inaddition to it to help absorb the zinc? Keep us informed, I want to learn more about this.

[Sweet Goats]

Originally Posted by crazygoatgal

That is really wierd! If the tests come back that it is zinc, can't you give zinc tablets from any food/drug store or do they need something inaddition to it to help absorb the zinc? Keep us informed, I want to learn more about this.

NOPE. I said the same thing. He said that they will not absorber enough. You know maybe because her body will not absorb it that is why she will need something else.

Anyone else have any other ideas?

[lilredhen]

This may be a strange suggestion but humans can absorb zinc thru the skin, why not goats? Since she has so much bare skin you could try something with zinc oxide on her. Some sunscreens & baby ointments have zinc oxide. I don't know how it could hurt. At least she won't get sunburt

[southerngurl]

Well, stress doesn't have to be about environment, it can be internal. I know in people, illness, poor digestion, any kind of inflammation etc are a stress to the body, they cause a stress response just like external stressors.

Sooo what did these "stress rods" look like?

[celticfarmgal]

OK this is gonna sound wierd but "the old goat lady" that we used to live by in AZ had a goat that she gave Airborne the fizzing natural immune booster to for what she said was a zinc deficiency supposedly it is more easily absorbed than say a zinc vit tablet
She was kind of an eccentric woman and I am not sure about what else is in Airborne that may or may not be good for a goat but you could check that out

[hoggie]

This may or may not be any help. Unfortunately I can't remember where I printed this from - but it is titled "An Overview of vitamins and minerals for goats" so whoever's work I have just copied - I apologise

It says this about zinc.........

Zinc i sfound in skin, hair and enzymes. Exact requirements are not known but between 10-60ppm is considered satisfactory. We do know that 6-7 ppm does cause deficiency with stunted kids that do not thrive. Little Zn is available and must be supplied from teh diet since it is not stored in the body as a reservoir. Deficiency symptoms are well documented although the extent and frequency are largely unknown. As an example, in Greece a survey of 150 goats showed 2% as having severe Zn deficiency.

Zinc has a profound effect on males - much that females - since it is involved in sperm production and the development of the sex organs. Deficiency symprom include high bacteria in the mouth with excess saliva, stiffness of the joints and a low male sex drive. In vegetable diets Zn combines with phytic acid to form insoluble salts and becomes unavailable. Dry diets are more likely to cause parakeratosis and wetting of the feed hydrolyses the phytate salts and liberates the Zn - so wetting of the feed for males is recommended.

Zn deficiency is best spotted by the condition of the coat - there is reduced hair growth, a staring coat and also lameness. Zinc is not very toxic, one would need around 1000 ppm to cause problems. however vast overfeeding or grazing in close proximity to smelting works has given rise to reports of excess, which interferes with iron and copper uptake, in turn giving anaemia.

Zn in milk is proportional to feed intake and since goats milk is usually too low in zinc to be ideal for human requirements, supplementing with Zn is a real benefit, especially when the milk is required for feeding to babies.


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Like I say - it may or may not help - but it's worth a read

hoggie

[Sweet Goats]

WOW, thanks for the help starting here.

OK, first of all, what do these stress rods look like? Well they are long with a dark edge, oblong most were pretty thin. I was looking at them because none had anything in them. They were EMPTY. That is why I didn't know what type of parasite I was looking at. Well thats because I was not looking at one.

Putting Zinc Oxide on her face, and ears might just be a good idea. Maybe it will help sooth the area also. I am sure it has to hurt a little, It is like very dry cracking and scaly skin.

I do not know if I would be able to get her to take the Airborne. It makes me gage a little when I take it.

Hoggie,

Ok that is great information. Do you have any remedies to the situation? The hair loss and the lameness. WOW. I never thought about that. She is only three and her knees pop and crack like a very old lady. I do not believe my 15 year old cracked that much. Thanks I never thought of that.

Now she did kid this year, she had twin and very big boys at that. She nursed them and she took on my orphan also. She didn't have any trouble at all producing enough milk either. They grew fast and looked great.

Thanks all. Does anyone else have anymore idea's? thank you all for your input. I really appreciate it.

[hoggie]

Hmm - this will only be half helpful but it might give you somewhere to look.

In the UK, they ahve a product called "caprivite" - is what it says, a supplement for goats - and they also do an angora version. The angora version has extra cobalt, zinc, and Iodine. Presumably they have balancecd it out?

I don't expect you can get this particular product over there, but maybe looking for angora orientated products?

hoggie

[hoggie]

Absorption of zinc occurs throughout the small intestine and usually ranges from 5% to 40% of the intake. Transfer of zinc out of the intestinal mucosal cells to the plasma is regulated by metallothionine. Zinc absorption is reduced whenever diets are high in calcium or phytate (215). Common sources of supplemental zinc include zinc sulfate, zinc oxide, zinc chloride, zinc carbonate and zinc chelates.


Zinc deficiency in goats includes reduced feed intake, weight loss, parakeratosis (mange-like condition), stiffness of joints, excessive salivation, swelling of the feet and horny overgrowth, small testicles and low libido (120).

A level of 45 to 75 ppm zinc should be used in the total diet of goats until their zinc requirements are met.

http://www.saltinstitute.org/47m.html - this site has lots of info about zinc in all sorts of animals - some of that may be helpful too?

hoggie

[Sweet Goats]

I will have to look at some of the mineral blocks the store has and wee what they have to offer.

Thanks. I am learning so much from you.