doe has dandruff

[treeclimber233]

I have a pregnant doe that has a bad case of dandruff. I was looking at her tonight and she looks like she has been snowed on. I looked for any bugs or anything on her and did not see anything moving on her hair/skin. What could be the cause?

 

[woodsie]

I have a pregnant doe that has a bad case of dandruff. I was looking at her tonight and she looks like she has been snowed on. I looked for any bugs or anything on her and did not see anything moving on her hair/skin. What could be the cause?

One of my does has exactly the same thing...really bad but I can't see any bugs and it definitely looks like skin cells not eggs. I'll be following your post...hopefully someone can help.

 

[Queen Mum]

she probably needs IODINE! It's one thing that will cause dandruff.

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

My three pregnant and just freshened does have the exact same thing! I'm wondering too, will be following the thread!

 

[Pearce Pastures]

There are a few possibilities.

It could be dry skin, and I have heard of people feeding things like black oil sunflower seeds to help (there are topical applications too but this time of year, I don't know how easily you could do that).

We had a buck develop bad dandruff once and it was mites (you can not really see these with a naked eye). After treating with injectable ivermectin twice, it went away (again, there are topical things for this too but it would require shaving down and dipping in a liquid solution--not so good when it is below freezing).

It could be a symptom of an underlying deficiency too. What type of minerals do you use and do you live in an area where that might be a problem?

 

[treeclimber233]

I give the loose minerals but not every day. Where can I get iodine in her diet? None of the other goats have this problem so I don't think it is mites. (may be wrong tho). I live in south east VA.

 

[Pearce Pastures]

You have to be a bit careful with iodine but you could paint her tail web with some if you are going to try it. It will be absorbed through the skin.

 

[treeclimber233]

Is there anything I can feed her that has iodine in it.

 

[Goatherd]

Is there anything I can feed her that has iodine in it.

Sea Kelp meal is a supplemental food that has a wealth of beneficial nutrients, including iodine.

 

[Queen Mum]

Is there anything I can feed her that has iodine in it.

Sea Kelp meal is a supplemental food that has a wealth of beneficial nutrients, including iodine.

Kelp meal is great for supplementing iodine. AND the goats love it.