# sunburn on the trail



## rtdoyer (May 6, 2010)

We have an Alpine goat (1 year in june) that has a bare patch on his nose. I'm worried about sunburn when we are hiking.

Any suggestions? Is this a deficiency of some sort? He looks great besides the nose.

The second picture will go in another post. This is the first time I've posted pics so they are sideways - sorry about that!

Tonia[attachment=0:11uadxub]spot 1.JPG[/attachment:11uadxub]


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## rtdoyer (May 6, 2010)

This is an up close of Spot's nose. I tried to turn the picture, but couldn't manage to figure that out.

Any thoughts on sunblock or prevention or cure would be great!

Thank you,
Tonia[attachment=0:3rzena2d]photo.JPG[/attachment:3rzena2d]


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## sanhestar (Dec 10, 2008)

is this recent or a permanent condition?

The skin on the patch seems dark but can't scan the picture to verify.

If it's recent I would wait until the coat shedding is over.

Do you have feeders? I recently acquired two goats with bald patches on their noses that look similar. The previous owner said that they rubbed the hair off on the feeders.


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## cryptobrian (Apr 26, 2012)

Our goats currently have very similar bald patches on their nose and around their neck ... it's from the fence. The bottom has 3 or 4 inches between horizontal wires ... just enough to get their nose through to pick at the grass on the outside of the fence. And then we have a hay rack that hangs on the outside of a 6 inch square panel ... they stick their head through to eat the hay, but they also become convinced that if the stretch far enough they can reach the grass on the ground. And as a result they are rubbing the hair off their neck. Luckily I think temporary ...they've been in a very small area while I've been working on new fencing ... should be done this weekend and then they'll finally be allowed on the other side where the grass really is greener.


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## idahonancy (Dec 13, 2008)

He sure has a cute nose. When in doubt use sunscreen. There is some nice nontoxic stuff near the organic food section in our grocery stores. My goats live on the edge of the city where organic sunscreen is readily available. I would not use the coconut flavored stuff. It could cause problems with his buddies.
IdahoNancy


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## rtdoyer (May 6, 2010)

Thank you for the replies.

It isn't permanent and actually seems to be filling in now. The hair loss on his nose was worse several months ago. 

He eats his hay through a cattle panel and maybe he was rubbing it off on the panel. 

Thank you for the tip on the organic sunscreen. His skin is pink in that spot - this seems like a silly question, but will his pink just turn red (like a human sunburn)?

Tonia


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## sanhestar (Dec 10, 2008)

yes.


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