# Dull, Coarse Coat and Dandruff



## Mike (Dec 10, 2008)

Ever since I got my two goats last August ( now about 15 months old) one of them has been thinner with a dull slightly "off color" coat and lots of dandruff - dry skin. He eats like a horse, has never really been ill, and has recent clear fecals. The Vet tells me he has not detected any health issues.

I give him supplimental E & Selenium every 30 days, A,E,D,B12 vitamin suppliments every month and still the dry skin etc... brushed and/or curried daily.

He gets Olive Oil in his grain which is fed about every 3 days in a small amount. Eats hay otherwise....I was advised to feed a 1/2 cup of black oil sunflower seeds daily but have not tried that yet. 

What next ? Does one give a bath and if so what shampoo ? Horse type shampoo ? Medicated shampoo ? Could he still not be getting enough Selenium ? We are in a low Selenium area here in sand country. I dose the goats with the 5 ml "not to be exceeded" every 30 days in Gel form... ? 

The goat is an Oberhasli ... when I got him he had what I can only describe as white stripes (white hair) along the dark dorsal markings on his neck and 1/2 of his back. After starting him on Selenium Gel last summer these quickly disappeared.

Mike


----------



## tiger408 (Jan 13, 2009)

Curious... do they get a good quality loose goat mineral? Goats need more copper in their diet than other animals do. If their diet is lacking the right combination of minerals that can cause unthriftiness and dull, rough coat too. Something to consider anyway... especially if fecals came back clean. 

We feed Sweetlix Meatmaker 16:8 and it has definitely made a difference with our goats.


----------



## Mike (Dec 10, 2008)

I've always fed free choice Golden Blend Goat Minerals ( http://www.custommilling.com/index.php? ... &Itemid=27 )

Which I'm told is pretty good stuff............. I thought it had to be diet related.... but then why does the other goat's coat / skin look so much better. Individual differences I suppose...


----------



## goingnutsmom (Nov 28, 2009)

I'm having this same problem with some of my goats, some worse than others, others not at all. They are all in the same herd. I was told it was a copper deficiency and this payday I will be getting a different kind of mineral mix. I had been using Purina Goat Minerals and a lot of people in my area say this is what happens after being on it awhile.


----------

