# Skin issue



## 21goaties (Mar 13, 2018)

Our pet doe May was really itchy (scratching herself all the time) and starting with thinning fur/dandruff on her neck.
We treated her with ivermectin pour on and a few days later ultraboss pour on.
Then noticed she was chewing at her belly. In the middle of her belly we discovered is a bald strip with spots and sores on it. We started spraying blu kote on it every day and put nustock on it and on her neck as well.
Then it showed up next to her teats (her udder is empty). Thick, rough feeling skin that is irritated. She scratches at it.
So we started daily treatments spraying chlorhexidine spray and putting on nu stock.
Does anyone have an tips or ideas on what this is? We are trying to avoid ivermectin shots but we can if necessary.
This all happened recently she did not have this in winter. It started once it heated up outside and the biting bugs, etc started up.


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## wndngrvr (Dec 10, 2011)

If you are using the ivermectin pour on you won't need to do the shots. My vet said use it 3 times -I think it is 10 to 14 days apart for mites. (If you think that is the problem ) On that sore looking skin I would try aloe if the nu stock isn't doing it - I have a girl who gets bad skin this time of year and that is always my first. Also I have used lots of petroleum jelly on damaged looking skin. It looks like it must be sore. Hope some of what you are doing is helping her.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Could be staph too. Could be mites and staph.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

I would remove the scabs and try Nu-stock on the effected area's. 
Put it on every 3 days.


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## 21goaties (Mar 13, 2018)

Okay. So we originally started treating with blu-kote and nu-stock daily and then switched to chlorhexidine spray daily. Then we switched to vetericyn hydrogel spray 1 time a day (it says it works on staph) which we have been doing for about a week now. We also did another dose of ivermectin pour on down her back/neck and I have put nustock on her neck where the fur is thinning. Also gave her another 4 grams of copper (she had one a couple months ago too).

The original spot in the first pic I posted is gone. However she still has the bald strip on her belly that is spotted with scabs now (which is good right?). And she has a sore on her udder. It is partly scabbed but not completely. Here are some pics from yesterday (this is before I put on the gel spray):










(The purple is old blukote)









She is still pretty itchy despite all the treatment. The only good sign is the scabs on some of the sores.

So my question is how long should we try the vetericyn? I don't want to start ivermectin and penicillin shots unless we have to. Could it be staph? It's not pustules it's sores and balding....


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Do you see pustules?
If not, I would just scrape the scabs off each time and use Nu-stock every 3 days until gone.


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## MadHouse (Oct 3, 2019)

Have you had a vet see it?
I sure hope you find something that works soon!


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## 21goaties (Mar 13, 2018)

Ok, I put nustock on it yesterday. She goes CRAZY (bucking and kicking) even on the stand when you touch her belly (and don't even think about her udder). She was already a high-strung goatie. So I repeat in 3 days? I hope this works.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Yes.


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## SalteyLove (Jun 18, 2011)

Have you already stripped out all her bedding? It looks like everywhere she is scabbing is what touches the ground when she lays down. Not sure if that's true, but it might help.


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## 21goaties (Mar 13, 2018)

SalteyLove said:


> Have you already stripped out all her bedding? It looks like everywhere she is scabbing is what touches the ground when she lays down. Not sure if that's true, but it might help.


While I do think that could be the cause, unfortunately she doesn't really have bedding. They all lay in the pasture. They do like to sleep/lay a lot near the (now empty) hay feeders. There is old hay on the ground in that area, but also dirt...and it's surrounded by grass. I'm just not sure how to clean it like you would a stall or barn. 
But, if we did try to rake that one spot out, what would you recommend we put on the ground? Lime or something? Remember, this is in a pasture outside.


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## SalteyLove (Jun 18, 2011)

21goaties said:


> While I do think that could be the cause, unfortunately she doesn't really have bedding. They all lay in the pasture. They do like to sleep/lay a lot near the (now empty) hay feeders. There is old hay on the ground in that area, but also dirt...and it's surrounded by grass. I'm just not sure how to clean it like you would a stall or barn.
> But, if we did try to rake that one spot out, what would you recommend we put on the ground? Lime or something? Remember, this is in a pasture outside.


Hmm in that case I would just scrape old hay up to get rid of moisture and that's it. Do you notice if she has a particular spot she beds down? My does each seem to have a designated favorite although they do mix it up. If she is one that is always laying on the old hay, I'd suspect moisture is part of the issue.


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## 21goaties (Mar 13, 2018)

Well, unfortunately May's skin issues are not getting better.  It's staying the same. She now has a small bald area on her chest (the part that touches the ground when she lays down) in addition to the bald patches on her belly and the sore on her udder. 
She is itchy, scratches herself more than the other goats and has thinning hair on her neck.
I have been putting on nustock every 3 days. I've was putting on petroleum jelly/triple antibiotic/vetericyn/blu-kote every day, but a few days ago I added chlorhexidine spray to the mix of daily treatments. She licks it all off every day (doesn't seem to care how it tastes), so when it is time to treat her every evening all the cream from the previous day is gone. 

We are going to give an ivermectin shot in case of mites even though she has been treated with the pour on. (don't worry we will repeat the shot)

We are not able to get a skin scraping/vet visit right now. 

Do you think we should do antibiotics in case of staph?

Any suggestions? 

I also started her on 1 cup of Purina miniature horse and pony grain daily while she is on the stand since she is a bit thin. Also some alfalfa/beet pulp pellets. She is not acting sick other than the itching. 

Also, we are in a mini drought right now. The old hay that the goats lay on is pretty ground up at this point and the ground is dry. 
There are a TON of flies as usual though.


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## 21goaties (Mar 13, 2018)

Here is her udder last night (before treatments were applied). The purple is blu kote stains









Here is the new spot on her chest:









Here she is caught in the act (and that is the old hay she's sitting on) 









Here's her cute face:


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## Tanya (Mar 31, 2020)

She is beautiful. Here in South Africa, we currently have a mite outbreak. My fallow deer looks exactly the same. It is usually cold here now but we are having unusually warm weather. 
I treat my deer with vaseline on her itchy spots with a very small amount of tea tree oil combined.
I have treated her with carbadust once a week. I dont know if you have that. My fallow deer sleep in their pasture no stalls for them.
I hope your doe feels better soon.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

I probably would do antibiotics at this point.


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## 21goaties (Mar 13, 2018)

ksalvagno said:


> I probably would do antibiotics at this point.


Which antibiotic would you recommend?


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

You need to stop the refrigerator full of treatment first off. Never give one and another and another. This just makes things worse. 
I would do a course of Tylan 200 4 ccs per 100 lbs once daily for 5 days. I would use hibiclean but, yeah, not available, busy destroying our immune systems now. Do you happen to have an old first aid kit with the old 10% iodine wipes? Or the benzidine wipes? Mecuricrome? Providone?
I can tell you how to heal them naturally do you have ash or alder trees?

What has our world come to when we can't get basic first aid supplies and what we are providing is making everything worse.


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## 21goaties (Mar 13, 2018)

goathiker said:


> You need to stop the refrigerator full of treatment first off. Never give one and another and another. This just makes things worse.
> I would do a course of Tylan 200 4 ccs per 100 lbs once daily for 5 days. I would use hibiclean but, yeah, not available, busy destroying our immune systems now. Do you happen to have an old first aid kit with the old 10% iodine wipes? Or the benzidine wipes? Mecuricrome? Providone?
> I can tell you how to heal them naturally do you have ash or alder trees?
> 
> What has our world come to when we can't get basic first aid supplies and what we are providing is making everything worse.


Thank you for the advice! Isn't hibiclean chlorhexidine? We have chlorhexidine spray. We have iodine also but no wipes. Is any of that stuff prescription? If it's not, we can order it. Actually, we can try to get the vet to approve the order even if it is prescription.
We sadly don't have tylan 200 (would have to order) . We do have penicillin.

We are in south GA on around 50 acres (a lot of it is woods).No alder but according to this page https://extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.html?number=B987&title=Native Plants for Georgia Part I: Trees, Shrubs and Woody Vines
we have ash in GA . I don't know if there's any on the property though, would have to check.


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## 21goaties (Mar 13, 2018)

Bump


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Hibiclens and iodine are not prescription.


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## 21goaties (Mar 13, 2018)

I looked it up and Tylan 200 is backordered/out of stock everywhere...


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## 21goaties (Mar 13, 2018)

So for some reason the only site I can find (that's not here) that has info on treating staph in goats is the onion creek ranch site. They say that you can use long lasting penicillin to treat staph (I know there can be different strains but without a culture I'm trying to pick an antibiotic that is most likely to work). We have the regular penicillin but not the long lasting (Benzathine Penicillin). So we would need to order.
Has anyone used that to treat staph? What other prescription antibiotics (other then tylan 200 which is out of stock) are good for treating staph?
I am now just treating her with iodine, triple antibiotic ointment, and chlorhexidine. And vit c. I'm treating once a day but do you think it should be twice?


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

You may have to do the best with what you have since things are on backorder.


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## 21goaties (Mar 13, 2018)

Long acting penicillin is also out of stock everywhere 

Any suggestions? I saw in some old posts goathiker said biomycin...

I am switching to iodine/chlorhexidine/triple antibiotic 2x a day instead of 1 starting tomorrow.


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## LadySecret (Apr 20, 2013)

You might want to try tea tree oil. Don’t put on open wound. Don’t use with other products. Saturate a cotton swab with the oil. Pat affected areas daily while on the stand. Wait 5 minutes to let it dry before letting her off. If it is going to help, you will see improvement in 3 days. Tea tree oil is around $5-7 at Walmart in the pharmacy area. Works great on many skin issues for goats or people. It’s the only thing that worked on my goat’s udder sore. And you should be able to find it even with all of the corona issues going on.


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## 21goaties (Mar 13, 2018)

So I have a few more questions.

What I am doing now is soaking all affected areas in diluted iodine 2x a day. Then, spraying chlorhexidine spray on the (now dripping with iodine) affected areas. Then applying triple antibiotic ointment onto any open sores. 

Does that sound right? Should I keep doing nu stock every 3 days or no?

I am working on deciding which one/getting an injectable antibiotic. When she had mastitis penicillin worked (and we have penicillin). Think I should try that or go for a stronger, prescription one?


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

I wouldn't do NuStock on the wounds. Goathiker previously suggested not doing all 3 of iodine, chlorhexidine and antibiotic ointment (at least how I read her post). So maybe start with iodine. If you already have penicillin, I'd start with that.


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## 21goaties (Mar 13, 2018)

Okay, I'll start penicillin

I wasn't using iodine before, I was using blu kote , petroleum jelly, vetericyn, triple antibiotic, chlorhexidine, and nustock. Then when goathiker posted that I switched to just iodine, chlorhexidine, and triple antibiotic since hibiclens (chlorhexidine) and iodine were suggested. I think I'll stop the triple antibiotic. I've been reading old posts and boy are skin issues confusing! 

I also think she may be zinc deficient because she has dandruff on her neck


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## 21goaties (Mar 13, 2018)

Does anyone have any tips for reducing pain from penicillin shots? May SCREAMS whenever she has to get one and fights. We try to give it as fast as possible and rub the spot. Penicillin is such a huge shot.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Drama queens. 

Some just don't like shots.
Had a goat who screamed bloody murder and I haven't given a shot yet. :bonk:


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## 21goaties (Mar 13, 2018)

toth boer goats said:


> Drama queens.
> 
> Some just don't like shots.
> Had a goat who screamed bloody murder and I haven't given a shot yet. :bonk:


May started to scream before the needle had touched her! I don't blame her but it is true that some are more sensitive than others. Some of our goats stand perfectly still for shots.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

What size needle do you use? I like an 18 gauge needle for the thicker stuff.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

:nod::up:


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## 21goaties (Mar 13, 2018)

ksalvagno said:


> What size needle do you use? I like an 18 gauge needle for the thicker stuff.


We used 18 gauge


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## 21goaties (Mar 13, 2018)

Update:
Today is the 3rd day of penicillin. I've also been doing twice daily iodine/chlorhexidine. 
I discovered during today's PM treatments that May had ripped open her sores during the day (they were scabbed this morning). 
Any advice? Pics are before treatment.

Udder:









Belly:


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Is it improving at all? I don't think there is a lot you can do.


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## 21goaties (Mar 13, 2018)

The skin seems less red. It wasn't bleeding until today though. No pus. 
Yeah, I guess the only thing is to try a different antibiotic once this one is over if it doesn't work. I'm trying to find a place to order tylan 200.

@goathiker @toth boer goats @happybleats


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## NigerianDwarfOwner707 (May 17, 2018)

Poor baby. If she were mine, I would try this: https://www.firmeadowllc.com/store/p411/Salve_HerBiotic™_(wellness_support)__4_oz.html

*"This product has been used to support the body to help itself in conditions such as wound, skin, mammary skin infections, mites, fungal, yeast, even helps support in really tough invasions."*


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## 21goaties (Mar 13, 2018)

NigerianDwarfOwner707 said:


> Poor baby. If she were mine, I would try this: https://www.firmeadowllc.com/store/p411/Salve_HerBiotic™_(wellness_support)__4_oz.html
> 
> *"This product has been used to support the body to help itself in conditions such as wound, skin, mammary skin infections, mites, fungal, yeast, even helps support in really tough invasions."*


That looks like it's worth a try, the only thing is that it's pretty expensive for 4 oz, and I know we would use a lot if we were applying it 3x a day


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

There's a way to cheat a bit. Tomorrow mastitis infusions are Clindamycin, very strong antibiotics. 
So, here's the thing. You're treating her systematically. If that is going to work then there's no reason to put anything on the skin. 
You can quit penicillin if it hasn't worked in 3 days. 
To be honest I would wash her wounds with soap and water and leave it alone for at least a week. 
This constant treatment is at the point where you can't know whether or not there's drug reactions, interactions, or even allergies. 
Give her immune system time to reboot and recognize the problem. 
Then, if it's not healing, pick ONE thing for treatment.


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

I would add to booster her immune with fresh raw garlic and vit C. LoH has an Herbamin blend that is great. I keep both the extract and powder on hand. I give the extract 3 times a day for a few days to get into her system then I switch to powder form. But either form is effective.


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## 21goaties (Mar 13, 2018)

goathiker said:


> There's a way to cheat a bit. Tomorrow mastitis infusions are Clindamycin, very strong antibiotics.
> So, here's the thing. You're treating her systematically. If that is going to work then there's no reason to put anything on the skin.
> You can quit penicillin if it hasn't worked in 3 days.
> To be honest I would wash her wounds with soap and water and leave it alone for at least a week.
> ...


Thank you! I could be totally wrong on this, but the tomorrow we have says that the active ingredient is cephapirin benzathine. Is that the same as clindamycin?
Also she has a small (not tight) precocious udder but no mastitis thankfully. And I found somewhere to order tylan 200!
We have also had similar issues with 2 of our other goats with these sores.


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

Cephapirin benzathine Cephapirin sodium Chloramphenicol Chlortetracycline Chorionic gonadotropin Clenbuterol Clindamycin Clomipramine Cloprostenol ...lol


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

The only difference is the carrier


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

You need Lysigin... https://www.jefferspet.com/products/lysigin


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

Def add some clean bedding where they like to lay. Pasture sleepers do make it hard..keeping the area clean and dry will help heal. If you can offer some platform to entice them to jump up and sleep on...that would be good. 
Staph can be difficult to deal with. Knowing which strain can help. 
Often combined Penicillin injections and Chlorhexidine works well. After giving her a few days rest from all meds as Jill suggested, I would try this combo or use the Tomorrow in place of Chlorhexidine along keeping it clean and dry. 
Do fresh raw garlic and vit c to help with immune system and check out LOH herbamins.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Very good advice by all.


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## NigerianDwarfOwner707 (May 17, 2018)

21goaties said:


> That looks like it's worth a try, the only thing is that it's pretty expensive for 4 oz, and I know we would use a lot if we were applying it 3x a day


Nothing herbal is really cheap, but if all else fails maybe try it?


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## 21goaties (Mar 13, 2018)

So this morning the sores were not bleeding. I went ahead and washed her belly and udder with baby soap.
We ordered the tylan 200.
Here is her udder after washing:









Here is what May thinks about this whole washing thing:


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

It looks better.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Looking better.


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

Lol..she is a doll!! Glad the sores looking better.


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## 21goaties (Mar 13, 2018)

Here is May's Sore Pic of the Day™
Looks about the same.


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## 21goaties (Mar 13, 2018)

Day 2 of sore pic of the day... those are all gnats. I haven't put anything on it, she's getting daily vit c and grain/alfalfa/beet pulp.


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## NigerianDwarfOwner707 (May 17, 2018)

Sucks that there are gnats, maybe you need to put something on it like swat?


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

I'd put Catron fly spray on it. Safe for wounds.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Catron fly spray is a great product.


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## 21goaties (Mar 13, 2018)

Day 3 of sore pic of the day... I put some swat around it (we don't have catron, would have to order)


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## 21goaties (Mar 13, 2018)

Here it is today. We got the tylan 200 yesterday, so I guess we will start it.









It looks a bit better than the last pic, but still not healed. She still has the bald strip on her belly too but it's not bleeding. The weird thing about whatever this is (a few of the other goats have this too but not as bad, we put nustock on their scabs and that usually takes care of it) is that it changes very quickly. It will be super raw, then look almost healed the next day, then disappear in winter. It comes with these extremely thick scabs which makes me think staph. I don't know if anyone remembers my threads titled "what are these sores?" but they've all been the same. Thelma had a sore on her leg last year that I battled for months with blukote (daily), nustock and chlorhexidine until it finally healed. So, I'm hoping that if the tylan 200 heals these then we will know how to treat finally for future cases. We want to get a culture at some point but can't right now.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Hopefully the Tylan will help.


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## NigerianDwarfOwner707 (May 17, 2018)

@21goaties , is it just me or do you tend to have a lot of skin issues? I've read multiple threads over time of mystery external problems, eyes, fungal, skin, correct me I am wrong. Is there perhaps something systemically or even environmentally that is causing problems??


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## 21goaties (Mar 13, 2018)

NigerianDwarfOwner707 said:


> @21goaties , is it just me or do you tend to have a lot of skin issues? I've read multiple threads over time of mystery external problems, eyes, fungal, skin, correct me I am wrong. Is there perhaps something systemically or even environmentally that is causing problems??


The threads where I mentioned fungal, were about a different goat that had this same type of sore. I thought it was ringworm then. But now, I think it seems more like staph based on what I have read.

The eyes, we had testing done and the results were not very telling. Thankfully, the goats with the abnormal eyes eat, drink, play and seem to function pretty normally.

Well, environmentally we live in a rainforest basically. Everything you read says goats+damp/humid climate = problems. We have seen that to be true. I _definitely_ think that has something to do with it. They live in a huge pasture with woods and only go in their tarp/hoop shelters when it's storming.

But all of the goats are not covered in sores. May has the worst one right now. A few others have some scabs. I'm determined to cure them.

Before I joined the forum I did not know a ton of stuff and the goats suffered for it. I think the copper deficiency (and zinc/selenium) may have contributed to this too. I have been working on fixing this and they have been getting regular copper boluses as well as replamin for the ones that I think need it.


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## 21goaties (Mar 13, 2018)

Today is day 4 of the tylan 200 (we give the shot in the evening). The sore currently looks like it's drying up, I'll post pics tonight.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Great news!


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## 21goaties (Mar 13, 2018)

Well bummer. Yesterday the skin was gray and dry, no red rawness or flies/gnats and it looked like it was healing. Today...it's raw again and with gnats. I'm assuming she chewed on it. I put some more fly cream on and she got her 4th tylan 200 shot. She is healthy otherwise. Still has the strip on her belly, its not currently raw but has some scabs..
Do you think if it is staph that the infection could be killed but it still be itchy? Just a random thought...
@goathiker @toth boer goats @ksalvagno


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Flies on it would be itchy. Healing sores can be itchy.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

This is really good stuff, made for wounds and keeps bugs off of them.


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## 21goaties (Mar 13, 2018)

Thank you guys.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

You bet.


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

Uh, nobody's ever said anything about gnats, which equals sweet itch, which equals a completely different thing. Really, were there gnats the whole time?

Just put some Cylence on every 3 to 4 weeks to keep the gnats off. 
Be very careful with the screw worm spray above. It builds up and I have personally seen young animals killed using it. 2 of them my own when DH didn't understand the directions.


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## 21goaties (Mar 13, 2018)

Have there been gnats the whole time? I would say yes, depending on the weather that day and how raw the sore was that day. We have a ton of gnats here.
I have not put any of the catron on yet because we would have to order it. I have been putting on swat cream daily . The sore is not completely healed yet....


We discovered today that she had a reaction to the tylan 200 shots (which she finished 2 days ago). There are large (like orange size) lumps everywhere we gave her one of the shots. Even though I've been checking her every day I didn't notice them until today, they seem to have been getting bigger since she got the shots. They are flattish and squishy and one has a red spot on it. Poor girl. We dosed her with benadryl. I guess that means she can't ever have tylan 200 again since she's allergic to it?


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Allergic to it, then it is best to try not using it again.

Catron, I have used it for a weeks time on goats with no ill effects.
Keep the bugs off of the wound, so it can heal.


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## 21goaties (Mar 13, 2018)

Well...May still has the sores. The lumps she got from the tylan 200 shots went away after a dose of benadryl, but the place where the lump was that had a raw spot on it turned into a sore. 

To recap:

The main lesion is on her udder. It feels thick and rough and is frequently raw. She also has a strip of hair loss on her belly that is dotted with small versions of the lesion on her udder. They are covered with thick scabs sometimes, and raw other times. 
She has had this issue since early April. 
She is acting completely normal other than licking/biting at the sores. Body condition is good and her coat is smooth. Her fecal in March was clean and her FAMACHA score is currently good. 
She lives in a huge pasture/woods with 10 other goats and 1 cow. A few of the other goats have the exact same lesions on their bellies that she does, but theirs are not looking nearly as bad as May's.

She had mastitis in her precocious udder in August 2019, it was successfully treated with penicillin injections in addition to Tomorrow intramammary infusions. We also did warm compresses, and massaged peppermint oil onto the udder. Her udder dried up after that, but started to fill again about a month ago. Currently she does not appear to have mastitis (no lumps or heat in the udder).

Here is a link to a folder containing pictures of her sores during the last 2 months. The name of each file includes the date that it was taken.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1pnFpa6ZDrry_zqwe8AXA49CD0ub6Sc-3?usp=sharing

The below is what she has received during the last few months:

Bimectin pour on (along the back) - April 4th 2020, April 26th 2020, May 30th 2020
Vetericyn hydrogel was applied to affected areas daily for about a week starting April 23rd 2020
One 4 gram copper bolus - April 26th 2020
Nu-Stock was applied on May 1st, 4th, and 7th
A combination of Nu-Stock, Blu-Kote, and Vetericyn was applied on May 9th
A combination of petroleum jelly, triple antibiotic ointment, and Vetericyn was applied May 10th and 11th
A combination of petroleum jelly, Blu-Kote, Nu-Stock, and Vetericyn was applied May 12th
A combination of petroleum jelly, triple antibiotic ointment, Vetericyn, Blu-Kote, and 4% Chlorhexidine spray was applied May 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, and 2 times (AM and PM) on the 17th. 
A combination of triple antibiotic ointment, diluted iodine spray, and 4% Chlorhexidine spray was applied May 18th, 19th, and 20th
Diluted iodine spray and 4% Chlorhexidine spray was applied 2 times (AM and PM) daily May 21st, 22nd, 23rd, and 24th
Seven Penicillin injections, one on May 21st 2020, two daily on May 22nd, 23rd, and 24th.
The affected areas were washed with baby soap on May 25th 2020
Five Tylan 200 injections, one daily starting June 2nd and ending June 6th

SWAT fly repellent cream was applied nearly daily since June 5th. I stopped it on the 16th because I thought it was irritating the sore and making it worse. For the last several days I have been washing the sores with diluted iodine and putting on 4% chlorhexidine spray. I also applied nu stock again several days ago, but it did nothing.

She has been getting 1-2 vitamin C chewables almost daily during all of this, as well as some daily alfalfa pellets, beet pulp pellets, and grain.

@goathiker , when you suggested Cylence, is it safe to put directly on the sores?


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Cylence is supposed to be put along the spine for lice control. You wouldn't put it on sores as far as I know. I'm wondering if you need to do like a 14 day course of antibiotic. It looks like you have never done a long term injected antibiotic.


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## 21goaties (Mar 13, 2018)

Okay.
I hate shots and so does she but I know they are often necessary.

I'm trying to find a way to swab her sore myself and mail it in to culture for antibiotic sensitivity. Our local lab won't do it unless a vet collects the swab but I found an out of state lab that will. Has anyone ever done this? Any tips?

The flies are a problem too, since she licks off whatever you put on the sore fly repellent doesn't last long. It can't heal with flies on it..


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## 21goaties (Mar 13, 2018)

Well, the lab told me which swabs to use, but based on what I have read online you have to be a vet to purchase them.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

_Try putting on Virgin organic coconut oil on it, 2 x a day or more.

It has healing properties, also treats ailments.

You have tried everything else may be worth a try.

Put a dog cone on her if she won't stop licking at it.

I am just hoping the flies stay off of it.
_


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## 21goaties (Mar 13, 2018)

Thank you! I am currently wiping it off with plain water, spraying it with chlorhexidine spray, and putting swat cream around it daily.


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

The cylence keeps flys off. It's like a spot on for dogs, keeping many biting insects away. 

Hydrocortisone might be your next move. 

Do you have soda out? Eating of soda deactivates most antibiotic products.


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## 21goaties (Mar 13, 2018)

goathiker said:


> The cylence keeps flys off. It's like a spot on for dogs, keeping many biting insects away.
> 
> Hydrocortisone might be your next move.
> 
> Do you have soda out? Eating of soda deactivates most antibiotic products.


Thanks! 
So I can't put cylence directly on the sores?
No soda, the only thing out is minerals.


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## 21goaties (Mar 13, 2018)

Update:
When winter came May's sores finally dried up and disappeared. 

We just recently noticed that she was looking itchy, has thinning hair on her neck and I caught her scratching her udder with her horn. Thankfully her udder is empty. This is the same time that the sores started last year. We want to nip it in the bud this year so yesterday we gave her an ivermectin shot in case of mites (I checked records and we have never given her one before), and applied Cylence down her topline. I also examined her belly and udder, they looked fine except for one scab on her belly that I put NuStock on. No sores. She got copper bolused and got ivermectin pour on a few weeks ago.

I also want to start her on a zinc supplement because I think that may be what is causing the thinning hair on her neck. We tried nustock on it last year which did nothing.
She is about 135 lbs, would half of one of these Spring Valley Zinc Caplets, 50 mg given daily be good? I've seen a ton of different dosages lol. 

Also, when treating mites do you need to repeat the ivermectin shot? It says here: The Biology of the Goat that "Treatment with ivermectin injections twice at three week intervals will usually control all of these mites."


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## 21goaties (Mar 13, 2018)

21goaties said:


> Update:
> When winter came May's sores finally dried up and disappeared.
> 
> We just recently noticed that she was looking itchy, has thinning hair on her neck and I caught her scratching her udder with her horn. Thankfully her udder is empty. This is the same time that the sores started last year. We want to nip it in the bud this year so yesterday we gave her an ivermectin shot in case of mites (I checked records and we have never given her one before), and applied Cylence down her topline. I also examined her belly and udder, they looked fine except for one scab on her belly that I put NuStock on. No sores. She got copper bolused and got ivermectin pour on a few weeks ago.
> ...


Bump


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## Moers kiko boars (Apr 23, 2018)

For mites,fleas, lice, I use permithrin and pour on her from base of neck to end of tail. I use ivermectin as an internal.wormer only. The permithrin ,if mixed like the instructions, is safe for goats. Ive used it for years. This time of year I start useing it. I also use Python dust on their bedding area. It kills fleas, lice, mites also. 
Since the sore dried up & disapeared in winter, could it be an allergy? Have you tried benedryl on the skin thats affected? I have a dog who.has skin allergies once the temp is above 60. He gets a shower of benadryl about once a month. If I give him tablets, it.doesnt work as well. 
I Hope some of this helps your poor girl. Good luck in finding your solution.


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## 21goaties (Mar 13, 2018)

Update, May's scabby sores came back on April 13th 2021 despite our efforts to stop them. She has a strip on her belly and some on her tail. They are exactly like they were last year where they will dry up completely then be open and red the next day. The only thing I have been putting on the ones on her belly is iodine once a day. The ones on her tail which just appeared recently I have been putting blu kote on once daily. That worked to dry up 2 of them (at least for now) but yesterday another one opened up on the other side of her tail so I put blu kote on it too.

We gave her 20 ml of liquid benadryl daily for about 6 days straight starting on April 19th. It did nothing so we stopped it. 

She has the thinning hair/dandruff on her neck again so I have been giving her zinc tablets every day since April 15th. At first I did 25mg daily then about a week later I started giving 50mg daily. I have not seen any improvement on her neck so I'm wondering if I should stop the zinc, I don't want to waste it. 

She is healthy otherwise and gets 1 cup of alfalfa and 1/2 cup of beet pulp daily while she is on the stand getting her sores looked at. Her udder is empty. I have also been giving her 1/2 cup of purina mini horse grain daily because she lost a bit of weight at the end of winter. But now she has gained it back and has reclaimed her title of Plump May so I am stopping the grain. 
During the winter she got a tiny bit more alfalfa and beet pulp daily but most of her diet was grass hay. Now she is foraging all day. The sores came back as soon as it got warm and the bugs came out. Gnats and flies do land on the sores but I have not put any fly repellent on because it seemed to make it worse when I tried it last year.

She is an extremely sensitive goat and chews at the sores. At this point I'm wondering if it is an allergy...

I can post pics, if anyone has any ideas feel free to share them..


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## FizzyGoats (Apr 14, 2021)

This sounds suspiciously like what used to happen to a dog we had who was highly allergic to fleas. One bite and we had to take him to the vet for a shot because Benadryl wasn’t strong enough for his allergy. I wonder if your goat might be overly sensitive to a normally annoying but benign bite from something. Has she been checked by a vet for allergies? 

Sorry you’re dealing with this again. I hope you get it all figured out and that it ends up being something simple to treat.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

It does sound like a potential allergy problem.


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

It looks like staph that got infected. I would work from the inside out. What I mean is, as with us humans, an unhealthy gut can cause us all kinds of issues..so with her..since this is recurring issue, it might be a gut/stress problem. Spring brings lots of changes and along with it, stressors. Here is Texas we get a lot of storms, wet weather and long days in the barn! Flies and other pests begin showing themselves. So along with topical treatments, such as MTG for horses, which is same treatment really as NuStock, but spray, so makes it easier to apply to areas she hate you touching. I have diluted NuStock before and used as a spray when my buck has mites all over..so either is fine. If she has a special place or two she enjoys laying, you could lay pine shaving down, tractor tires filled with with dirt and topped with pine shaving make fun places to lay, my goats fight over the one we have.. or add fun climbing stuff she can jump up on and lay. like a spool or old coffee table. ( may need several so others don't take all the places LOL) These may not be practical in your set up, but ideas to help spark ideas that may work better for you. Idea is get her a laying spot off the ground. Even is the best you can offer is a night pen for her and a buddy where she has clean bedding for the night. 
Now the inside....for starters, I would give daily probiotics and garlic. Once a week give Dark beer. A good GI herbal blend like LOH Back on track. Make sure she has good minerals. see how she does. One thing for sure, she is in good hands!!

Best wishes


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## 21goaties (Mar 13, 2018)

happybleats said:


> It looks like staph that got infected.


I think you may be right. I started giving her daily garlic about a week ago and we just got a cobalt block for the first time ever a few days ago. I have continued to check her over every day and spray iodine on her scabs/sores. The ones on her belly 
have not changed if anything they've gotten worse.


She also had some sores on the sides of her tail that are currently cleared up thanks to blu kote and then nustock once they scabbed over. Now there are just bald spots there. 

However, when I checked her tonight I noticed a new raw spot on the side of her tail, so I looked at her bottom and saw what looks like staph. I attached pictures, warning they are gross. 

SO......I'm guessing she has super resistant staph. We treated her last year with tylan 200 and it did nothing..we also did a lot of other stuff that is in the previous posts on this thread. We are going to call the vet tomorrow. I've never seen it on her bottom before.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Poor thing. Good to call the vet.


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## 21goaties (Mar 13, 2018)

In the meantime I'm wondering if I should treat it topically? I didn't put anything on it yesterday. There are so many creams, ointments, and sprays that are supposed to cure staph. We have Tomorrow but I don't really want to use it if we are going to be giving an injectable antibiotic. 
What about putting just chlorhexidine on it? Would that have a negative effect? We tried it last year but it was mixed in with a bunch of other stuff.


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

Poor girl. Yes Chlorhexidine would be a good choice or tea tree spray.


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## 21goaties (Mar 13, 2018)

happybleats said:


> Poor girl. Yes Chlorhexidine would be a good choice or tea tree spray.


Okay thanks! We have this, do I just put it on undiluted? Does it need to be rinsed off?


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

I would and have used full strength..no washing off.


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## 21goaties (Mar 13, 2018)

It was worse last night (I attached a pic, taken after I sprayed the hibiclens) we are planning to get her to the vet today


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Glad your taking her to the vet.


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## Moers kiko boars (Apr 23, 2018)

Please let us know what the vet says, and what to do to heal her! Thankyou.


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## 21goaties (Mar 13, 2018)

The vet took a skin scraping from May's tail and looked at it under the microscope. He said that she has seasonal allergies (which explains why it went away completely in the winter) and that she has a skin infection (possibly staphylococcus or streptococcus) secondary to allergies. He said it could be a common allergy to mold spores in the environment. He gave her a shot of cortisone that should last 4-8 weeks and said to apply this to the affected areas:


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Hopefully that will clear it right up.


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## Moers kiko boars (Apr 23, 2018)

Thanks! Hope it clears her up!


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## 21goaties (Mar 13, 2018)

Well, it's been improving, and she doesn't have any raw areas now. Fingers crossed she continues to improve! 
However, during the last 24 hours 1 side of her udder started to fill (it's not full or tight at all). When she was kicking while I was trying to put on the spray, she kicked her udder and a tiny bit of milk sprayed out. Great. 
🤦‍♀️


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## Moers kiko boars (Apr 23, 2018)

I went to Tractor supply and bought Branixx Its an antifungal/ antibacterial topical spray. My.little Thor had a red area on his tail head. So I bought this. 2 days later hair.is comeing back in this are.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Yes, they are the same. 

But there are different % of the product.


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## 21goaties (Mar 13, 2018)

Update on May, she has been completely healed up for over a week now! 🎉🎉 It even looks like the hair is starting to fill back out on her neck.

Of course, half of her udder had to fill up (precocious udder), but there are no lumps and her temperature is normal.

Now we just wait and see how long the cortisone shot lasts! Apparently it lasts 4-8 weeks but it depends on the animal. It's been 2 weeks since she got the shot.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Great news!


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Yay, good work.


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## MadHouse (Oct 3, 2019)

How is May doing with her itchies and her udder?


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## 21goaties (Mar 13, 2018)

MadHouse said:


> How is May doing with her itchies and her udder?


She got another cortisone shot on Tuesday the 21st. The belly sores had been flaring back up since August 20th. They are looking better now which I assume is due to the shot. Plus it's about to cool off so she will be good until spring!

Her udder is looking back to normal and has for a while, the lump is gone and the udder is dry (if there is any milk it is a very tiny amount).

She is getting plump I guess to get ready for winter. I was only giving her 1/2 cup of grain per day and 1 cup of alfalfa per day but pockets of fat are forming on her so I am reducing the grain and may have to cut it. Maybe it's all the acorns she's eating? There's a reason her nickname is Plumpie lol.


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## MadHouse (Oct 3, 2019)

Thanks for the update! I hope her sores disappear completely soon. So glad her udder is good now!


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)




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