That’s actually our first choice for treatment. It’s not working for this buck. It clears up but then comes back in a week or 3
Is he always in a mucky area? Is there anyway to move him to an area less wet or somehow have an area which he can get out of the muck? Being in wet all the time causes hoof rot. Keep him trimmed will prevent some major rot as well.
We’re well versed in hoof rot. This buck is in the best drained area, large dry stall, no bedding build up outside where it holds water. This buck is in a dry lot that stays really dry at the very top of the hill. Seriously, there isn’t even mud past his toe tips, not a bit on the hair around his hooves or pasterns. We live on a hillside and because we grew up on the flats that are always boggy we’ve paid incredible attention to taking advantage of the ground to get excellent drainage. The only places we have to work at are the doorways to the doe barn with 20+ goats going in and out all day and around the cow feeder before we move them to the barn for winter.
The recommended was 1/2 scoop and I gave it daily for 18 days. The average goat here weighs right around 160lbs.
The issues I’m having are dry, flaky skin, hair loss and powdery look to ear tips. The bucks hoof rot is technically scald because it’s up in the skin between his “toes”. You can see he’s not muddy, but I obviously haven’t washed him. I tried to get a pic of between his toes too. I obviously didn’t clean his feet first but they were just done a few days ago with a grinder. Not the best pics but I was solo, holding the flashlight in my teeth, his foot in one hand and the phone in the other and he wasn’t thrilled with me opening his toes.
I’ve used a sulphur salve, NuStock without the pine oil. As well as fungicides, and healing salves. This doe is the only one with hair loss on her ears. Whatever it is it’s not contagious.
That doe you showed, those little round whirls look like lick spots when a goat has mites. I bought 2 does who came with mites, they had those spots that cleared up when I treated them for mites. I am having zinc issues with my 2 older dogs, my older bucks and a few of my older does, all the ones who have been here for a long time. The only thing they have in common is the water, which is hard. I started the goats on a powdered zinc supplement made for northern breeds of dogs who tend to need more zinc than other types of dogs. I have started giving my bucks that same powder seems to be helping. I forgot the name of the zinc powder and since I am at work I can't run into the kitchen and check.
The whirls are lick spots but she always looks likes this. Always. Dry flaked skin but the pic just wouldn’t come out. She’s always itchy and has been for a couple years. She also occasionally gets foamy when chewing cud.
This is my plan and what I finally resorted to last year. It helped but wasn’t a cure. I’m not sure what’s causing it.
The package says you can double the dose in times of stress. I for sure do that, and if I think I need a “therapeutic” dose I’ll even triple or quadruple if for a week or two first, and then go back down to the double dose.
If you gave zinc and have seen no results, it may not be the problem. I'd still try specifically NuStock on the ears. It just seems to have that ability to heal. You could also try MTG for horses which hits fungus and a number of other things.
Did you try zinc gluconate or zinc amino acid complex pills? They are VERY different from the zinc methionine Complex in TruCare!! I will say - I struggled with SO many zinc issues, hair loss on the face, dry flaky skin, etc. and the only thing that helped was natural forms of zinc - KopSel herb blend by Fir Meadow LLC. I don’t know why, but it seemed like the body was resistant to absorb straight zinc and would only take it in via an herbal form.
Can you tell me what brand you are using for zinc? I've had a heck of a time trying to find it in the stores, looked at Walmart and Target. I don't know why they don't organize the supplement aisle alphabetically!