About Hair Loss Goats, Goat Nutritional Deficiencies and Stress. Nutritional deficits can cause hair loss in goats. Mineral deficiency shows up as rough, flaky skin, scruffiness, balding tail tips, and hair loss, opening the door to infestations of bacteria and other parasites.
Nutritional deficiencies are often caused by poor-quality pasture or feed, poor sanitation and herd management, crowded conditions in the barn, and nutritional imbalances between adults, kids, and pregnant does.
Other nutritional issues related to hair loss in goats include calcium deficiency, iron deficiency anemia, tylosin deficiency (a parasite infection), vitamin E deficiency (pyrrole disorder), and vitamin B12 deficiency.
Stress damages goats’ reproductive systems, so stress management is important for healthy goat production.
Best 10 Causes Of Hair Loss Goats
- Calcium Deficiency.
- Iron Deficiency.
- Vitamin B12 Deficiency.
- Pyrrole Disorder.
- Tyrosinemia (a parasite infection).
- Heat Stroke.
- Kidney Diseases.
- Vitamin E Deficiency.
- Kidney Disorders.
- Gemcitabine (injectable cancer drug).
The Following Are The Top Causes Of Hair Loss In Goats
1. Calcium Deficiency
(Ca deficiency) is the main nutritional cause of hair loss, rough skin, and scruffiness in goats. Goats with low body weights or whose dams are feeding poorly are most susceptible to Ca deficiencies. Goats’ growing, reproductive, and immune systems are most vulnerable to Ca deficiencies. Goats’ life spans can be shortened by Ca deficiencies.
(2) Iron Deficiency
Iron deficiency is a major nutritional cause of hair loss in goats. Goats with low-iron diets and poor iron absorption from foods or iron supplements are more susceptible to iron deficiencies. Poor goat management practices leading to the overuse of boron in the feed may contribute to iron deficiencies.
(3) Vitamin B12 Deficiency
Vitamin B12 deficient goats are susceptible to various health problems, such as weakness and hair loss. This is because vitamin B12 deficiency affects normal cell growth, especially in the reproductive system, which causes reproductive dysfunction. Goats lacking B12 develop weak hair coats, eyestrain (excessive tearing), and poor hoof quality.
(4) Pyrrole Disorder
A pyrrole disorder is a cause of hair loss in goats. Pyrroles are substances that occur naturally in the goat’s body and may also be injected into goats for disease treatment. The goat’s liver cannot dispose of pyrroles, which build up to toxic levels, causing neurological problems and hair loss.
(5) Tyrosinemia (A Parasite Infection)
A parasite infection causes Tyrosinemia in the goat’s body. This parasite, sometimes called a “tyrosinase” fungus, is harmless to goats with normal liver function. However, as the liver function decreases, the adult goat’s immune system is weakened. Although the cause of Tyrosinemia isn’t known for sure, it may be caused by a nutritional deficiency, a toxin in the environment, or feed. In other words, it’s probably caused by something common to virtually all goats, not just a particular breed or flock.
(6) Heat Stroke
One cause of hair loss in goats is heat stroke. Goats can’t sweat and lose body heat as horses do. Goats in hot climates can be more susceptible to heat stroke than goats in cooler climates because their thick winter coat makes them more sensitive to the sun’s rays.
(7) Kidney Diseases
Kidney diseases can cause hair loss in goats. Goats with kidney disease often experience hair loss and poor hoof quality.
(8) Vitamin E Deficiency
Vitamin E deficiency occurs when a goat’s diet doesn’t contain enough, or the vitamin E is lacking in the animal’s body from other causes, such as parasites or disease. Vitamin E deficiency can majorly cause hair loss, especially for older goats.
(9) Kidney Disorders
Kidney disorders can cause hair loss in goats. For example, kidney disorders can affect the goat’s ability to rid itself of toxins. If toxins build up in the animal’s body, it may become weak, reduced in size, and hairless. When a parasite infection develops that is capable of attacking the liver and causing pyrrole disorder, excess toxins are excreted by the kidneys, creating a toxin-building environment for parasites.
(10) Gemcitabine (Injectable Cancer Drug)
Gemcitabine combines cytosine-5-diphosphate and 2-deoxycytidine (a type of nitrogen mustard). This intravenous cancer therapy is used in patients with advanced or metastatic disease. However, it can cause blood cell abnormalities, liver cancer, pyrrole disorder, hypothyroidism, and hair loss in goats.
Top 10 Treatments For Goat Hair Loss
1. Flour Injection.
2. Cyproheptadine (a drug).
3. Vitamin E Supplementation.
4. Dosing Pyrroles (the toxin) and Removing Parasites (the disease).
5. Trimming the Goat’s Coat.
6. Treatment of Infections and Other Diseases that Cause Hair Loss in Goats.
7. Electrolytes, Water, Salt, and Banamine (injectable anti-inflammatory drug).
8. Diet Adjustment.
9. Baths and Hormonal Therapy.
10. Bone Marrow Transfer (BMT) Injection (bone marrow transplantation).
Special Notes
This article was written by a professional goat keeper and goat breeder; he is a native Chinese speaker and a full-time online English teacher. He has lived in the UK, the Netherlands, and Canada and taught in these countries.
Now he lives in Thailand with his wife, son, dog, and goats. He runs his blog at ResponsibleGoatKeeping and is passionate about sharing his experience about small livestock keeping, including goat care, raising goats, sheep care, and more.
Conclusion
Goat hair loss can be a huge problem for outbreaks of animals. It is vital to diagnose the cause of the goat’s hair loss as quickly as possible and treat the condition with drugs.
After reading this article, hopefully, you can give your goats an evaluation and find out what caused their hair loss. Our readers may also like to read Goat Health Care: Symptoms, Causes, Treatments. Thank you for reading!
