Why does a calf lose hair: causes and methods of treatment, prevention

Change of wool in animals is a normal phenomenon, in the common people called molting. In young cattle, hair loss and the growth of a new one occur in the spring and autumn seasons. It happens that cattle breeders ask veterinarians a question why a calf's hair begins to fall out in summer or winter, and molting is accompanied by the appearance of hairless areas on the animal's body - the reasons can lie both in malnutrition and care, and in serious pathologies.

Improper feeding

To maintain the he alth of cattle, owners must provide animals with a balanced diet containing the necessary set of vitamins and nutrients.Young calves need to get enough mother's milk. But many herders pay more attention to feeding dairy cows, and the calves get leftover feed. In such cases, hair loss is the result of an unbalanced diet.

It is very important to include in the diet of young animals:

fresh, juicy grass;
tops;
bone meal;
fishmeal;
legumes and cereals;
root crops.

Wool loss due to malnutrition is due to the fragile intestines of the calf. He is not yet able to digest coarse food. If pastoralists feed young animals with expired, moldy, frost-bitten feed, normal digestive function is disturbed. A large amount of allergens accumulate in the intestines, due to which calves lose part of their hairline.

Fungi, parasites and hormonal disruptions

On the skin of cattle, fungi can parasitize, provoking the development of dermatomycosis - these are trichophytosis, microspores and other pathogens. When introduced into the skin, calves develop itching and hair loss. Symptoms of a fungal infection in young animals:

bald spots in the coat, forming behind the ears of a bald patch;
characteristic appearance of fungus-affected areas - wool looks like it was specially cut with scissors;
itch;
restless calf behavior.

If treatment is not started in time, weeping erosions form at the site of the lesion, the skin becomes covered with a scaly crust.

Treatment of fungal diseases involves the appointment of immunomodulators, special vaccines, antifungal drugs. The course of therapy is 5-6 weeks.

In addition to hair loss, young animals are disturbed by parasites - lice, lice, mites. Calves can pick them up in a cramped stall from already infested livestock. Symptoms of parasitic damage - calf anxiety, itching, bald spots in the coat. In advanced cases, animals do not gain weight, become lethargic, and lag behind in physical development.

Hormonal disruptions are usually observed in adult cows when mating phases are disturbed, but calves can also be disturbed. This happens if cattle breeders give feed with hormones to young animals, with congenital diseases and severe stress.

Lichen and methods of its treatment

Trichophytosis (lichen) - found in adult cows and young animals. The disease has specific symptoms:

on the head, neck, back, tail, around the eyes, wool will cover, forming foci of baldness;
with the superficial form of trichophytosis, an inflammatory process develops on the skin;
exfoliation of the upper epithelial layer;
inflammation of deep skin layers, abscess formation (with follicular form).

Lichen can be transmitted from cattle to humans, so it is important to diagnose it in time and start treating it. Treatment plan for trichophytosis in calves:

vaccine "LTF-130" 10 milliliters for calves up to 4 months of age, 15 milliliters for young animals from 4 to 8 months (three injections are required with an interval of 10 days);
"Griseofulvin" - the drug is added to concentrated feed at a dosage of 20 milligrams per kilogram of animal weight, the course of treatment is 14 days;
ointments "Unisan", "Salicylic" (10%), "Yam" - for external treatment of areas affected by lichen.

After lichen therapy, it is necessary to disinfect the barn, utensils and inventory, whitewash the walls. Asymptomatic young animals should be vaccinated immediately.

Demodectic mange in calves

The causative agent of the disease is a mite of the genus Demodex, reaching a size of 0.2-0.3 mm. Ticks infect hair follicles, sweat and sebaceous glands of cattle, living in them in colonies of up to several thousand individuals. In 25-30 days, the larva turns into an adult (adult tick).

The lesions are located on the legs, back, chest, shoulder blades, neck and head. In these places, small tubercles are formed, when pressed, a grayish exudate begins to stand out. There is no itching, bald spots may appear in the hairline around the clusters of tubercles. Treatment includes:

"Ivermek" - a drug for intramuscular injection (0.2 grams per kilogram of calf weight);
"Cycloferon", "Immunoparasite" - immunostimulating drugs;
emulsion "Dikrezil" in 0.5% concentration - five times processing every three days;
chlorophos solution 1-2% - external treatment of the skin and coat every 3-4 days up to 6-7 times.

It is important to isolate sick calves from he althy livestock. For prevention and if infection is suspected, livestock is treated with acaricides.

Lice as one of the reasons

The source of lice are infected cows and calves. The risk of head lice increases in winter, especially if cattle are kept in cramped stalls where the necessary sanitary and hygienic conditions are not observed.

In winter, calves often experience a decrease in immunity, which is aggravated by unbalanced nutrition and feeding the young with low-quality feed.

When infested with lice in calves, the skin in the affected areas becomes bald - the parasites bite through the epidermis, damage the capillaries. In especially damaged areas, in places of greatest alopecia, boils, nodules, hemorrhages and foci of eczema can be seen. The animal suffers from itching, eats poorly, becomes restless, loses weight. To get rid of lice in calves, folk methods are preferred, since the use of insecticides can harm young animals:

rubbing wood ash into the skin - at least two weeks;
treatment with kerosene or birch tar for 14 days;
washing the hairline with a decoction against lice - you need to steam the wormwood with a liter of boiling water, insist, add hellebore water from the pharmacy and tar soap.

You can use the drug in the form of an aerosol "Ivermek" - it gets rid of parasites, accelerates the healing and restoration of damaged skin, eliminates itching and pain.

Stomach lesion

Feather loss in calves can be triggered by gastrointestinal diseases. The defeat of the digestive system is most often caused by an unbalanced diet and the use of low-quality feed. If a cattle breeder gives young animals rotten, expired or frozen feed, inflammatory processes in the stomach and intestines develop in the livestock.

Moldy food causes fermentation in the digestive system. The intestines accumulate a lot of toxic substances and allergens. The balance of beneficial microflora is disturbed. As a result, the animal begins to lose hair, lethargy appears, weight is lost, and physical development slows down. The situation is aggravated in the spring and autumn seasons, when beriberi is observed in cattle.

Preventive measures

For the prevention of skin diseases and parasitosis, leading to hair loss in young cattle, it is necessary to regularly inspect the livestock and carry out routine vaccination.All sanitary and hygienic standards for keeping cows and calves in stalls should be strictly observed. Important points are balanced nutrition of calves, strengthening immunity, preventive treatment of hairline with antiparasitic agents.

Distinguish a disease of the skin, stomach, beriberi in calves from the usual seasonal molting can only experienced cattle breeders. If the calf abruptly began to go bald, lost its appetite, became lethargic and poorly gaining weight, it is urgent to call a veterinarian for diagnosis and treatment. When the appetite is preserved in young animals, the animals behave actively and do not show signs of disease, but they lose more hair than usual, it is worth taking a course of vitamin preparations to prevent systemic pathologies.