I am raising a steer for a May fair, and I've had him for about two months. I went on vacation for a week recently, and when I came back he had started rubbing the hair on his shoulders and tail head out. He doesn't have lice, fleas or fungus. I've started brushing him again since I've been back. Will he stop rubbing his hair out, or is there something I need to do to stop his rubbing? I use conditioners when I groom him (I don't think he is allergic to any of them, because I used them long before I went on vacation, and I never had any problems). Also, is there anything I can do to help the hair grow back?
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Lice is almost always the cause of a steer rubbing so hard as to rub off patches of hair. You likely treated him in the fall, but he can be needing a treatment again. Proper lice treatment takes 2 doses 14 to 20 days apart.<p>Keep brushing him, that stiulates hair growth. Make sure to wash your brushes if you treat him for lice, lice can be spread back onto him from the brush.<p>If you have just recently treated him for lice he may have just been bored with no one to brush him. Look for a nail or sharp board sticking out in his enclosure and get rid of it.<p>Jason Trowbridge<br>Southern Angus Farms<br>Alberta Canada
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Thanks for your reply! I removed the metal feeder from his pen, because it's sharp, and I'm pretty sure that's what he was rubbing on. I've never treated my steer for lice. I've washed him, and brushed him daily since I've been back, and I've applied a strong fungiside to the areas. I think he's stopped rubbing. (He had made bloody sores on his chest, which are now scabbing over). If the problem persists, how should I treat him for lice? Thanks so much!
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