Lost tail hair

[STARSIX]

I have a 4 year old cow that came up missing the hair on the end of her tail. All that is left is astump that looks like a nub. It looks like it was injured, i wouldn't be too concerned but her mother's tail did the same way. Is this common?

 

[Alice]

Maybe they were both unfortunate enough to have their tails stepped on...4 years apart. Or, maybe they're clumsy and stepped on their on tails. I don't know if clumsy is genetic or not... :shock:

It is an odd coincidence, tho...

Alice :)

 

[Sir Loin]

Hint:

There were 25 additional cows that were kept on a
fescue pasture that was planted as endophyte negative
fescue with approximately 2% red clover. This pasture had
been reseeded five years previously with Fawn fescue seed,
which is endophyte negative. About 50% of the cows
grazing this pasture had lost their tail switch during the
winter months of 1996 or were in the process of losing their
tail switch at the time of this investigation, spring 1997.
None of the 25 cows on the fescue-clover pasture had lost
their winter hair coat

Could be???

Also:

Pathology of experimentally induced chronic selenosis (alkali disease) in yearling cattle
Prolonged oral exposure of cattle to elevated dietary selenium (Se) in forage and seleniferous plants in seleniferous areas of the western United States is associated historically with 2 clinical syndromes: alkali disease and "blind staggers."
snip
Grossly, dystrophic hoof lesions developed in 2 steers, 1 of which had extensive separation of horn from lamellar and coronary epidermis and also lost hair from the tail switch.

Source: http://www.jvdi.org/cgi/content/abstract/7/3/364

SL

 

[Jim62]

That's interesting. I have 3 cows (of 25) that have lost their tails this year. Never have had it happen before.

Beats me.....

 

[TREY-L]

I would be looking at my local canine population. A few years ago I watched 3 dogs attack one of my cows, and one of them circled around her and latched on to her tail. It pulled all of the long hair off of the end of her tail, and it never grew back. It's not a problem except during fly season. I have not had this problem to reoccur in some time, due to a strange dog disappearance that plagued our community for a while. :secret:
Trey

 

[ArrowHBrand]

I would be looking at my local canine population. A few years ago I watched 3 dogs attack one of my cows, and one of them circled around her and latched on to her tail. It pulled all of the long hair off of the end of her tail, and it never grew back. It's not a problem except during fly season. I have not had this problem to reoccur in some time, due to a strange dog disappearance that plagued our community for a while. :secret:
Trey

They got what they deserved.