Mites + MTG

276 Views 16 Replies 8 Participants Last post by Boer Mama, 13 d ago

Adobi1

Discussion Starter · 17 d ago

Newer dairy goat owner here. Both of our girls have a case of mites I suspect, one worse than the other. I have decided to use MTG to treat them as this is what is readily available where I live. So a few questions regarding treatment....
Do I literally just slather it on all over their body? Spots that are especially bad are bottom of the legs, under the belly, ears, and I noticed one is losing hair on the bridge of her nose.
How often do I treat them with MTG?
I also have a buck in a separate pen and two 4 week old kids in another pen. Do I treat them all as well?
Also, is milk safe to drink when treating?
Any other helpful advice is welcome. Thank you for your time answering my questions!

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Boer Mama

· #2 · 17 d ago

I’ve never used MTG for mites, but it should work.
With mites you can basically suffocate them.
Wash off area, clear off as much of the scabs as you can and then apply topical treatment such as nustock, coconut oil mixed with tea tree oil, or MTG.
Will probably require more than one application.
Clean out bedding really well.
I wouldn’t necessarily treat everyone if there’s no symptoms and they are in different areas.
You can try to prevent the others from getting them by proactively feeding them some orange peels. It seems to keep external parasites away from my goats, as well as the internal ones 😉

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ksalvagno

· #3 · 17 d ago

You will want to do injectable Ivomec too. You would put the MTG on the affected areas without getting in eyes, nose or mouth.

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NigerianDwarfOwner707

· #4 · 15 d ago

Topical treatment for mites with something to smother like MTG, NuStock, or even olive oil (yep, it works) is intended for localized mites. Leg mites, ear mites, etc.

If you have a full body case of mites - it's not practical, fair to the goat, nor effective to use a topical smothering-type treatment. I would do MTG targeted on worst areas, but in order to get where the mites are hiding in every area of the body, I would do Ivomec injectable 1cc per 40lbs subq 3 shots all 7 days apart.

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MadHouse

· #5 · 15 d ago

I used MTG for mites, in addition to injectable ivermectin. With the MTG make sure you shake bottle up thoroughly before use. I applied it daily, as the goats scratched it off.

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Adobi1

Discussion Starter · #6 · 15 d ago

NigerianDwarfOwner707 said:
Topical treatment for mites with something to smother like MTG, NuStock, or even olive oil (yep, it works) is intended for localized mites. Leg mites, ear mites, etc.

If you have a full body case of mites - it's not practical, fair to the goat, nor effective to use a topical smothering-type treatment. I would do MTG targeted on worst areas, but in order to get where the mites are hiding in every area of the body, I would do Ivomec injectable 1cc per 40lbs subq 3 shots all 7 days apart.

Thank you. Do you know if their milk is still drinkable during Ivomec treatment?

Adobi1

Discussion Starter · #7 · 15 d ago

MadHouse said:
I used MTG for mites, in addition to injectable ivermectin. With the MTG make sure you shake bottle up thoroughly before use. I applied it daily, as the goats scratched it off.

Thank you. Do you know if their milk is still drinkable while they are being treated? When can you tell treatment has been successful?

MadHouse

· #8 · 14 d ago (Edited)

Adobi1 said:
Thank you. Do you know if their milk is still drinkable while they are being treated? When can you tell treatment has been successful?

If you are using ivermectin injectable, the milk withdrawal is 40 days after the last treatment. If you are just using MTG, there is no withdrawal.
I gave the weekly injections until the goat stopped scratching herself. Mine had it bad, and I threw out milk for a long time.

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MadHouse

· #9 · 14 d ago

The MTG (in my case I used Nustock and MTG, depending in the size of the area) I used until the hair had regrown.

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GoofyGoat

· #10 · 14 d ago

☝🏻Sadly you’ll have to wait on the milk for awhile. Hoping they heal soon.

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ksalvagno

· #11 · 14 d ago

Ultimately you have to decide on risk. I didn't discard milk when on Ivomec. I can count on one hand the number of times that happened in all the years of owning goats. My feeling was that since Ivomec was used for humans and considered a very safe drug, I wasn't going to worry about it. But you have to consider any risk for yourself.

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GoofyGoat

· #12 · 14 d ago

I used the milk for soap and lotions so it wasn’t wasted it also went to the chickens. just a thought.

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happybleats

· #13 · 14 d ago

Some folks wait 4 days after a shot of ivomec before drinking milk. IMO as long as an infant, sick or elderly are not consuming it..should be fine. But it is a decision each should make. Using for soap, lotion, and animals is great idea too.

Best wishes

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Adobi1

Discussion Starter · #14 · 14 d ago

MadHouse said:
If you are using ivermectin injectable, the milk withdrawal is 40 days after the last treatment. If you are just using MTG, there is no withdrawal.
I gave the weekly injections until the goat stopped scratching herself. Mine had it bad, and I threw out milk for a long time.

You think it may be possible to get treat with just MTG? I am cleaning and spraying their pen. I wouldn't say the mites are absolutely terrible because I feel I caught it at a good time. I feel the injectable will be if I see no improvement. They seem more comfortable even since the first MTG application. Their coat is looking nicer too.

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MadHouse

· #15 · 14 d ago

Adobi1 said:
You think it may be possible to get treat with just MTG? I am cleaning and spraying their pen. I wouldn't say the mites are absolutely terrible because I feel I caught it at a good time. I feel the injectable will be if I see no improvement. They seem more comfortable even since the first MTG application. Their coat is looking nicer too.

I think that’s a good plan.
Good luck! I hope you get rid of it faster than I did!

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daisymay

· #16 · 13 d ago

Three of my does came down with leg mites this season. Usually, its the bucks but it was super wet and two of them seem to need more minerals, so i think they arent as hardy.
I use mtg on the legs and just keep putting it on at night every few days until the skin looks soft then i go down to just checking to make sure they are gone. I am going to use sulfur mixed with coconut oil and a bit of tea tree oil when i run out of the mtg. might be harder to apply but thinking it might stay on longer and is cheaper.

Reactions: 2

Boer Mama

· #17 · 13 d ago

I think mixing sulfur into the oil is a good idea!

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