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Treatment for Lice/Flaking Skin

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lice
1K views 10 replies 3 participants last post by  NigerianDwarfOwner707 
#1 ·
Hi! I'm new here but I was wondering if anyone could possibly help me out with this.
My goats have had lice for a couple of years now, but it hasn't been as bad as it is now. I do realize I probably should have taken care of this earlier, but we just never got to it.
We just had kids and the lice that the mom had has spread pretty badly to one of my kids, where you could look under her fur at any spot and see either eggs or lice.
We gave them ivermectin pour-on, and that got rid of a lot of the visible lice but they're still rubbing against the fences like they still have it.
I looked at one of our does, and on her head at the base of her horns are flaky pieces of skin. I was trying to look at it and I accidentally pulled multiple clumps of fur out. Our buck also has this, except it's just flaking skin across his back and neck.
I'm honestly really tired with it, and I'm considering a full shave because I heard doing so won't give the lice a place to hold on to the hair shafts- causing them to fall off and die. I'm just wary of doing this because of the winter/showing. Any other ideas?
 
#2 ·
You have to clean out their shelter areas. You need to do the Ivomec pour on every 2 weeks for 3 times in a row. You also need to completely clean out their shelter and sprinkle either Sevin or Python dust over the entire floor, then put your bedding on top. Do that every time you do the pour on. It will take commitment on your part to eradicate when it is that bad.
 
#3 ·
Ivermectin/Ivomec pour on is effective against lice. 3 treatments of it about 10-14 days apart.

If they have bedding of any sort, take it all out, you can put a layer of either the dust Karen recommended or Diatomaceous Earth as long as it is really well covered. Get some permethrin horse fly spray and use this and a paper towel to wipe down any objects or platforms where they lay.

Check your goats’ FAMACHA scores. Bloodsucking lice have probably caused some anemia as it’s been going on for so long. If they have anemia you need to support them through that, especially if it is severe. However it could also be biting lice, which don’t suck blood. What do they look like? The bugs — Blue or red tinted at all?

I would get any goats that are weaned started on garlic internally. One clove daily. Garlic helps keep lice from getting out of hand, it helps substantially but not quite by itself. But it does help.

You may also be experiencing a zinc problem on top of the lice. If your goats are anemic as well, a good product to give may be TruCare4. This does wonders for zinc issues, and has cobalt too which is said to help with anemia. Copper and the other minerals will also help the skin and immune system strengthen.

Do your goats have loose minerals?
 
#4 ·
Ivermectin/Ivomec pour on is effective against lice. 3 treatments of it about 10-14 days apart.

If they have bedding of any sort, take it all out, you can put a layer of either the dust Karen recommended or Diatomaceous Earth as long as it is really well covered. Get some permethrin horse fly spray and use this and a paper towel to wipe down any objects or platforms where they lay.

Check your goats' FAMACHA scores. Bloodsucking lice have probably caused some anemia as it's been going on for so long. If they have anemia you need to support them through that, especially if it is severe. However it could also be biting lice, which don't suck blood. What do they look like? The bugs - Blue or red tinted at all?

I would get any goats that are weaned started on garlic internally. One clove daily. Garlic helps keep lice from getting out of hand, it helps substantially but not quite by itself. But it does help.

You may also be experiencing a zinc problem on top of the lice. If your goats are anemic as well, a good product to give may be TruCare4. This does wonders for zinc issues, and has cobalt too which is said to help with anemia. Copper and the other minerals will also help the skin and immune system strengthen.

Do your goats have loose minerals?
Yes, I've been using the pour-on, we just re-treated yesterday after two weeks.
We did go to a vet who said they were biting lice, but I feel like they may have gotten a sort of biting lice as well. The original were a lighter orange-tan color, but I've found more that are a darker red color.. I think those might be sucking lice.
We have one kid that's about four weeks now, so I might try that garlic.
Yes, there are mineral blocks in each pen.
 
#6 ·
Mineral blocks are not suitable. They are mostly salt, and goats cannot get nutrients from the blocks due to their soft tongues. You definitely need a good loose mineral. But before we get into that, what are their FAMACHA scores? That’s the color of their eyelids. Should be dark or bright pink. Google if you don’t know how to check :)
 
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