Doe With Lice..or Mites!!

[Straw Hat Kikos]

Yes it is used for many things and treats or takes care of many things but in this case it is going onto a goat and all it should do is kill the mites. It's not going to hurt her nor is is going to hurt some little cat. It could be dangerous if one is using it recklessly but I didn't use it that way nor with the OP. You have to look at the context. Many things could be considered a 'cannon' but as I said, in this case it is only treating mites. If you use Ivermectin then you are not just getting rid of the mites but you are putting so many other things into her system that is unnecessary, ie. treating for many worms again when it is not needed. That will only cause the worms in his area to build a resistance to Ivermectin. Of course one time may not be that big a deal but still, why would you go overboard when you don't need to. I see so many people doing this now, if the goat has some little minor issue they just go crazy and treat with a million things when yeah, it may save the goat or help it out, but in the long run you are not just hurting that goat but all your goats and all the goats in your area. You are causing them to build a resistance to this stuff.

The Ivermectin will work, but there are issues that go with it, in this case. The Pemethrin will work and there is no overdoing it and no risk to other animals as you were trying to say. It's not going got hurt others nor will it hurt her. It treats it without going overboard.

 

[20kidsonhill]

Okay, so I went out and checked her with a flash light of course and I could see that they were dead. The majority of them. So i think tomorrow afternoon I'll wash her down with dog shampoo (if the shampoo wont hurt her!!??) to get the dead ones off then load her with some more dust and repeat the day after.

You need to repeat every 10 days or so, to break the cycle.

 

[Chris]

If the OP wanted to use a "non chemical" remedy they could try clipping the goat down to a show clip then washing the goat with a good Pine Tar Shampoo. Old Timers will also recommend lubricating and washing your clipper blades with Kerosene which will kill the Lice/Mite that are on the blades. A alternative to the Kerosene would be Oster 5 in 1 which is 30 to 60% Ethanol.

Chris

 

[Straw Hat Kikos]

I have treated several goats like this before and for other things too. None of them have EVER had ill affects and it has only helped them. I talked to several vets including mine that said that this a fine method and will not hurt the goat. That is several sources, not related or having anything to do with the situation, and they said it will take care of the issue and not hurt the goat.

Back to my original point. Ivermectin will work. I am not disputing that in any way. So will the Pemethrin spray. Neither will hurt the goat or other animals. Why I would recommend the spray over a wormer in this case (there is nothing else wrong with the goat other than the mites) is that you will end up just hurting the goat(s)in the long run by building a resistance. SafeGuard used to be a great wormer and it was used so much that now there is only a handful of places that is still effective. It was overused and now it doesn't work. Right now Ivermectin is the wormer of choice to everyone I know. It too will be used to everything under the sun and people will use it for issues such as this and in the end Ivermectin will no longer be effective either. It is fact.

 

[20kidsonhill]

I get the DE from the pet store or feed store in bulk bags. You can use this stuff everywhere. Literally. Not joking. We use it in the yard, in the dog runs, on the dogs, in the chicken coop, on the chickens, on the ducks, geese, cows and goats. Its sprinkled on bedding. I even put some in my feed to make sure I stay buggie free there too. Its food grade.

If you happen to get bed bugs and don't mind the mess, it even works on that. My nephew dusted his truck cab with it. Let another trucker use his and it came back infested. The powder worked like a charm, it just took vacuuming afters.

I use it in the garden. Not a potato or squash bug in sight this year. None of those huge ugly green caterpillar things on my tomatoes either. The stuff is great. The great thing is its safe enough to use often. So every 2 or 3 weeks I start powdering animals and bedding again. I hate bugs and this keeps us pretty free. If I could catch those dang wild turkeys that keep coming around I would powder them too.

I would like for you to call me when you try to catch the wild turkeys and powder them with the DE.

Are there different kinds of DE? Say a feed grade compared to a gadeners grade, or is it all the same?

 

[elevan]

This thread is not about dogs or cats or any other species - it is about goats. Please stick to the topic at hand and assist the OP with their problem. Thank you.




To the OP:
Lice and mites can be treated similarly. See here for more information: http://www.backyardherds.com/web/viewblog.php?id=2607-lice-and-goats

To 20kidsonhill:
DE comes in Food grade and Industrial grade. You want to make sure that it is Food grade for livestock use.

 

[Southern by choice]

Farmer boy- that sure got a bit heated :/. Getting back to your goal... First let me say I agree with you on wanting to do treatment in a more "natural" way! I support you in your efforts. I also use DE, and try not to use drugs,pesticides etc, you get the point. Sometimes knowing other options can be helpful too, even though they may be a last resort option. There is a difference between pyrethrins and permethrins , one is natural coming from the chrysanthemum plant the other a synthetic, which you probably know pyrethrins being safer in a "variety" of animals over the permethrins. Sometimes we end up with the choice of "the lesser of 2 evils". There are some situations where eradicating mites, etc(because of a severe infestation) needs to be immediate...so that exposure to entire flocks/herds etc doesn't happen and you end up with a HUGE problem. If there is a severe infestation and you "dust " the animal it does not kill instantly, it takes some time. What often happens is some of those mites will leave their host, now they are in your bedding etc only searching for a new host! Depending on the individual situation it may be necessary to irradicate swiftly then these mites going to 30-40 other goats. Personally I rather use the spray with very little residual effect than internal interference that might be overkill...

On good note depending on the type of parasite, quite often joy or dawn dish soap can be used to bathe the animal and once suds-up (heavily) LEFT on the animal for aprox.30 minutes before rinsing will kill many parasites (not microscopic mites) by suffocation, NO CHEMICALS OR DRUGS it is very effective because these little buggars will run to the eyes, down the ears, nose, even the anus to "get away" and when they come out of their hiding spot they are stuck in the suds and suffocate. Then treat with DE. Microscopic mites need greater intervention.

25 years ago I ended up with health issues from certain chemicals, so I understand your concern! Be assured that if you do end up needing to find another alternative using permethrin(synthetic) once isn't going to cause cancer.

I would love to hear how it works out for you,or if you find out about other remedies that are helpful!

 

[FarmerBoy24]

Thanks for all the advice everyone!!

Okay, so I didn't have any Dawn soap available, however I do have "homemade laundry" soap All it contains is 4 bars of ZOTE, and a pinch of borax and water. (it works wonderfully, and it gets the "buck smell" out of your clothes!!) So I put this on her, all over her. I let it sit for around 10-15 mins, and washed it off. I saw A LOT of dead ones one top of her coat!! I think for the next 10 days i'll be rotating solutions! Powder, soap, powder soap!! Thanks for all the help EVERYONE!! I will let you guys know the results!!

Farmer boy- that sure got a bit heated :/. Getting back to your goal... First let me say I agree with you on wanting to do treatment in a more "natural" way! I support you in your efforts. I also use DE, and try not to use drugs,pesticides etc, you get the point. Sometimes knowing other options can be helpful too, even though they may be a last resort option. There is a difference between pyrethrins and permethrins , one is natural coming from the chrysanthemum plant the other a synthetic, which you probably know pyrethrins being safer in a "variety" of animals over the permethrins. Sometimes we end up with the choice of "the lesser of 2 evils". There are some situations where eradicating mites, etc(because of a severe infestation) needs to be immediate...so that exposure to entire flocks/herds etc doesn't happen and you end up with a HUGE problem. If there is a severe infestation and you "dust " the animal it does not kill instantly, it takes some time. What often happens is some of those mites will leave their host, now they are in your bedding etc only searching for a new host! Depending on the individual situation it may be necessary to irradicate swiftly then these mites going to 30-40 other goats. Personally I rather use the spray with very little residual effect than internal interference that might be overkill...

On good note depending on the type of parasite, quite often joy or dawn dish soap can be used to bathe the animal and once suds-up (heavily) LEFT on the animal for aprox.30 minutes before rinsing will kill many parasites (not microscopic mites) by suffocation, NO CHEMICALS OR DRUGS it is very effective because these little buggars will run to the eyes, down the ears, nose, even the anus to "get away" and when they come out of their hiding spot they are stuck in the suds and suffocate. Then treat with DE. Microscopic mites need greater intervention.

25 years ago I ended up with health issues from certain chemicals, so I understand your concern! Be assured that if you do end up needing to find another alternative using permethrin(synthetic) once isn't going to cause cancer.

I would love to hear how it works out for you,or if you find out about other remedies that are helpful!

 

[elevan]

Well...the borax in your homemade soap likely killed a good deal of your creepy crawlies. Use caution as it can be toxic - don't let her lick it and make sure you get it completely rinsed.

 

[FarmerBoy24]

Hello everyone!

Sorry it's been a while. I continued the treatment of the soap, and dust, soap and dust, soap and dust and got rid of them!! Thanks for all your guys help! I'm still going to keep my eye on her just in case! SUCCESS! :bun