Lice on new kids.....Can I use Ivomec?

[dhansen]

Oh yuck! As i was holding my one day old kids, I noticed lice on both of their bellies. I wormed my doe with Ivomec, but can I give the kids Ivomec too? Not sure if that is safe. If so, what would be the dosage and would I do it orally or by injection? I think I can get the dust stuff at the feed store if I need to. Ugg... I hate little crawlie things!

 

[Livinwright Farm]

The best and safest thing to use is PYTHON Dust(available through tractor supply company)! It is completely safe to use on pregnant does and very young kids! My only cautions: make sure to completely remove all bedding and dust the floor with it too. You WILL need a mask as the dust is very light and you don't want to breathe it in! And make sure to use rubber gloves. I only did one treatment on my goats, and have not seen ANY trace of the lice since(except for dead ones, which I brushed out)!

 

[Emmetts Dairy]

I agree...I would use the python "dairy safe" dust..on kids. And repeat in 14 days or so to get any of the eggs that may hatch. I hate buggers to...

I know I know!! Its gross...but its very common. And more common in the colder months.

 

[Horsefly]

We always seem to have lice crop up in the wintertime. Once summer/spring gets here the heat usually will kill them off. I have used the "Dairy Safe" dust the others have mentioned and it works great. I have had to use it on little kids to and nobody has ever been effected by it. Just make sure you treat all the goats because they probably all have some and will give them to each other if you only treat one. Also dust again in 12-14 days to get any eggs that hatch out. Correct me if I'm wrong but I don't believe you need to change out all the bedding or anything. The louse's whole lifecycle is spent on the goat and if one falls off they can't make it far and will die, so its not likely they would survive long enough off the host to reinfect the herd. It couldn't hurt to sprinkle some dust around high traffic areas if you wanted but I don't think it is a requirement.

 

[cmjust0]

I'm usually not a fan of the dust since I can't put it behind a needle and exact even a teeny bit of vengeful discomfort upon the creatures which so often manifest themselves the bane of my very existence, but in the case of day old babies, the dust is actually great.

Not because it's painless per se...just because they're small enough that you can cover their whole bodies without using 19 cans of the stuff.