# Mites or Lice? young kids



## amomwgoats (May 31, 2017)

I've read through some previous posts but am still confused and feel so badly about our goat kids, they are 6 weeks old. I posted before because when we got them, they had lice (I'm almost positive they were sucking lice, looked just like pics). So I was treating them weekly with Python livestock dust and DE. The DE knocked out the moving older ones before I used the Python and we have seen less and less, can't find anything living or nits now and I check often.
However, I noticed the little ones are still itching like crazy, and I looked closer at their legs, belly and hooves and they look awful with sores/scabs So now I'm wondering if it's mites?



















How is their Mama not showing any symptoms? I've checked her and she seems fine, never scratches either.
One other goat has a weird white bumpy circular lesion on his ear but that's all I see in the other goats.

What can I give them for immediate relief on the sores and then what to use to get rid of mites or whatever it is? I was thinking coconut oil, or a bath in something like Neem or diluted tea tree oil? I'm used to dealing with chickens and don't know what I can use on goats. I know I need to treat all of them as well, and clean bedding/sprinkle bedding.

I also have Ivermectin horse paste, which I know many people say you can't use with goats, but I don't see the difference between it and the injectable Ivermectin given orally?

I'd rather not do injectable as I haven't done that yet, and I've been reading that maybe Ivermectin plus but oral, or Cylene (sp?)? The mama is still nursing as well.

I've also seen that humans can get mites but not lice? Should my kids not be handling them much?
(I also noticed their hooves need trimmed after looking at them today, had no idea they would need trimmed this early and as they climb all over things all day long!)

Thanks so much for the help


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

I'd put NuStock on the sore areas.


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## goatblessings (Jan 6, 2015)

And you can give Ivomec and Ivomec + injectible at the rate of 1 cc per 33# orally. No need to inject unless you think they have a very high worm load.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Giving Ivomec orally will only kill worms. 
With mites, it must be injected SQ, 1 cc per 40 lbs, every 2 weeks . 3 x.

Or can get Eprinex pouron, first scrape off all scabs then put the pouron directly on the bad area's, then put recommended dosage down the topline. 1 cc per 22 lbs, every 2 weeks, 3 x. Each time scrape off the scabs or dander. By the 3rd time, it should be all gone.


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## goatblessings (Jan 6, 2015)

Thank you Toth!


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## amomwgoats (May 31, 2017)

Thank you. Also, if I used the Nu-Stock, will the sulphur smell cause their mom to not let them nurse? She's had a hard time with almost drying up so I don't want to do anything to make that worse. 

And the Eprinex says for cattle, that's the one though? 

Thanks


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## Suzanne_Tyler (Jul 19, 2014)

I think you should be fine. At 6 weeks old, she's highly unlikely to reject them.


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## amomwgoats (May 31, 2017)

Ok, she kicks them off a lot, her bag isn't very full. The move stressed her out a bit. 
Also, I am cleaning the bedding, but is there a dust besides DE I should be putting down to help with mites?


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

We deal with mites off and on through the year, they are so frustrating! I agree, for mites/lice it's best to use Ivermectin Pour On or injectable Ivermectin. You CAN use horse paste Ivermectin to deworm your goats for stomach worms. But oral meds don't work well for external bugs. 

We normally only deal with mites in kids. Now and then we'll see it in young adults. 

I do what was suggested - clean the scabs really well, and put the Ivermectin Pour On directly on the affected area. The only exception is on the ears - the pour on can cause hair loss on sensitive areas like the ears. 

We have a young doe right now that appears to have a very bad case of mites. thought I had it under control, but apparently not, and it got really bad.
So... I'm treating her more aggressively. Ivermectin Pour On down the back every 5 days. I'll be alternating with Nu-Stock and Ivermectin Pour On directly on the affected areas - Ivermectin every 3 days directly on the area until I see much improvement, Nu-stock the other days. Hopefully we can get her back to good soon as I know she's been miserable.


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

Oh my gosh, I see another drug ban in the making. 
If you have to inject for mites only Duramectin is to be used. Injected Ivermectin is contraindicated in goats. Veterinarians should have known this 20 years ago. 
Ivermectin has just been declared an important drug for human health. If small farmers keep using it wrong, guess what happens. 
Oral Ivermectin kills all eggs and CyLence kills living mites.


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## amomwgoats (May 31, 2017)

Well now I'm really confused. Cylence doesn't say anything about treating mites on the label, just flies and lice

Toth, why did you suggest Eprinex over Ivermectin pour on? Just wondering because it's so much more expensive.

So for the kids that are about 10 lbs, they would get .5cc on their back? That seems like it wouldn't do much but I'll try it. 

So I'll use a pour-on and then use it directly on the scabby areas, is that correct?
Does the scab sraping hurt them? 

And treat all goats in the herd even without symptoms, is that right?

Anything to put in the bedding?


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

What works for some doesn't work for everyone.
CyLence never worked for us. We tried it for a solid year and had reoccurring lice issues. It also never did anything for mites. That's when I switched to Ivermectin Pour On about 3+ years ago. Haven't seen any lice since we switched. 
Usually 2-3 treatments on an active case of mites with the Pour On and that's all that is needed. It's easy to use, inexpensive, and safe to use. In the winter time mites are the worst for young kids. So there are times we start treating kids at 2 weeks old.

Putting the Ivermectin directly on the active area after scraping off scabs has worked well. A little bit right on the affected area every few days I've noticed clears it up much faster. 
For goats who seem to have an issue, after they are healed up/hair grown back, we treat 1x a month for at least 2 months. Like Frontline on a dog or cat. 

This works for us.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

amomwgoats said:


> And the Eprinex says for cattle, that's the one though?
> 
> Thanks


 Yes, that is it.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

amomwgoats said:


> Well now I'm really confused. Cylence doesn't say anything about treating mites on the label, just flies and lice
> 
> Toth, why did you suggest Eprinex over Ivermectin pour on? Just wondering because it's so much more expensive.
> 
> ...


Here is a good discussion on Eprinex.
http://www.thegoatspot.net/threads/ivermection-pour-on-vs-eprinex-pour-on.179236/

For mites if it doesn't say it, no it doesn't kill mites.
Eprinex does and I also used the Cylence for a long time for lice but it did not work well on lice.
Then I switched to Eprinex becasue if you read on the label it kills many different things in one swoosh. It is expensive but I find it does work.

If you use recommended dosage it will indeed work for what ever weight you use it for.

Yes, use the pouron Eprinex directly on the bad area's and then the proper dosage along the topline. For smaller doses on kids, try to spread it as much as possible. I know it will be hard.

Scabs or dander yes, remove it before each treatment is applied. In area's where I can use a Spiral Steel Blade Curry Comb to remove the scabs/dander.
It isn't pleasant no, it most likely does hurt, but at the same time, it feels good because it itches them, but it does help get rid of the mites sooner. After I treat the goat, I sprinkle python dust down around the ground where I did it and the area's where they loaf and bed down.

You can treat all to prevent the spread, yes or just the ones who are showing signs. Not all will have them.


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