# Ready to pull my hair out...mite issues!



## cdtrum (Aug 25, 2008)

So am I the only one having mite problems this winter? I have read where it can be an immunity issue.....I have changed their minerals, they are copper bolused every 6 months, they get good hay, I keep their pen very clean....clean up every day, although with being winter and sooooo cold I have not cleaned their bedding completly out, but treat it with powder and I have treated the boys with Ivermec pour-on, dusted them, VetRX.....I finally went to the vets today and picked up Permectin II, what he suggested.....The only thing left is injecting with Ivermectin.....I just hate giving shots, but will do what ever it takes. I have researched and read everything I can and I know it's mites.....I even thought about zinc def and tried that.
Any help or advice would be great! I plan on shearing them as soon as warm weather gets here.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

> Permectin II, what he suggested.....The only thing left is injecting with Ivermectin.


 Permectrin II is really good.....if that doesn't get rid of them ....then it is the other mite type .......and injecting Ivermectrin ....is the only way to rid them..... :hug:


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## milkmaid (Sep 15, 2010)

> So am I the only one having mite problems this winter?


No, you are not! My goats got them last winter and still have them. Have you tried the borax/hydrogen peroxide cure used on dogs? I am going to try that in the spring if I can't get rid of them before then.
I can't do the harsh chemicals because these are milking does and I can't lose the milk. The mites are very mild.
If you find something that works once and for all, please let me know!


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## cdtrum (Aug 25, 2008)

What is the borax/hydrogen peroxide cure? Of all the reading, didn't come across that one!
I'm thinking they (mites) are in my barn.....I have gotten the boys rid of them with the Ivermec pour-on treated 2x's 10 days apart but then within a month they are back rearing their heads...the boys aren't bad, but any is too much for me!....My plan is to move them out of the barn and into a smaller shelter/barn I have as soon as weather allows and then do a complete clean down of their pen spray it down with bleach and lime it and keep them out of it for a time.


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

Wow...I'm so sorry your boys are still dealing with the creepy crawlies! I know it's driving you nuts to not be able to rid them of the bugs...do you know where they would have came from to begin with? I hope the Permectrin works and they stay away....I don't like to give shots either and hopefully you won't need to.


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## cdtrum (Aug 25, 2008)

Liz....I'm thinking they came in some hay or straw and now I can't get rid of them.....or I have read that they can be in the soil for a long time, so maybe they were here all along.....this was a full working farm for years up until we bought it.......Bones just has a couple of areas on his front legs, Elwood's is his face and Jake very little around his ears, which has me stumped.....am I dealing with 2 different kinds. Vet is coming out to vacc soon, so If I don't get them cleared up soon then I will have him check it out and do a scraping.....I keep reading where it is an immunity issue, but my guys are healthy in every other way.....they are fat, have good coloring, clean fecals. I am getting shears for my b-day next month and this spring they are getting haircuts! One thing is they stay in the barn so much right now, but they just hate the snow and bitter cold......right now they couldn't go out into their yard if they wanted (4ft drifts ).......I do take them for a 30min walk every day down our drive and back and I usually let them loose in the big barn while I'm out there doing chores which allows them to go outside into or drive.


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## icboers (Dec 6, 2010)

Mix 4 oz olive oil(or any oil) with 40 drops of Eucalyptus oil and rub on the affected areas. This will cure it no matter what type of mites they are.

Just double or triple or whatever to make nough for however many you are treating

Karla


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## cdtrum (Aug 25, 2008)

Thanks Karla....where were you before I went to the vets and spent another $20 bucks?......LOL! 
Really, thank for the advice.....I might just give it a try!


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## icboers (Dec 6, 2010)

use the permectin to spray the pen with, that way it won't be wasted :chin:


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## milkmaid (Sep 15, 2010)

> What is the borax/hydrogen peroxide cure?


1-2 T borax
500cc of 1% Hydrogen Peroxide solution (mix 3% solution with double its amount of water to make 1%)

Wash with this solution daily, no rinsing. Treatment should be no longer than a month or two.
From the link above: "If it doesn't go away, I have found mites, or mange to have a large "beehive" hidden somewhere. In which case, quarantine the dog in a small area that is 100% sterile."
Don't get it in the animal's eyes. (One person said put mineral oil in the eyes before you work around them.)

Here's where I got it from:
http://www.earthclinic.com/Pets/dog_mange_cure.html

Some people have said this works, some have said it doesn't. Some say it dries their dog's skin.

In one place I read how someone bathed their dog with Palmolive every day and it cured the mange. Maybe I'll try that on the goats...


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## 4hmama (Jan 9, 2009)

It's not 'natural', but I dust the shed floor with sevin dust before I put down bedding, then sprinkle a little more on top. I also have used the sevin dust sprinkled on the back of the goats (back of neck and down the spine - then rub in). Don't use so much that you have a cloud of dust all over... I've had good luck with it. There is also something called 'Lice B Gone' for people by Lavaggio...it is all natural and I have used it on babies as young as 2 weeks with good results.


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## farmer22 (Feb 4, 2011)

How can you tell that it is mites? What kind of symptoms are they experiencing? I am new to this, and not sure what something like that would even look like. Just trying to learn a little bit more so I can be prepared.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

> How can you tell that it is mites? What kind of symptoms are they experiencing? I am new to this, and not sure what something like that would even look like. Just trying to learn a little bit more so I can be prepared.


 Itching.....scuff marks on their coats...from itching..... sometimes... you can see the little critters.....they are very small and narrow.... there are 2 types of Lice...sucking and biting.... one type can be killed with permectrin II...pour on type or powders.... while the other type...if you see bald spot on there lower legs and on bucks testies.... you have to inject Ivomac.... to rid those types.... :wink:


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## icboers (Dec 6, 2010)

Lice do not cause bald spots on the lower legs or testicles, mites do. Lice just cause the goats to scratch and the hair to look rough, it is possible for them to rub some areas thin.

Karla


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

> Lice do not cause bald spots on the lower legs or testicles, mites do. Lice just cause the goats to scratch and the hair to look rough, it is possible for them to rub some areas thin.Karla


 sorry but they do.... please read about the biting and sucking lice on the site below...it will explain to you....

These lice feed almost constantly resulting in oozing blood which clots on the surface of the skin. This can cause a secondary bacterial skin infection as well as attract flies. These lice are usually found on the legs.......... " which is when ....you see the hair loss and scabby skin"... :wink:

Biting lice, like the species that occur on goats and sheep are thought to damage hair by eating into the shaft almost like felling a tree.

http://www.goatbiology.com/lice.html


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## milk and honey (Oct 31, 2010)

I'm new too... and I have one doe who is due soon (two weeks) who has been itching for quite a while... I've used the dusting powder... no good results, Rosemary and lavender and eucaliptus oil... they smell good, but still scratch.... Cylence was then applied twice , 10 days apart, and some results... but she still seems to be itchy, has some scratched off hair from her sides, course hair.... 
I'm sure her belly would itch just from stretching... but her back and head seem to itch all the time... I haven't seen anything.. she's white/cream, and I cant see a thing!
maybe I'll just deal with it after she kids.. my other doe seems fine.


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## cdtrum (Aug 25, 2008)

You can't see mites with the naked eye.....but maybe your girl just has dry skin. My one boy has some hair missing from his front legs with little scabs on the skin.....another has hair thinning on his face and around the ears with roughness on his ears. My guys aren't bad, but any at all bothers me......more so than it bothers them.


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## milkmaid (Sep 15, 2010)

My goats have no visible parasite, but like one of Denise's, the symptoms are thinned hair on the ears and roughened ridgy skin.
Now I have a question about mites. Are the mites ONLY in the areas of thinned hair and ridgy skin? So if I treat those areas with something effective, they will go away?


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## icboers (Dec 6, 2010)

Either way, mites or lice, the olive oil and Euc oil will get rid of them. No more injecting with Ivermec that burns, the goats like this treatment much better.


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## Oat Bucket Farm (Dec 14, 2009)

icboers said:


> Mix 4 oz olive oil(or any oil) with 40 drops of Eucalyptus oil and rub on the affected areas. This will cure it no matter what type of mites they are.
> 
> Just double or triple or whatever to make nough for however many you are treating
> 
> Karla


I have never had mites or lice here, but I put this in my goat book just in case.Thanks!


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

> Now I have a question about mites. Are the mites ONLY in the areas of thinned hair and ridgy skin? So if I treat those areas with something effective, they will go away?


 Lice or mites ...can be all over.... the areas that are ridgy and thin hair.....will be the most severe areas...... :wink:


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## milkmaid (Sep 15, 2010)

Thanks for the answer, Pam!


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

> Thanks for the answer, Pam!


 No problem.... :thumb: :hi5:


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## milkmaid (Sep 15, 2010)

> Either way, mites or lice, the olive oil and Euc oil will get rid of them. No more injecting with Ivermec that burns, the goats like this treatment much better.


Icboers, I am very interested in this because I'm all about natural remedies.  Have you had firsthand experience with this? What kind of mite?


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## Dodge 'Em (Jan 13, 2011)

I use Synergized De-lice. you only need about 10cc or so (I cant remember without going to the barn to tell you exactly). Its oil and smells like diesel fuel, too. Squirt it down the back, and the lice are dead the next day. I had lice problems bad last year. At TSC last year, one of the ladies that I deal with quite often was checking. I put the jug on the counter, and she said "You still have lice?" You should have seen the guys face that was standing behind me! LOL She did go on to tell him that I didnt have lice, my goats did. Should have just let him wonder!


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