Feral Goat Lice Treatment?

[Kris5902]

I adopted an orphaned baby goat a little over one week ago, and lacking an outside companion for her, she is currently a “house goat” until we can transition her to living outside (hopefully with my mother’s pet sheep. I’m bottle feeding her and introducing her to a textured goat feed, alfalfa, and she likes to eat organic salad green. As she was wild I’ve been looking for pests, and just recently spotted lice on her. Many nasty little lice, and nits. I have some pour on cattle ivomec or Revolution cat flea and tick meds I could treat her with. I also have some human lice shampoo, thanks to the child that lives on the property’s constant head lice infestation. Suggestions on treatment and dosing? I don’t have access to a farm vet for her (prohibitively expensive and there are non in our area here) also I’m in Canada, so seven Dust and most OTC livestock treatments are not obtainable here. Thanks in advance, I’ve posted on BYHerds, but it’s a less active site, so I’m hoping someone here might have some advice. Especially since she is sleeping in my bed still (shudder! I know they are species specific, but the whole louse thing is just disgusting and creepy, regardless, and now I’m itchy just from the thought of it)

 

[Boobumpbeanbear]

Probably not the best advice but when our goats had lice, we treated weekly for 4 weeks with wood ash from our fire.
Rubbed it in to the skin on body, legs and neck(everywhere really) and it got rid of them with no other problem.
Good luck with your little one.

 

[Kris5902]

Probably not the best advice but when our goats had lice, we treated weekly for 4 weeks with wood ash from our fire.
Rubbed it in to the skin on body, legs and neck(everywhere really) and it got rid of them with no other problem.
Good luck with your little one.

No woodstove, my only current burn pile is mostly trash/cat litter But I will keep this in mind for future issues when she lives outside like a proper goat!

 

[Mvan42]

Permethrin live stock spray. Not sure may not be available for you.

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/p...livestock-and-premise-spray-8-oz?cm_vc=-10005

 

[cassie]

Go to the livestock supply and just get some louse powder. It is cheap, safe, easy to apply, and effective. It comes in a shaker can.

 

[Kris5902]

Go to the livestock supply and just get some louse powder. It is cheap, safe, easy to apply, and effective. It comes in a shaker can.

To the best of my knowledge, these are not available at all here anymore. I’m out of my reserve supply. I finally tracked down the dosage for the Ivomec cattle pour on for use (off label) in goats. I’m going to go with this as I have access to it, have used it safely in chickens and cattle, and it has always been effective for me in the past with our other livestock. 1cc~20lbs so about 0.5ml for my girl.

 

[RiverOtter]

Sevin dust isn't marketed for livestock, it's in the garden section. Look there and you may find it.

And do NOT use pour on for a goat! They don't process it the same. If you can get Safeguard wormer (or really, any goat safe wormer) that will kill any blood-sucking pests for a few days after treatment.

 

[cassie]

To the best of my knowledge, these are not available at all here anymore. I’m out of my reserve supply. I finally tracked down the dosage for the Ivomec cattle pour on for use (off label) in goats. I’m going to go with this as I have access to it, have used it safely in chickens and cattle, and it has always been effective for me in the past with our other livestock. 1cc~20lbs so about 0.5ml for my girl.

Since I no longer have livestock, I have not bought louse powder for years so I do not know what is now available and what isn't. The one I always bought was approved for dairy cattle. Sevin also works. It is safe and it is found in the garden department. I can't imagine that a flea powder wouldn't work also.

 

[Kris5902]

Sevin dust isn't marketed for livestock, it's in the garden section. Look there and you may find it.

And do NOT use pour on for a goat! They don't process it the same. If you can get Safeguard wormer (or really, any goat safe wormer) that will kill any blood-sucking pests for a few days after treatment.

Although there is a difference in metabolism, I found fairly reliable dosage information on several different goat husbandry sites for using the pour on. Can you link any studies or articles showing the ill effects? I know there is also a sheep and goat specific ivomec available.

Sevin Dust and powdered pyrethrum pesticides are not available here in Canada. I have checked multiple stores. There are some liquid plant sprays available, but it’s winter, and most also include other highly toxic substances like copper sulfate (makes it a pretty blue color and helps with some fungal issues for your roses, but not so good on a animal that licks itself).

I almost lost my first chicken flock to coccidiosis, because you need a vet for Corrid. Lack of decent vet services here is a big problem for livestock. Safeguard wormers are also unavailable here, and I can’t even obtain fish mox. I just dropped $200 at a vet for a chicken’s amoxicillin script, and it’s a full day’s drive and multiple ferries to get to a vet who will treat goats, sheep, and cattle way up island in Duncan... you don’t want to know what they charge either!

Since I no longer have livestock, I have not bought louse powder for years so I do not know what is now available and what isn't. The one I always bought was approved for dairy cattle. Sevin also works. It is safe and it is found in the garden department. I can't imagine that a flea powder wouldn't work also.

In 2018 many common wormers, pesticides, and treatments were restricted in Canada and now most things are only available by a vet prescription, which I cannot afford for a wild animal I’ve adopted. I am out of the louse powder we had for the cattle as well, it was great stuff. I haven’t seen Sevin dust, or a similar product, in any of the local stores and I have looked.

 

[RiverOtter]

I will try to get back to your with the pour-on info. Basically, they can have ivermectin orally, but don't absorb/process it through the skin well. And internal ivermectin or anything that kills intestinal worms will also kill blood-sucking pests as it goes through the bloodstream.

And I confess I have no idea what is or isn't available in Canada, I just know that no one anywhere finds Sevin Dust unless they look at garden products. Also, goats can have copper sulfate. I put it in mine's drinking water to be sure they're getting enough copper, because I don't bolus most of mine and I use an all-purpose mineral because the sheep can reach it.
When they're feeling in the need, they will suck down the pretty blue water like a kid with koolaid.
A few people have experienced copper toxicity in goats, and I've always found they live in an area with good natural copper AND give a copper bolus AND a copper rich loose mineral, etc. Most goats are copper deficient, and often badly.
The copper info I have right here as I was just sending it to someone who had bought some goats from me;
https://naldc.nal.usda.gov/download/35310/PDF
https://www.addl.purdue.edu/newsletters/1994/copper.shtml

I haven't had to look up the pour-on studies for years, since most folks are happy to just give it orally, but I will try to dig them up when I have more time.