Lice

My 5 week old doe kids have lice. The vet says they probably brought the lice with them from the breeder. He recommended Frontline dog spray. Against my better judgement I tried it on the kids where they were scratching. It seemed to help for a day and then the scratching returned. I changed their bedding right after I treated them. Any suggestions?

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  • Yes. People shave goats that age for shows all the time.
  • Is it okay to shave a 9 week old buckling with lice?  He just arrived, during his vet evaluation for a travel health certificate, the vet treated him for lice with a topical (have to find our which one was used).  I shaved our does as soon as we had spring weather, after finding they all had lice. 

  • Yes, you can buy Ivermectrin over the counter from a farm supply store such as Tractor Supply. If you do a search on this topic in the forum, you'll find lots of information about dosage, etc. 

    Barbara Jean Rondine said:

    My doe has lice badly and my vet is out of town.  She suggested a lice power from the feed store until she returns.  My doe has chewed herself into abrasions.  Can the ivermectin be bought without a prescription--or try to use a non goat vet???

    Thanks,

    Barb Rondine



  • Barbara Jean Rondine said:

    My doe has lice badly and my vet is out of town.  She suggested a lice power from the feed store until she returns.  My doe has chewed herself into abrasions.  Can the ivermectin be bought without a prescription--or try to use a non goat vet???

    Thanks,

    Barb Rondine

  • My doe has lice badly and my vet is out of town.  She suggested a lice power from the feed store until she returns.  My doe has chewed herself into abrasions.  Can the ivermectin be bought without a prescription--or try to use a non goat vet???

    Thanks,

    Barb Rondine

  • I was able to rid my two 5 week old kids of lice without using any chemicals at all. I purchased a metal fine tooth comb and combed them several times a day for several days. I also cleaned out the goat house where they slept daily. It took awhile but worked.
  • Tiny black specks could be anything. Are the specks crawling?

    Pour-on dewormer is labeled as a pour-on dewormer. You would not use an oral dewormer as a pour-on, and you would definitely NOT use a pour-on an as oral dewormer because pour-ons have a different carrier, which would burn mucus membranes like the inside of the mouth and throat.

    If you are from somewhere warm, using dog clippers to shave the goat is a great way to get rid of lice, but in most of the US, it's too late to do that now.

  • Hi- I have a similar situation! I have a 15 week old buckling with what I think are lice. His breeder had treated him before I picked him up and I thought he was clean. I just noticed tiny black specks in his coat. Can you give an exact name of a product to use? When you say to use a "pour on dewormer", are you referring to a liquid that I normally have put into their mouth? And how much?
  • At their size, they're only going to need around 1 cc, so you'll just drip it between their shoulder blades and be done. No need to do anything else. It gets absorbed into their skin similar to the dog flea preventatives such as Frontline.

    I'm glad you mentioned your feeding regimen. You should not have a plain salt block available as it will mess up their mineral consumption, and they could wind up mineral deficient. When they have a free choice mineral available, it has salt in it, and that salt is at a level that is supposed to drive their consumption of the mineral. So, if they have another source of salt available, they'll consume less of the mineral. Also, be sure it is a "goat" mineral, NOT "sheep and goat" because the latter does not have copper in it, which goats need. And it should be a loose mineral, not a block, because goats have small, soft tongues, and they can't get enough minerals from a block.

  • Yes the kids are being bottle fed, 3 times a day , 10 ounces whole cow's milk at each feeding. Hay, minerals, salt block are free choice available.
    I will be getting one of the dewormers you suggested. Would you give me additional information on applying it? After I squirt a very small amount between their shoulders do I rub it in all over their bodies or apply several small amounts all over?
    Thank you
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