# Ick! Lice! What's safe for a heavily pregnant doe? (worms too)



## RareBreedFancier (Sep 16, 2011)

Hi all, I've just recently bought two does who should be heavily in kid and they brought unwanted passengers with them. I'm itchy just thinking about them! 

They were wormed just before they left their old home and I saw no evidence of lice on them but now everyone has them.  I thought everyone was just itchy because they are moulting (spring here) but when I was having a scratch and smooch with my buck and whether I found them. The does are quite wild so I don't get to handle them unless I catch them first. They were put in with a buck around the beginning of May (date uncertain, farmer didn't keep notes) and one looks very obviously pregnant, the other isn't as big. The due date calculator says I could have kids from early next month so I'm wondering what is safe to use? Ages ago someone told me a dusting of sulfur powder will get rid of them on dogs but I've never tried it. I have some here so that would be easy if it will work and is safe. I read a lot of threads where Ivermec injectable is recommended but I was worried that would hurt the babies. It should be easy enough for me to get, my dairy farming friend should have it on hand but is it safe? An organic option would be preferred.

Also wormers. I'd like to worm them before the babies are born and want to know what's safe, again organic preferred. They come off a system of 4 times a year using the same chemical wormer all the time so guessing there will be some resistance there. 

I just had a cat have an anaphylactic reaction to a worm tablet she's had plenty of times before so I'm wanting to get away from using chemicals. She's fine after an expensive emergency vet visit but it's something I'd like to avoid doing again.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.  (I'll post pics of the new ladies soon, thought they look scruffy as they had no minerals available at their old home. )


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## elevan (Sep 16, 2011)

Ivermectin is a good choice for both lice and a pre-kidding deworming.  Dosage here is 1ml/ 22-25# due to heavy resistance...don't know what resistance is like in AU though  :/


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## ksj0225 (Sep 17, 2011)

Don't forget for lice you need to treat the goats and the premise...  The barn, the bedding, the floor... everything...  We burned the bedding and treated the barns and the dirt with Permectrin.  We also treated the goats with Ivermec and Python dust...

It's like treating your children for head lice... you can't just treat the hair you have to treat their rooms and stuffed animals too...


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## ksalvagno (Sep 17, 2011)

Sevin Dust also works great on the premise.


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## RareBreedFancier (Sep 17, 2011)

Thanks for the replies. 

I think I read somewhere that goat lice can't live off the host for longer than 24 hours, is that correct? That would be really nice because they have been out in the paddock due to nice weather. If that isn't right how long do the little blighters live? If I have to do their winter housing I'll have to treat my entire stables! NOT going to be happy if that's the case. My buck decided in the last few days they were inside that he can jump out and was going visiting the ladies, my ponies, the spare stables, the feed room... I'll be doing modifications to make a 'buck proof' stable shortly.


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## elevan (Sep 17, 2011)

The adult louse cannot live off the host for more than 24 hours...but the eggs - those are a whole different story.

Don't depend on them being out in the pasture to have killed off the bedded lice...cause the eggs are still gonna be there and ready to hatch.  You really do need to take care of that bedding too.


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## RareBreedFancier (Sep 17, 2011)

Eggs, yuck! Bedding is easy to take care off, the stables not in use for the ponies are stripped out airing at the moment. I'd planned to re-bed two when I see some udder development so I had kidding stalls ready. I guess I'll have to treat everything so they are pest free when they next come in. The idea the eggs would just sit there waiting to hatch makes my skin crawl! I'll shift them to new ground and deal with the shelters where they are. Guess we will be doing that a couple of times but it is much easier to do small paddock shelters than having to do the stables repeatedly. 

I've given them a dusting of the sulfur powder already, I found a general stock louse powder in the local stock feed and it's main active ingredient is sulfur. It said it was safe to use on pregnant and lactating animals with nil withholding so I thought I might as well use what I had here. They seem to be scratching less and I'll keep an eye on them. I'll see my farmer friend and probably get some Ivermec anyway because I'll need to worm them before the kids are born. Seems like a lot of herbal wormers aren't safe for pregnant does and I don't want to chance the health of the kids especially given the does have already had it pretty rough.


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## Bedste (Sep 17, 2011)

ivermectin... is that the vaseline looking paste that is sold for horses in the mouth?


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## Bedste (Sep 17, 2011)

now I am itching!


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## elevan (Sep 17, 2011)

Bedste said:
			
		

> ivermectin... is that the vaseline looking paste that is sold for horses in the mouth?


Ivermectin does come in a paste for horses.  Along with an injectible for cattle, pour on for cattle, drench for sheep....



> now I am itching!


I know...just the mere mention of lice makes me itch!


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## RareBreedFancier (Sep 22, 2011)

Thought I'd update an let you know sulfur apparently does work.  

I checked the goats after 24 hours and only the buck seemed to have a few still crawling on him but by the afternoon they'd gone too. I still have to treat the stables but I've shifted the goats to a fresh ground. Still got to worm them but haven't got the stuff to do that yet.


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