# Tick treatment for pigs with babies



## tailsticks (Dec 17, 2017)

I have three hand raised adult wild pigs (here in Hawaii) and now two (five day old) babies.  For the first time I have noticed ticks on the both the adults and the now the babies.  The only tick here in Hawaii is the brown (dog) tick.

I wanted a recommendation for treating the pigs - especially the nursing mother and babies?

I have permethrin 10% - which I know I can use on the adults/bedding etc. But I do not want to use it unless I know its safe for the babies? Especially because they are nursing (obviously). 

Any suggestions?


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## Baymule (Dec 17, 2017)

I don't know the answer for you but I will ask others with more experience than I have. 

@Farmer Connie @farmerjan @frustratedearthmother @Mini Horses


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## Farmer Connie (Dec 17, 2017)

tailsticks said:


> have three hand raised adult wild pigs (here in Hawaii) and now two (five day old) babies. For the first time I have noticed ticks on the both the adults and the now the babies. The only tick here in Hawaii is the brown (dog) tick.
> 
> I wanted a recommendation for treating the pigs - especially the nursing mother and babies?
> 
> ...





  That is a good question.. permethrin 10% would treat the bugs but are the little dudes treated with Ivermectin? Ticks carry lime disease. I have an associate I will ask but it is geeting late.. Tonight. maybe tomorrow. It sounds like a bedding issue. Or are they free to roam in wooded areas?


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## tailsticks (Dec 18, 2017)

Thanks for your reply. The brown dog tick does not carry or transmit Lyme disease.  They are in a very large open dirt run and have wooden shelters with wooden floors. They do not have bedding - here in Hawaii it doesn't really drop below 70 degrees, so they are fine without, However, since the babies arrived on Wednesday I put shaving in the separate shelter that the momma is in, obviously to help keep them all comfortable and warm even though its warm here.  I was actually getting ready to treat them with the spray and then the babies arrived, so I didn't.

There is no wooded area in their space. The closest woods are 100 feet away up the hillside.


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## mysunwolf (Dec 18, 2017)

We have neighbors whose pigs pick up ticks, and they use DE as a deterrent. This has never worked for me. I'd treat with injectable ivermectin--we used to do this once a year for our sow. Permethrin will deter ticks but won't kill them and won't stop new ones from biting once it washes off. Do not use anything but DE on the babies or the lactating sow until they are 3-4 weeks old. 

As a side note, dog ticks don't carry Lyme but may carry other tick-borne illnesses.


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## tailsticks (Dec 18, 2017)

Thank you!  I have some food grade DE but have never used it - do I just powder all over? And do I just do it once or say every day?


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## mysunwolf (Dec 18, 2017)

I would powder all over bedding and the backs of the mom and piglets to start, then you can freshen it up if you have any rain or once a weekish. Hopefully they can all hold out until the babies get to 3 weeks! We have also used garlic barrier (basically a liquid garlic extract product) as a wormer-assist in our sheep, I've heard that it can work to naturally deter ticks as well when used topically. Might be worth a shot.


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## Farmer Connie (Dec 18, 2017)

mysunwolf said:


> I'd treat with injectable ivermectin--




  SAME HERE... ticks, ringworm -on and on.. Nip it in the butt before manifest.. Behind the ear on newbies and we inject a bread ball for oral treatment on adults. 1 cc per 100#. SORRY but DE has no scientific hard evidence for effectiveness. And it can damage lung tissue because it it like powdered glass.


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## Lamby (Jun 7, 2019)

I know this is a pretty old thread but I am wondering about the bread ball with ivermectin injected for pigs. My son's 4-H pigs recently were discovered with pig lice. I read elsewhere about ivermectin injected in the red ball but I am not sure which kind to use. can you use the injectable ivermectin in the bread balls to be eaten orally? And what if you have the pour on or oral ivermectin?could I possibly use the horse paste ivermectin on the pigs? If yes how much should I give?


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## Baymule (Jun 7, 2019)

I had some feeder pigs that got lice. I bought apple flavored horse wormer, ivermectin for them. I cut the crust off bread, put the ivermectin on one side, folded it over and pinched the edges together. They smelled the apple flavor and went crazy for it. I tossed the bread pillows over the fence to them and they gobbled it up. I used the measurement on the applicator for 200 pounds.


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## mysunwolf (Jun 9, 2019)

Using ivermectin orally in pigs is like using injectable wormers in ruminants for stomach worms--not terribly effective and creates more drug resistance, BUT you may see an improvement (I know we have when we've done it). Hope that's not too confusing of a metaphor!


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