Dealing with Lice on Goats (and Sheep)
Makes you itch just hearing the word, lice, doesn’t it? Imagine how your goats feel. They may be quite heavily infested by the time you notice it. Lice can often be mistaken for flecks of hay in the goat’s coat at first glance and many herd owners will at first just shrug it off as that. But look a little closer.
Goat / sheep lice are tiny bugs that are tan in color and slightly translucent. The translucency will allow you to see a black (or dark brown) center to them. That would be there internal organs (full of blood – your goat’s blood).
While the goat / sheep louse can survive off of it’s host for a matter of days (possibly up to a week) don’t worry, it won’t be making a meal out of you. Lice are specific to their host and will not cross species (they won’t infest or chickens or your horses – just other goats and sheep).
What are lice?
Lice are external parasites. Meaning that they attach themselves to an animal's hair and then feed on the skin or blood.
There are two types of lice in goats: biting lice and sucking lice.
Biting lice feed on the hair and the surface of the skin. This type of lice is more of an irritant and can cause hair damage but will not harm your goats beyond that. They still need to be removed though.
Sucking lice are more of a problem than biting lice, and can cover the entire body. Sucking lice feed on the blood of the animal and in severe cases can cause anemia. These are the most commonly found sucking lice in the United States.
·Goat sucking louse (very common)
·The foot louse (prefer legs, feet, the underbelly and the scrotum)
·The African blue louse (also found in the United States)
A case of lice can occur during any season, but is most common in late fall through early spring.
Images of goat lice can be found here.
Symptoms of goat lice are:
·Intense itching (though not always present)
·Flaky skin
·Bald spots
·Open sores (from biting or rubbing the itching spots)
·Brittle hair
·Weight loss can occur
·Milk production is often decreased by up to 25%
·Anemia (in severe cases of sucking lice)
Treating a lice infestation:
Lice control is difficult because pesticides do not kill the egg of the louse.
Eggs will hatch 8 to 12 days after treatment with a pesticide, making retreatment necessary 2 weeks after the first application. We sometimes follow with a third treatment 2 weeks after the second.
·Treat the goat with either a powdered pesticide or a chemical pesticide designed to treat both types of lice.
·Treat the goat’s housing by removing (and burning) all bedding, applying a powdered pesticide and rebedding the area.
·Repeat treatment of animal in 14 days. In some cases it may be necessary to retreat at 28 days as well.
What type of pesticide to use?
There are several options for a powdered pesticide (including DE, Python Dust and Seven Dust). We like Python Dust here on Honaker Farm. If you are applying dust to the animal as treatment be sure to apply liberally and rub into the coat.
Chemical options that you can use for your animal are varied as well and range in dosing form from orally, injected to pour on. Available options are: Permethrin, Permethrin (synergized), Zeta-cypermethrin and Ivermectin (off label use – talk to your veterinarian first).
At Honaker Farm we like Python Dust and injected Ivomec 1%, we inject at the label dose for lice.
A note on DE: DE (diatomaceous earth) is not a chemical or a pesticide (per se). It is the fossilized remains of diatoms and acts more as a drying agent to the parasite by drying out the exoskeleton of the bug so that it has no protection and dies. Care should be taken that you and your animals do not breathe in the dust from DE as it has the same drying effect on the mucous membranes of your (and their) lungs.
Important Note on use of injected Ivermectin: Be aware that there is a stinging agent in Ivomec (ivermectin) that will cause the animal to have a pain reaction. This may seem that they are having a seizure or in severe pain, but it only lasts a few seconds and as long as you are prepared you’ll be fine. Using this product for goats is off label (or extra label) and should only be used with the supervision of a veterinarian.
Makes you itch just hearing the word, lice, doesn’t it? Imagine how your goats feel. They may be quite heavily infested by the time you notice it. Lice can often be mistaken for flecks of hay in the goat’s coat at first glance and many herd owners will at first just shrug it off as that. But look a little closer.
Goat / sheep lice are tiny bugs that are tan in color and slightly translucent. The translucency will allow you to see a black (or dark brown) center to them. That would be there internal organs (full of blood – your goat’s blood).
While the goat / sheep louse can survive off of it’s host for a matter of days (possibly up to a week) don’t worry, it won’t be making a meal out of you. Lice are specific to their host and will not cross species (they won’t infest or chickens or your horses – just other goats and sheep).
What are lice?
Lice are external parasites. Meaning that they attach themselves to an animal's hair and then feed on the skin or blood.
There are two types of lice in goats: biting lice and sucking lice.
Biting lice feed on the hair and the surface of the skin. This type of lice is more of an irritant and can cause hair damage but will not harm your goats beyond that. They still need to be removed though.
Sucking lice are more of a problem than biting lice, and can cover the entire body. Sucking lice feed on the blood of the animal and in severe cases can cause anemia. These are the most commonly found sucking lice in the United States.
·Goat sucking louse (very common)
·The foot louse (prefer legs, feet, the underbelly and the scrotum)
·The African blue louse (also found in the United States)
A case of lice can occur during any season, but is most common in late fall through early spring.
Images of goat lice can be found here.
Symptoms of goat lice are:
·Intense itching (though not always present)
·Flaky skin
·Bald spots
·Open sores (from biting or rubbing the itching spots)
·Brittle hair
·Weight loss can occur
·Milk production is often decreased by up to 25%
·Anemia (in severe cases of sucking lice)
Treating a lice infestation:
Lice control is difficult because pesticides do not kill the egg of the louse.
Eggs will hatch 8 to 12 days after treatment with a pesticide, making retreatment necessary 2 weeks after the first application. We sometimes follow with a third treatment 2 weeks after the second.
·Treat the goat with either a powdered pesticide or a chemical pesticide designed to treat both types of lice.
·Treat the goat’s housing by removing (and burning) all bedding, applying a powdered pesticide and rebedding the area.
·Repeat treatment of animal in 14 days. In some cases it may be necessary to retreat at 28 days as well.
What type of pesticide to use?
There are several options for a powdered pesticide (including DE, Python Dust and Seven Dust). We like Python Dust here on Honaker Farm. If you are applying dust to the animal as treatment be sure to apply liberally and rub into the coat.
Chemical options that you can use for your animal are varied as well and range in dosing form from orally, injected to pour on. Available options are: Permethrin, Permethrin (synergized), Zeta-cypermethrin and Ivermectin (off label use – talk to your veterinarian first).
At Honaker Farm we like Python Dust and injected Ivomec 1%, we inject at the label dose for lice.
A note on DE: DE (diatomaceous earth) is not a chemical or a pesticide (per se). It is the fossilized remains of diatoms and acts more as a drying agent to the parasite by drying out the exoskeleton of the bug so that it has no protection and dies. Care should be taken that you and your animals do not breathe in the dust from DE as it has the same drying effect on the mucous membranes of your (and their) lungs.
Important Note on use of injected Ivermectin: Be aware that there is a stinging agent in Ivomec (ivermectin) that will cause the animal to have a pain reaction. This may seem that they are having a seizure or in severe pain, but it only lasts a few seconds and as long as you are prepared you’ll be fine. Using this product for goats is off label (or extra label) and should only be used with the supervision of a veterinarian.
