Atoll's Technical Tips

Treating lice and other ectoparasites

Lice and other ectoparasites are pretty darn common through the colder months when animals may be kept in closer confinement. Some of these ectoparasites can be transmitted to humans, though fortunately, lice is very polite and species-specific. In other words, if your sheep have lice–your goats, dogs, kids, and yourself cannot catch them.

Treatment is pretty simple. Generally, a permethrin or pyrethrin-based product will do the trick. These are pour-ons and are applied right down the top line from the base of the neck to the tail. If the sheep being treated are in wool, then the wool should be parted to allow the solution to reach the skin. Gloves should be worn and the animals should not be snuggled for the rest of the day.

Depending on the product, the treatment may need to be repeated in 30 days to kill the nits. This is the case with products like Ultraboss that only kill adult lice. Clean-Up 2 is a product that only needs to be dosed once because it kills young and old lice alike. This product also has no meat or milk withdrawal in the USA, making it a nice option. I have no affiliation, just sharing what I know.

Do not use Ivermectin pour-ons or injectables for ectoparasites because they will partially, but not effectively, attack internal parasites (round worms and such in the gastrointestinal tract) as well and actually contribute to dewormer resistant populations of internal parasites.

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