My 4-day-old hand-fed piglet has lice. How can I safely treat them?

The best thing to use for lice in pigs in ivermectin. Make sure you are using the correct concentration (typically 1% works best) and dose for Penelope's weight. It can be mixed in with the food or squirted into her mouth. It must be given in two doses two weeks apart. Ivermectin can also be given injectably.

You can buy some ivermectin at a farm shop and give her an injection with ivermectin. You can also get some diatomacious earth at a garden center and dust your pig with it. This will clog the tracheae (lungs) of the lice and kill them . Make sure you also meticulously clean her bedding and stable and put some diatomacious earth there as well.

What a cute little guy! Mice do get lice, and it's usually because they're in poor husbandry conditions (like being sold for food). This means your mice are likely infected with other parasites like dwarf tapeworm that definitely is zoonotic (meaning it can infect you). You should treat this little guy with Revolution for cats, which is a spot-on treatment you can get from your vet, and use it topically ever 3 weeks until the parasites are gone. Disinfect his cage and throw out all the bedding as well. If you spray the cage/furnishings with fipronil topical spray this helps kill all the eggs and disinfects the environment. Hope that helps, and best of luck!

You should only give your pigs antibiotics for a medical reason diagnosed by a vet. Then the length and frequency of dosing will be determined by the severity and type of condition. Usually it involves a daily injection for 5 days up to 2 weeks. Unfortunately I cannot legally give you specific information about prescription drugs, but your vet will be able to advise you. There are various antibiotics and antinflammatories of use in swine.

Lice are not a terribly pest for dogs to have unless there are many dogs grouped in small and unclean areas. If you haven't yet had Belle examined by a vet, I would recommend that she get checked out to confirm the parasite that you are seeing. Treating lice includes bathing thoroughly to remove any adult lice, and then treatment with a parasiticide. I would recommend topical treatments like Frontline or Revolution instead of dips or medicated baths. Dips and shampoos will only kill active lice and won't stay on the dog long enough to prevent further lice infestations. Frontline and Revolution are both safe in a 12 week old puppy. Here is some more information on lice in dogs: http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=2794

Thanks for reaching out. Treating with topical medications could have residual effects that could affect a newly hatched chick. Injectable ivermectin could help but most of these lice are chewing, not blood sucking, so could be less effective. Lice are typically visible to the eye and can be found on the underside of wing feathers. Check before treating. Good luck.

Use a product such as revolution, frontline or advantage multi as they have activity against lice. Grooming is also essential so make sure that your puppy is staying clean and mat free. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions. Make sure these treatments continue for at least 2 months.