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Lice Treatment Working Or... Not?

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WinnieandBear

WinnieandBear

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Hello!

I recently posted about my two girls and discovered that they have lice. They have seen a vet who couldn't find any lice but I was sure I had seen a couple so they both had a shot of ivermectin and he said to return in one week.

That was on Saturday and my girls seem to be even more itchy and feeling sorry for themselves. I just checked Florries fur very quickly and already spotted a tiny whiteish louse crawling quite quickly along her fur. So it is definitely running lice.

I have no idea where they came from and whether the ivermectin has even worked...? How long does injectable ivermectin usually take to kill them off?
I have some Lice n Easy shampoo coming tomorrow hopefully and plan to bathe them and strip the cage (again) and wash all fleece on 60 degrees. Hopefully this will actually get the living lice off and kill them?

Any experience dealing with this would be great as I am so worried. They are scratching like crazy.
 
Please wait at least 48 hours before shampooing your pigs :) Running lice or hay mites both can be treated by using the appropriate shampoo, as they live on the hair shaft Ivermectin won't necessarily kill them, it treats Mange or Sellnick mites very well though. Shampoo in 48 hours, as per instructions then repeat in 7 days time, both pigs must be treated. Throw away any cardboard or chubes in their run & hot soapy wash plastic hidies. Hot wash bedding on 60 degrees & thoroughly clean the cage after each bathing.
 
Thank you for the tips :) it will be over 48 hours by tomorrow if the shampoo arrives tomorrow! I have decided I'm going to set up the temporary cage in another room for the week as I'm paranoid about lice crawling I my room now and I don't want to risk them picking them up again. Will wash everything and disinfect after they are washed and in the clean spare cage. What a drama. Lucky I'm off this week I guess
 
Don't worry lice/mites are very unlikely to leave the pigs as they are their food source! :) You can stop scratching now lol :) I spotted some hay mites on my new girl & have done 2 shampoos with "Flea or Die" shampoo & that is marvellous stuff, she now has a shiny coat & no "cooties" lol :)
 
I have spent most of the day bathing the pigs, disinfecting and scrubbing the cage with the lice n easy shampoo also. I have washed everything on a 60 degree wash and hot tumble dry and been to pets at home to replace the hay, pellets and treats. Hoovered my entire room and washed the skirting boards (OCD) lol. I use Alfalfa King timothy hay so I don't suspect it was that but rather be safe than sorry. Fingers crossed things will get better. The girls are less scratchy today also. :) thanks for the advice @Poppy'sMum
 
Nope it shouldn't be that hay, I've used it for 4 years with no trouble. I also microwave small amounts of it in batches before feeding it to my piggies, 40 seconds at a time just in case it picked anything up from the other hays in the store but that Timothy hay is imported so has to be free from bugs as it is sterile :)
 
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