Goat lice are one of the external parasites that can
infest goats at all ages.
It is so necessary to be early detected and overcome to protect your goat herd from further complications.
Dr. Provet will discuss this topic in detail through this article including:
What are goat lice?
Types of goat lice.
Clinical signs of goat lice.
The effect of lice on goat health.
Diagnosis of goat lice.
Differential diagnosis of goat lice.
Treatment and control of goat lice.
Principles of pesticides use for goat lice.
What are goat lice?
The goat lice are seasonal parasites that infect the goat mainly in the late winter.
All the lifecycle of the goat lice completely occurs in the goat body.
Avoiding the goat from exposure to parasites is so difficult as they are part of their environment.
It can be transmitted easily from one goat to another through direct contact or any common objects.
But, the goat lice cannot be transmitted to man or any other animals.
Types of goat lice
There are two main types of goat lice, including:
Biting goat lice:
They are visible and can be seen by naked eyes without the need for a microscope.
They feed on the hair and skin of the goat, so they have a wider head containing the chewing apparatus.
This wider head cannot be seen without a microscope, but the body of the biting goat lice is so clear as it has lighter color from gray to tan color.
The main 3 chewing goat lice are:
Damalinia caprae.
Damalinia limbata.
Damalinia crassipes.
Blood Sucking goat lice.
They feed on the blood and have a narrow head to help the lice to penetrate the skin goat lice are larger, darker, and filled with blood.
The main two types of blood-sucking lice are:
Linognathus stenopsis.
Linognathus Africanus.
They can be found mainly in the goat's back and legs.
Clinical signs of goat lice
When goats are infested with lice, they show many clinical signs, including:
excessive biting.
Vigorous rubbing against fences and pens.
scratching.
dull coats.
grooming behavior.
Patches of hair loss or hair thinning.
Scabby and bleeding parts can be present with suckling lice infestation.
The effect of lice on goat health
The goat lice infestation causes:
Itch, discomfort, stress, and anxiety.
Loss of appetite, weight loss, and so low meat production.
Drop-in milk production in the dairy infected goats.
Bad hair quality.
Anemia, especially in suckling goat lice infestation.
Bites of biting goat lice are a good chance for bacterial infection (dermatitis).
Diagnosis of goat lice
The infected goat shows the previous clinical signs.
Physical examination of the goat hair near the skin for an adult crawling lice and small lighter eggs.
Differential diagnosis
The goat lice should be differentiated from other different cases, including:
Mites: they can be confirmed by microscopic examination of skin scaping.
Goat worms: they can be confirmed by microscopic examination of feces.
Nutritional deficiency such as zinc or copper deficiency is characterized by bar patches and dull coats without parasitic infestation.
Dry skin and dandruff are related to the winter coat shedding of the goat.
Treatment and control of goat lice
A perfect biosecurity program for the goat herd should be applied to control the parasitic infestation, including:
Round examination of the goat herd to early detect the lice.
Isolation of the infested goat to avoid transmission of the parasite through direct contact.
Treatment of all goats in the herd to ensure control.
Use suitable insecticides such as Pyrethrin and pyrethroids.
For severe infestation: dilute 1 part of permethrin 10% in 99 parts water to get a solution of 0.1%.
For the normal infestation: dilute 1 part of the same product in 199 parts water to get 0.05% solution.
Spray the prepared solution thoroughly to cover the entire goat.
The retreatment after 14 days is necessary to control hatched eggs.
Extralabel s/c injection of 1 ml / 50 kg BW of a combination of ivermectin and clorsulon can be effective in some cases.
The medication can be administered by spray, pour-on, back rubs, dust bags, or dipping solution.
The withdrawal time should be carefully considered for the meat or milk-producing goat
Principles of pesticides use for goat lice
Many principles must be considered when using pesticides, including:
Follow the label dose and instructions of uses.
Consider alĺ labeled precautions and warnings.
Keep the pesticides containers away from water and food.
Store the pesticides in their original bottle.
Finally, goat lice are one of the serious problems that threaten your goat herd and must be considered to avoid further losses either for goats or their production.
Resources
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