VeBee's Medical Thread

[GrannyJu1]

I'm only putting this under her name because I'm 95% sure I saw them zooming through her thin white hair. Husband says he can't see anything, but he only looked for maybe 30 seconds.

So, to start off properly:

VeBee, intact female, approximately 2 yrs old.
Adopted May 24, 2015 so I designate May 24, 2013 as her DOB

Healthy, at least until put in with my bunch, then she started scratching more. Not seen by vet yet.

I don't know what the he** I'm doing wrong but they have lice AGAIN (still?!?!?!?). Lots of hair loss (all 5). Lots of scratching, etc.

Treating with Ivomec, 1% solution (yes, correct dosage - weigh, weigh, check dosage, draw) once weekly, today will be 3rd treatment.
Completely tearing down cages and soaking everything in bleach/water solution for 20 minutes (hence rusty grids!), then in soapy for another 20 minutes. Fleece and EVERYTHING under it gets washed in hot water with detergent and detergent booster, extra soak and rinse included.

My question: Today is 3rd treatment (Sat X 2 so far). How many more times do I need to do this to kill those #$%$#$%$#$% lice?

As much as I love them, I may have to re-home them simply because my body can't keep up with this regimen every week for much longer.

Weights and Dosages:
Peek: 1281 grms - 0.065 units; 1253 grms - 0.06 units
Scatter: 1427 grms - 0.07 units; 1446 grms - 0.07 units
VeBee: 1187 grms - 0.06 units; 1145 grms - 0.06 units
Flossie: 1163 grms - 0.06 units; 1133 grms - 0.055 units
Fuzz: 1289 grms - 0.065 units; 1271 grms - 0.065

Not weighed or treated yet today - clearing last week's cage, etc, right now.

[Wheekers3]

Don't wear yourself out treating surroundings if you are treating the piggies with the Ivomec, the bugs will die because their host is treated.

It is critical you treat punctually. Any variance allows the bugs to get an upperhand. I think 6 wks is the proper duration. After that the piggies should be fine unless re-exposed.

[PinkRufus]

I've had lice recur on my two haired pigs, some years ago now. They had been treated by a vet with Ivermectin, for three rounds, but the lice came back. The second time, they got Ivermectin injections and LymDyp (Lime Sulfur Dip) baths and they never came back. While they were being treated, I gave them plastic or cardboard accessories, so they could easily be cleaned or discarded afterward. Porous surfaces can harbor lice and their eggs, so you would want to remove those during treatment if possible. Lice cannot live for more than three weeks without a host, so you can return any items that were removed after they are clear, if it has been long enough for the lice to die out. Lice are gross, but not that hardy, so they should be gone before too long if you are persistent.

[GrannyJu1]

So 3 more weeks of this? I can see I better order some more grids... :o}

They no longer get ANYthing that I cannot wash. Period. I've been dealing with this situation for about 2 years, now. Every time I think I'm done, (4-6-8, up to as many as 10 consecutive weeks the time I found out I needed to clean & treat exactly 7 days apart) a couple of months later the suckers are back. Grrrrr!

Thanks, Wheekers3 and PinkRufus. I'll have to believe there IS a light at the end of the tunnel!

Poor VeBee. She thinks she came into a home with a lot of companions. She did. :o/

[GrannyJu1]

Too late to edit.

I should have said they don't get anything I can't wash or afford to throw away after 7 days.

[Lynx]

Revolution is also supposed to be very effective on lice. You could try a couple Revolution treatments too (on all pigs). Do you have other pets they might live on for a short while?

[GrannyJu1]

I have 2 cats.

I know I gave at least 2 Revolution treatments to the others when we found ear mites on Fuzz back in April, which was before I got VeBee. Cats were checked by their vet who said they were clean. I'll talk to our new vet today and see what she suggests. At any rate, I'm planning on another 3 weeks of Ivomec, and all new grids before the end of those 3 weeks.

(Along with new choroplast and some plexiglass.)

[Lynx]

There is also a possibility the change of seasons is contributing to shedding if this is your primary concern (not rereading the details). But most likely not all would experience it. Have you given any of them Nizoral shampoos?

Shedding, scratching, parasites - can be a combination of both a fungal infection and mite/lice infestation.

[GrannyJu1]

I showed the vet the hair Fuzz had shed on the table today. She found a dead lice - she said it had legs. I guess my eyes didn't lie to me. Didn't have a chance to ask for Revolution - not sure we could afford it now, anyway. No charge for Fuzz, but Peek cost $263 today.

I'll just keep treating with the Ivomec for another 3 weeks. And umm, order some Nizoral shampoo. :o] Just in case, of course! ;o)

[GrannyJu1]

I think I've just realized WHY I've been unable to rid my babies of the lice.

I pull them out of the cages, put them in temporary cages, clean up all the bedding, mop the floor, then put new cages together with sterilized (washed & soaked in clorox/water solution for 20 minutes minimum) grids, connectors, and zip ties. Every week (on week 4 this time around). All bedding, hideys, and toys are either washed in hot water with detergent, a detergent booster, and vinegar or clorox, or thrown away. After cages are set up and ready, I treat the pigs with the Ivermec and put them back into the new cage(s).

I don't change my clothes between cage & bedding changes.

I'm the reason the dang lice will NOT die off. I must be transferring lice and/or nits from pig to me to cage. I need to remember to pull out the old t-shirts I used to use when I first treated Peek, Scatter, and Flossie. Actually, just to be damned sure the b******* die, I'll just change EVERYTHING! (hmmm, gonna need disposable shoes. (o; )

[bpatters]

I don't think you need to do all that cage cleaning with lice. The treatment on the pigs should take care of it. It'll take several treatments timed to the life cycle of the lice, but sterilized grids, etc, and throwing away bedding, is really unnecessary.

[Lynx]

It could even be your cats as carriers.

I would also just go for multiple treatments to eventually kill them all.

[GrannyJu1]

It's the toys & hideys that get/got thrown away. Bedding gets washed. If all I have to do is treat the pigs, why are the stupid lice still here???? As for the cats - we've never seen anything moving on them, or noticed them scratching. After 2 years of many, MANY times of treating the pigs, it HAS to be me dropping lice/nits on the bedding when I change it.

I've checked the Ivomec dosage so many times I almost have the table memorized. I've cleaned the cages & bedding each time I've ever treated the pigs. The first few times of treatment, I was under dosing, and I was only treating them 7-10 days apart. The last year or year and a half, I've treated every 7 days on the nose, for a minimum of 3 weeks, and if anything I err on the high end of the dosage. Changing my clothes before putting new cages together is my last hope of getting rid of the damned things. If this doesn't work, I'll just have to keep using the Ivomec periodically to try to keep them under control and the pigs reasonably comfortable. And no more pigs.

I treated them twice for ear mites only a few months ago, using Revolution.

[bpatters]

Maybe your ivermectin is out of date? Keep the dosing up for six weeks or more?

One site suggests changing to disposable bedding and throwing it out every day.

Another possibility might be to switch to Revolution.

[Talishan]

Ditto.

Ivermectin's efficacy on lice is questionable. If it were me I'd give everyone 2 doses of Revolution, about 2 1/2 weeks apart.

If you can get PLAIN Advantage -- imidacloprid only, no added ingredients -- it will solve the problem. Bayer discontinued it, so it is extremely hard to find, although if you can find it you can keep it. Its shelf life is virtually infinite.

There was a Canadian veterinary pharmacy selling it online. The link is on here somewhere, I think. I've bought it from them and been completely satisfied.

[GrannyJu1]

Is this the place and stuff you're talking about, Talishan?

www.petsdrugmart.ca/ProductInfo/3097/Advantage-Flea-Adulticide-for-Cats

Ivermectin is still good until March 2017. Checked that a few minutes ago, and before I started using it this time around. *_*

We go back for Fuzzbutt's dental work on the 8th. It's gonna hurt the pocket and upset the husband even worse because I'm going to ask for more x-rays, but it MIGHT save my sanity if I also ask for 5 tubes of Revolution. Last time I used 1/2 tube on each pig (I know I wasn't exact) and think I went 2 weeks between each treatment. Does the extra half tube save or should I just ask for 10 tubes in case of over-applying on one or more pig? Can it drawn up into a syringe just like the Ivermectin?

[Talishan]

Yup, that's it. I brought this up primarily because of where you are located. It took over two weeks to get to me -- but I'm in Atlanta. You're a lot closer.

Revolution keeps, but its carrier is EXTREMELY volatile. Have the little tube open for as short a time as possible, and recap it tightly. Then put the tube in a ziptop plastic bag.

I *think* it can be drawn up in a syringe. A 1cc Monoject should (I think, not sure) fit the top of the tube.

[GrannyJu1]

I have almost a full box of 1/2 cc syringes (diabetic, but use a pump now) so I'm set. I'm pretty sure the Canadian stuff is cheaper than the Revolution, so I'll talk it over with the husband and see what he wants me to do. (Dumb question. We've had nothing but expensive disasters this entire year, and they are continuing. Last week the stove died, and today I broke my $400 eyeglass frames totally in half at the nose piece.)

BTW, your "EXTREMELY volatile" worries me a little. Can you explain that, please?

[bpatters]

She just means that it evaporates quickly. When you open it, you need to extract what you need and then close it quickly.

[Lynx]

Yes, I think you might be worrying about explosive? It just evaporates quickly (likely it is the carrier that evaporates but once it dries out, you can't really apply it or measure it adequately.