How to Prevent Lice in Cattle
Make up and maintain a good delousing program for your herd., Schedule when you need to delouse your cattle, according to where you live, what type of cattle you have and what products you use., Treat all new animals before adding them to your...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Make up and maintain a good delousing program for your herd.
You will need to have to buy some delousing products from your local large animal veterinarian, depending on where you live, what animals you have and what's available.
There are topical and systemic treatments available.
Often there are several species of lice on an animal at the same time, so you need a product that kills both the biters and the suckers.
Insecticides for lice can be sprayed on, poured on, or applied by the animals themselves via cattle oilers, back rubbers or dust bags.
Carefully read all the instructions and cautions on the label before applying any type of insecticide to cattle.
There may be age or weight restrictions or withdrawal times if you plan on slaughtering the animal later.
Never over-dose or under-dose an animal.
Over-dosing can lead to toxicity in your animals.
Under-dosing will not kill all of the lice, and thus become a source for the rest of the herd.
Under-dosing can also lead to insecticide-resistant lice.
Be very careful of what products you use if you have Brahman and dairy cattle.
Some products can be toxic to such animals, resulting them collapsing and going into shock. -
Step 2: Schedule when you need to delouse your cattle
Often it's best to treat all of your cattle in the fall.
Late fall is best, just when your animals start to build up their thick coats. , This is important because you don't know if the new animals you bought are carriers or have even been exposed to lice.
Keep such animals isolated until they've had their treatment, or, if the product requires a double-treatment protocol. , These are usually older cows that have always had high numbers of lice, even in the summer and after being treated.
Carriers will always be a continuous source of lice for your herd, and thus treating such carriers will never get rid of all lice:
She may be so infested that the lice will still be able to lay eggs before they die.
Thus, the sooner you get rid of such carriers, the better.
If you do not get rid of such carriers right away, lice in your herd can build up very quickly after you treat them, which means you have spend extra money for additional winter treatments. -
Step 3: according to where you live
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Step 4: what type of cattle you have and what products you use.
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Step 5: Treat all new animals before adding them to your herd.
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Step 6: Cull any and all carriers that you may find in your herd.
Detailed Guide
You will need to have to buy some delousing products from your local large animal veterinarian, depending on where you live, what animals you have and what's available.
There are topical and systemic treatments available.
Often there are several species of lice on an animal at the same time, so you need a product that kills both the biters and the suckers.
Insecticides for lice can be sprayed on, poured on, or applied by the animals themselves via cattle oilers, back rubbers or dust bags.
Carefully read all the instructions and cautions on the label before applying any type of insecticide to cattle.
There may be age or weight restrictions or withdrawal times if you plan on slaughtering the animal later.
Never over-dose or under-dose an animal.
Over-dosing can lead to toxicity in your animals.
Under-dosing will not kill all of the lice, and thus become a source for the rest of the herd.
Under-dosing can also lead to insecticide-resistant lice.
Be very careful of what products you use if you have Brahman and dairy cattle.
Some products can be toxic to such animals, resulting them collapsing and going into shock.
Often it's best to treat all of your cattle in the fall.
Late fall is best, just when your animals start to build up their thick coats. , This is important because you don't know if the new animals you bought are carriers or have even been exposed to lice.
Keep such animals isolated until they've had their treatment, or, if the product requires a double-treatment protocol. , These are usually older cows that have always had high numbers of lice, even in the summer and after being treated.
Carriers will always be a continuous source of lice for your herd, and thus treating such carriers will never get rid of all lice:
She may be so infested that the lice will still be able to lay eggs before they die.
Thus, the sooner you get rid of such carriers, the better.
If you do not get rid of such carriers right away, lice in your herd can build up very quickly after you treat them, which means you have spend extra money for additional winter treatments.
About the Author
Mary Clark
Dedicated to helping readers learn new skills in pet care and beyond.
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