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COWS-fed-barely-sprouting-fodders, page : 55
Lice infest cattle all year round and the most numerous are found on sick or thin animals, restrain an infested animal in a chute and check it. Part the hair on shoulders or head, you can see them with the naked eye but a magnifying glass makes it easier. Lice eggs appear as small white, yellow or even black barrel-shaped specks attached to hairs. If you find just one animal in your herd infested, the rest are likely to be infested.
Treatment:
Treat all animals in contact with an infested animal in early autumn before the lice population has a chance to build up. To be effective two treatments two weeks apart is required if you use a product that kills lice but not eggs. The second treatment kills lice that hatch in between. There are also products that kill the eggs as well.
Sprays, powders, back rubbers and dust bags suspended across a gate and pour-on products work, however they will not kill the eggs. A second spray no later than 18 days afterward is necessary. Be careful not to use back rubbers and dust bags near water to avoid water contamination. It is important to follow label directions and don't use them with other insecticides such as ear tags. Do not be tempted to exceed recommended dose of pour-ons.
There are some insecticides that kill cattle grubs and must be used before winter to avoid toxic reaction from grubs dying while migrating through the esophagus or spinal nerve canal. Check with your vet.
Prevention:
Isolate and inspect new cattle and treat if infested, keep them insolated for at least 3 days after lousing. Do not mix treated and untreated animals. Be sure not to let uninfected cattle come into contact with corrals, feed bunks, sheds or other equipment you have used for lousy cattle. For best control, treat cattle in late autumn and again in mid winter or early spring.
TICKS
Ticks cause severe irritation, weight loss, anemia and have been known to cause death. TICKS ALSO TRANSMIT DISEASES.
There are two types, a hard-bodied tick and a soft bodied tick that looks like a raison with wrinkled skin. The small deer ticks spread Lyme disease which causes fever, lameness, and arthritis in cattle and is treatable with penicillin.
Hard-bodied ticks feeding at the base of the skull can cause paralysis in cattle because they secrete a toxin that causes a slow wasting disease if not removed. Sometimes the affected animal is unable to stand up, however removal results in instant recovery.
Treatment:
Treat all animals in contact with an infested animal in early autumn before the lice population has a chance to build up. To be effective two treatments two weeks apart is required if you use a product that kills lice but not eggs. The second treatment kills lice that hatch in between. There are also products that kill the eggs as well.
Sprays, powders, back rubbers and dust bags suspended across a gate and pour-on products work, however they will not kill the eggs. A second spray no later than 18 days afterward is necessary. Be careful not to use back rubbers and dust bags near water to avoid water contamination. It is important to follow label directions and don't use them with other insecticides such as ear tags. Do not be tempted to exceed recommended dose of pour-ons.
There are some insecticides that kill cattle grubs and must be used before winter to avoid toxic reaction from grubs dying while migrating through the esophagus or spinal nerve canal. Check with your vet.
Prevention:
Isolate and inspect new cattle and treat if infested, keep them insolated for at least 3 days after lousing. Do not mix treated and untreated animals. Be sure not to let uninfected cattle come into contact with corrals, feed bunks, sheds or other equipment you have used for lousy cattle. For best control, treat cattle in late autumn and again in mid winter or early spring.
TICKS
Ticks cause severe irritation, weight loss, anemia and have been known to cause death. TICKS ALSO TRANSMIT DISEASES.
There are two types, a hard-bodied tick and a soft bodied tick that looks like a raison with wrinkled skin. The small deer ticks spread Lyme disease which causes fever, lameness, and arthritis in cattle and is treatable with penicillin.
Hard-bodied ticks feeding at the base of the skull can cause paralysis in cattle because they secrete a toxin that causes a slow wasting disease if not removed. Sometimes the affected animal is unable to stand up, however removal results in instant recovery.