[Browntea]

The 2 pigs we have are kept on the edge of north York moors so I guess ticks are always going to be a problem!! Blossom our Berkshire is getting plagued with the pesky things the pic shows what I think are eggs but not really sure, if anyone could tell me what they are it would be much appreciated,also how can we (if possible) keep the ticks off her?
They don't seem to be on our large White cross I guess that's the colour thing....do the ticks prefer a darker skin to hide in?

Many thanks for any replies

[Browntea]

This is her solution to the ticks I reckon!!!

[Browntea]

Is why we have ticks?!!

[manian]

they look a bit like Bot fly eggs. If they are they must be washed off as can cause problems. not known them on pigs though often plague horses on legs.
Bot flies will lay eggs on your horse's legs in late summer. Because the eggs feel itchy, your horse will lick her legs. The eggs pass from the horse's tongue to the stomach lining. Next spring, the eggs will have turned into larvae and will be passed through the horse's stools.
 Bot larvae rob your horse of nutrients and can even cause stomach ulcers.

[HappyHippy]

I'm not sure what the eggs are unfortunately, but once you've got them off give her a rub with some pig oil mixed with a few drops of tea tree oil and this might deter them in future.
Good luck and let us know how she gets on.
Karen

[BadgerFace]

They are (pig) lice eggs. Ivermectin (Noromectin) injection will kill the adult lice, sometimes needs repeating again after the eggs hatch. Some people use Ivermectin pour-on (not licenced for pigs in the UK) or louse powder. Pig oil helps to stop the eggs for sticking to the pigs bristles. You also need to change the bedding in their ark/house.

HTH

Edit - for spelling 

[Sylvia]

I used to stand and comb off lice from my Berkshires with a nit-comb and squash them. Do it every few days and they won't get a chance to lay eggs.
I think they must have been in the straw I used as they had none when they came and there have never been pigs on our land in living memory.

[Hilarysmum]

Check inside ears and in tbe warm bits between their legs and "arms" they will often live unnoticed for some time in these places.

[Browntea]

Are berkshires more prone to these?

Is the above drug mentioned from the vet? If not where would I get it?

Blossom has them behind her ears and also tops of her legs in the soft warm areas!

The bedding was changed yesterday I doubt if it's come in from that but I don't know.

I'm a little puzzled why she has them and not the large White cross (petal) but it's just maybe her colour been a White pig they wouldn't show do easy I guess!

What I really need to know is do I get the drugs to treat them from the vet or are they not licensed?

Thanks for all your help

[knightquest]

Just a cautionary note..................ask Fleecewife about Ivermectin

Ian

[Fleecewife]

Well, actually ask your vet about Ivermectin    I grew up on a pig farm but that was before Ivermectin was made - any lice we just squashed. Now I don't have any pigs - still love them though!
My concerns with Ivermectin are to do with it passing through animals and continuing to kill worms, but this time in the soil.  It is very persistant and will have a detrimental effect on the pasture, because earthworms help to aerate the ground and to draw litter etc down into the earth to be recycled, so a reduction in numbers is not good.  When manure is composted or stacked in a muck heap, if the animals have been wormed with Ivermectin, the heap will not rot down for a long time.
I don't know if this effect would also happen with an injected dose.
You need to buy it from your vet anyway, so you can ask him what he recommends

[Hilarysmum]

Re Ivermectin I use the injection.  All non organic wormers will cause the above problems, not just ivermectin.  Earth worms can carry the eggs from these parasites, (or so I read on a web site).  Ivermectin injections from the vet mean that only the correct amount is used and only every six months.  Ivermectin stops lice and controls worms for that period.  We found the lice were carried in the bedding. 

[OhLaLa]

Bot fly eggs are an orange colour.

 

[Browntea]

Many thanks for all your replies

I have been out and bought a bottle of paramectin multi injection 250 ml for the princely sum of £29!! The most annoying part is I'm only going to need 4ml to treat the pigs and once opened it's got to be used within 28 days!!!! So hopefully it will work,first jabs will be first thing in the morning!!

If anyone is needing any of this paramectin for their own stock and is willing to come to Pickering I'm sure we could come to some arrangement 

Most of all thanks for your help, everytime I think of these bugs I just can't help my skin crawling!!

[Browntea]

Well both of the girls are now jabbed!! What a mission this was but well worth it for them!

The leaflet that came with the paramectin wasnt too clear or it's just me!! I understand I will need to give them another dose in 3weeks? Can anyone clear that up for me?

Thanks