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Lice in calves and adult cows are not uncommon on farms. The greatest number of infections is observed in the winter months, when the density of the coat increases in animals, however, the parasite is active throughout the year.
Lice are a huge damage to the farm, as the stress of pain in cows reduces milk production, but young calves are especially affected by them. Unlike sexually mature animals, they have weaker immunity and a relatively thin skin, which is easier for lice to bite through. Since insects are carriers of many infections, calves are often seriously ill after infestations of lice.
Types of lice parasitizing cattle
Lice are small wingless insects, highly specialized parasites that live on only one or some related animal species. Infection with these insects is called head lice.
Most often, cows are affected by the following subspecies of lice:
- Short-headed cow louse - a rather large insect, the length of an adult reaches 4 mm. The abdomen of the parasite is dark with a blue tint, the head and chest are painted in yellowish-gray tones. Nits are white, eggs are covered with a thick, dense shell. The life cycle of a louse is 14-15 days, during which time the louse lays 10 to 18 eggs. After another 1-2 weeks, new individuals hatch from the eggs and the cycle repeats soon. Insects concentrate mainly on the necks of animals, it is there that you can find a large accumulation of white nits.
- Long-headed veal louse. The size of this louse does not exceed 2 mm in length, however, its life expectancy is quite long - about 4 weeks. Parasites hatch from eggs 2 weeks after laying. After another 2 weeks, the insects reach maturity and also begin to lay eggs. It is very difficult to find a long-headed veal louse in the fur of a sick animal due to its small size.
- Hairy louse. It is the smallest parasite affecting cattle - its length is only 1-1.5 cm. The life span of a hairy louse reaches 3-4 weeks. The parasites concentrate on the cow's head. A distinctive feature of this louse is its low mobility - it practically does not move along the body of the animal after it adheres to a certain area of the skin. The parasite lays one egg per day, sometimes two. A louse is found by the characteristic curved hairs of wool, to which the females of the parasite attach eggs.
In most cases, already infected cows are the source of lice spread. Parasites transfer to the wool of healthy individuals through touch in crowded conditions and during sexual intercourse during mating. Also, infection can occur through dirty bedding or care items that have lice nits on them.
Signs of head lice in cattle
The first sign of lice in cows and calves is a scattering of white or dark spots on the animal's fur. Female lice lay eggs on hairs, with the highest concentration of nits occurring in:
- head (especially the area near the horns);
- neck;
- tail.
In small calves, the location of lice on the body is somewhat different; in them, parasites are concentrated mainly at the bottom of the neck and on the limbs from the inside. Lice eggs sit firmly on cattle wool - animals cannot shake them off.
When lice appear in cows and calves, the following changes in behavior and appearance are noted:
- the animal for no apparent reason becomes aggressive, irritable;
- the cow behaves restlessly, every now and then jumps to her feet when she lies, or, conversely, becomes lethargic and lethargic;
- numerous small hemorrhages and nodules, eczema appear on the skin of a sick individual;
- strong scratches, abrasions and scratches become noticeable on the skin - in an attempt to calm the severe itching from cow bites, the body rub against various objects;
- at times a large tremor passes through the body of the animal;
- due to stress from pain during insect bites, cows refuse food and quickly lose weight, give less milk;
- calves noticeably weaken, they have anemia.
In addition, with a high concentration of lice on the body, cows are much more likely to get sick, since sick animals have a reduced resistance to infections.
Head lice treatment
The first thing to do after finding lice in a cow is to transfer the animal to a separate clean room and call a veterinarian. He must determine the subtype of the parasite, in accordance with this, treatment will be prescribed.
Regardless of which method is used to combat the parasite, the removal is carried out in several stages, taking into account the duration of the life cycle of the lice. It is important to destroy not only adults, but also newly hatched nymphs, otherwise they will lay eggs and all the work will be in vain. Since the parasites hatch at different times, the cows are treated in waves. On average, to completely get rid of lice, 2-4 treatments with chemicals or folk remedies are required. For the purpose of prevention, additional spraying is carried out in order to exclude the survival of individual individuals.
Veterinary drugs
Medicines for the fight against lice are conventionally divided into preparations for internal and external use. The following drugs are considered the most effective:
- "Neostomosan" - concentrated emulsion, which must be diluted with water before use. On the skin of a cow, the agent is applied by spraying or rubbed with a sponge. After 2 hours, the preparation is washed off. The procedures are carried out once a week.
- Chlorophos - A 0.5% solution is used to spray the skins of sick cows once a week.
- "Ivermek" - the drug is injected into the neck or croup, the effect lasts 1-2 weeks. The optimal dose for an adult animal is 20 mcg per 1 kg of cow weight. The medicine cannot be used to remove lice on lactating and pregnant individuals.
- "Sebacil" - the product is rubbed into the skin of the cow and left for 5-6 minutes. Then the product must be washed off. During the lactation of a cow, "Sebacil" cannot be used.
- "Neostomazan" - before use, the drug is diluted in water, in a ratio of 1: 400. One animal consumes about 1 liter of solution.
All drugs against lice are used according to the instructions, unless otherwise recommended by the doctor. For some time after treatment, milk from a sick cow should not be eaten. It should also not be given to calves, so as not to cause intoxication in them. The harmful substances accumulated in the body are removed on average after 5-7 days.
Folk remedies
Lice can be removed using folk methods, proven over the years. In terms of speed, they are sometimes inferior to industrial chemicals, however, they have one big advantage - all the substances with which cows are treated are products of natural origin. They do not have any negative effects on the meat and milk of processed animals, while some particularly strong chemicals can accumulate in the cow's body.
The most effective folk remedies for lice treatment include the following substances:
- Wood ash. For two weeks, the ash is rubbed into the skin of the cow, paying special attention to the places where the insects are most concentrated. The procedure is carried out without strong pressure, as wood ash can cause irritation when exposed to intense skin.
- Vegetable oil. The substance creates a thin film on the body of sick cows, which prevents the lice from accessing oxygen. In addition, the oily coating makes it difficult to move around the body of the animal, as a result of which the parasites fall to the ground. For greater efficiency, a small amount of kerosene is added to the oil.
- Vinegar. The main advantage of this method is that after treatment with vinegar, not only the lice themselves die, but also their nits, however, the liquid cannot be used in its pure form. A high concentration of acid can cause numerous skin burns, especially if the lice are removed from the calf, as their skin is very delicate. 9% vinegar must be diluted with water in a ratio of 1: 2, after which the solution is applied to the accumulations of parasites.
- Birch tar. The substance is rubbed into the skin of a cow for about a week in the neck, head and tail.
- Wormwood decoction. For preparation, the plant is infused for about half an hour in 1 liter of boiling water, in which 3 pieces of grated tar soap are diluted and the resulting solution is diluted with hellebore water (you can buy it at the pharmacy). With this broth, the cow's wool is washed for a week, after which a break is maintained for another week. Total treatment takes 4 weeks (2 weeks of rubbing in and 2 pauses).
Room processing
Unfortunately, for a final solution to the problem, it is not enough to remove parasites from a sick animal. When the cow returns to the stall, it can become infected again: lice nits remain in the bedding, feed, on cattle care items, etc. In order to prevent this from happening, all household premises are disinfected with chemicals.
The most effective are the following insecticides:
- "Hexamide";
- Dikresil;
- Chlorophos (0.5%).
You can also use a special checker "PESHKA-V" to clean the premises from lice. The active substance contained in it causes paralysis in parasites, soon after that the lice die. For animals and people, the checker is harmless, its constituent components disintegrate 3-4 hours after use.
Seasonal treatments of cows are usually carried out in the summer months or before the stall period.
Preventive actions
Lice can be prevented in calves and adult cows with strict adherence to the following preventive measures:
- in the room where cows are kept, it is necessary to maintain cleanliness and order - timely change the bedding in which parasites can hide, remove manure, renew water in drinkers, etc.;
- feed for cows must be fresh and varied; feeding with musty hay or spoiled food is unacceptable;
- it is advisable to periodically dilute the cattle diet with various vitamin supplements to maintain immunity;
- animal skins are cleaned and washed from time to time;
- the place where the herd and the cows themselves are kept is treated with chlorophos solution (0.5%).
Conclusion
Lice in calves can appear even in the most well-groomed farm - for example, healthy individuals can pick up parasites from animals newly arrived at the farm. On the other hand, removing lice is not so difficult, although this process can take 2-3 weeks. The most important thing in treatment is the systematic nature of the treatments. Unlike the insects themselves, lice nits are much more resistant to environmental influences. The parasites in the eggs safely survive the treatment and lay new offspring.In order to prevent this from happening, the cows are treated at a certain interval, destroying the newly hatched insects with waves.
You can learn more about the treatment of lice in cattle from the video below:
