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Lice in calves and adult cows are not a rare phenomenon on farms. The greatest number of infections is observed in the winter months, when the thickness of the animal's coat increases, however, the parasite is active throughout the year.
Lice cause enormous damage to farming, as due to stress from pain in cows, milk yield decreases, but young calves suffer especially hard from them. Unlike mature animals, they have weaker immunity and relatively thin skin, which is easier for lice to bite through. Since insects are carriers of many infections, calves often become seriously ill after a lice infestation.
Types of lice that parasitize cattle
Lice are small, wingless insects, highly specialized parasites that live only on one or some related species of animals. Infestation with these insects is called pediculosis.
Most often, cows are affected by the following subspecies of lice:
- Short-headed cow louse – an insect of quite large size, the length of an adult reaches 4 mm. The abdomen of the parasite is dark with a blue tint, the head and chest are colored yellowish-gray. The nits are white, the 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 soon repeats. Insects concentrate mainly on the necks of animals, where a large accumulation of white nits can be found.
- Long-headed calf 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 in the 2nd week after the clutch has been laid. After another 2 weeks, the insects reach maturity and also begin to lay eggs. It is very difficult to detect a long-headed calf louse in the fur of a sick animal due to its small size.
- Hairy louse. This is the smallest parasite that infects cattle - its length is only 1-1.5 cm. The life expectancy of a hair louse reaches 3-4 weeks. Parasites are concentrated on the cow's head. A distinctive feature of this louse is its low mobility - it practically does not move around the animal’s body after it attaches itself to a certain area of the skin. The parasite lays one egg per day, sometimes two. The louse is detected by the characteristically curved hairs of the fur, to which the female parasite attaches its eggs.
The source of lice spread in most cases is already infected cows. Parasites spread to the fur of healthy individuals through touch in crowded conditions and during sexual contact during mating. Infection can also occur through dirty bedding or care items on which lice nits remain.
Signs of 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 on:
- head (especially the area near the horns);
- neck;
- tail.
In small calves, the location of lice on the body is somewhat different; in them, the parasites are concentrated mainly at the bottom of the neck and on the inside of the limbs. Lice eggs sit firmly on the fur of cattle - the animals are unable to shake them off.
When lice appear in cows and calves, the following changes in behavior and appearance are noted:
- the animal becomes aggressive and irritable for no apparent reason;
- the cow behaves restlessly, jumping up every now and then when lying down, or, conversely, becoming apathetic and lethargic;
- numerous small hemorrhages and nodules, eczema appear on the skin of a sick individual;
- Severe scratches, abrasions and scratches become noticeable on the skin - in an attempt to relieve the severe itching from cow bites, they rub their bodies against various objects;
- At times, large tremors pass through the animal’s body;
- due to stress from pain during insect bites, cows refuse food and quickly lose weight and produce less milk;
- The calves become noticeably weaker and experience anemia.
In addition, with a large concentration of lice on the body, cows get sick much more often, since sick animals have a reduced resistance to infections.
Treatment of pediculosis
The first thing to do after discovering lice on a cow is to transfer the animal to a separate clean room and call a veterinarian. He must determine the subtype of the parasite, and treatment will be prescribed accordingly.
Regardless of which method is used to combat the parasite, removal is carried out in several stages, taking into account the duration of the lice life cycle.It is important to destroy not only the adults, but also the newly hatched nymphs, otherwise they will lay eggs and all the work will be in vain. Since parasites hatch at different times, cows are treated in waves. On average, to completely get rid of lice, 2-4 treatments with chemicals or folk remedies are required. For preventive purposes, additional spraying is carried out to prevent the survival of individual individuals.
Veterinary drugs
Medicines to combat lice are conventionally divided into preparations for internal and external use. The following drugs are considered the most effective:
- "Neostomozan" – a concentrated emulsion that must be diluted with water before use. The product is applied to the cow's skin by spraying or rubbing it in with a sponge. After 2 hours, the drug is washed off. 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 milking and pregnant animals.
- "Sebacil" – rub the product into the skin of the cow and leave it there for 5-6 minutes. Then the product must be washed off. Sebacil cannot be used during lactation in cows.
- "Neostomazan" – before use, the drug is diluted in water in a ratio of 1:400. About 1 liter of solution is consumed per animal.
All medications against lice are used according to the instructions, unless otherwise recommended by a 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. Harmful substances accumulated in the body are eliminated on average after 5-7 days.
Folk remedies
You can remove lice using folk methods that have been 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 treating lice include the following substances:
- Wood ash. Over the course of two weeks, the ash is rubbed into the cow's skin, paying special attention to the areas of greatest concentration of insects. The procedure is carried out without strong pressure, since wood ash can cause irritation if the skin is exposed intensely.
- Vegetable oil. The substance creates a thin film on the body of sick cows, which blocks the lice's access to oxygen. In addition, the oily coating makes it difficult for the animal to move around the body, causing the parasites to 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 burns on the skin, especially if lice are removed from a calf, since 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 clusters of parasites.
- Birch tar. The substance is rubbed into the cow's skin for about a week in the area of the neck, head and tail.
- Wormwood decoction. To prepare, 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 (can be bought at the pharmacy). The cow's wool is washed with this decoction for a week, after which a break is kept for another week. In total, treatment takes 4 weeks (2 weeks of rubbing and 2 pauses).
Room treatment
Unfortunately, to finally solve the problem, it is not enough to remove parasites from a sick animal. When the cow returns to the stall, she can become infected again: lice nits remain in the bedding, feed, cattle care items, etc. To prevent this from happening, all utility rooms are disinfected using chemicals.
The most effective insecticides include:
- "Hexamide";
- "Dicresyl";
- "Chlorophos" (0.5%).
You can also use a special checker “PESHKA-V” to clean rooms from lice. The active substance contained in it causes paralysis in the parasites, and soon after this the lice die. The saber is harmless to animals and people; its constituent components disintegrate 3-4 hours after use.
Seasonal treatments of the area where cows are kept are carried out, as a rule, in the summer months or before the stall period.
Preventive actions
The appearance of lice in calves and adult cows can be prevented by strictly observing the following preventive measures:
- in the room where cows are kept, it is necessary to maintain cleanliness and order - promptly change the bedding in which parasites can hide, remove manure, renew the water in drinking bowls, etc.;
- feed for cows must be fresh and varied; feeding musty hay or spoiled foods 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 is kept and the cows themselves are treated with a solution of chlorophos (0.5%).
Conclusion
Lice can appear on calves even in the most well-kept farm - for example, healthy calves can pick up parasites from animals newly arrived on 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 systematic processing. Unlike the insects themselves, lice nits are much more resistant to environmental influences. The parasites in the eggs survive treatment safely and lay new offspring. To prevent this from happening, cows are treated at certain intervals, destroying newly hatched insects in waves.
You can learn more about the treatment of lice in cattle from the video below:
