Ivermectin my pigs have LICE!

[trubie]

and I am absolutely horrified!!! I adopted them exactly 1 week ago, so they have needed time to adjust to me. I finally got a good look at Wilbur's fur and skin today. I saw a round, red scab along with the little white vermin crawling around in his fur! I got ivermectin (topical), because I assumed they had mites, since they wouldn't let me get too close. But now I'm reading online that ivermectin will not kill lice! I called the vet and got their appointment moved up to Monday, but what should I do in the mean time? I also called the rescue to let them know so they can treat the other pigs. I feel so bad that it took me this long to notice the lice! What treatment worked best for you? The rescue suggested revolution then using a lice comb to get the nits.

 

[bpatters]

I think ivermectin will eventually kill them, but it'll take a while and the Revolution will be quicker.

 

[trubie]

I think ivermectin will eventually kill them, but it'll take a while and the Revolution will be quicker.

Because ivermectin doesn't kill the eggs, right? Does revolution or advantage kill the eggs? The ivermectin appears to be helping in the meantime - I'm not seeing the abundance of lice in their fur that I saw earlier. If revolution or advantage doesn't kill the eggs, should I keep changing their fleece daily to prevent a re-infestation? I remember when I had lice, all my stuff was bagged up for two weeks so "the eggs will die" - not sure how piggy lice works

 

[bpatters]

Nothing that I know of kills the nits. They have to hatch and then ingest the medication still in the pig. Revolution lasts longer and so only usually needs one dose, while ivermectin has to be repeated every 7-10 days to keep the blood levels up.