Farmers are often faced with scabies in piglets and adult pigs. This disease causes the animals to be restless and very uncomfortable. How to diagnose scabies correctly, why pigs itch, what to do if a crust begins to appear on the body of animals?

Scabies in pigs - what is this disease

Why do pigs itch? The causative agent of the disease is the mite Sarcoptes scabiei var suis. Despite the small size of the body (0.5 mm), it is very fertile. When in contact with the top layer of the skin, the female is able to lay up to 50 eggs. Larvae and adults feed on the epidermis, they literally gnaw passages in the skin, where they equip a dwelling for their offspring. Ticks are able to survive in anticipation of prey for 10 days.

Note! Scabies can be transmitted from adults to piglets as well as other domestic animals.

Ticks can be found in inventory as well as in the environment. The carriers of the disease in the herd are males, since they are in contact with all females. There are cases when ticks chose a person as their victim.

Scabies in pigs

Scabies symptoms

Tetramisole 10 - instructions for use for pigs

To accurately diagnose an ailment, you need to pay attention to its following signs:

  • dermatitis;
  • itching;
  • decreased appetite, poor feed absorption;
  • exhaustion, lethargy;
  • scratching on the surface;
  • the appearance of scratches, cracks, crusts, abscesses, scabs, small rashes and blisters;
  • aggressive behavior;
  • neurological disorders.

A sick animal consumes much more food or, conversely, loses its appetite. Scabies negatively affects not only the condition of the pig, the health of her babies can also suffer from the disease of the sow. Only yesterday the scrawny pigs ran around the pen, but today they are apathetic and do not eat anything. In case of defeat of young animals, the death of the entire livestock may occur. The first signs of infection may appear in 3-week-old individuals. In some cases, pigs may experience an allergic reaction in which the skin thickens, the ears become deformed, and the hair falls out. In the area of ​​the ears, patch and eyes, pronounced red spots appear. Painful combs begin to itch violently, which makes animals restless.

Since pigs are not the cleanest animals that like to rub against everything that gets in sight, it is important to pinpoint the exact reason why pigs started scratching. If the piglets began to behave suspiciously, strange spots, sores and crusts appeared on the skin, this suggests that it is worth quarantining.

But it so happens that sores in piglets look like scabs. What is it? An inexperienced pig breeder may mistake mud for scabs. An experienced veterinarian can check or dispel suspicions. Scabies in piglets manifests itself very quickly and has characteristic symptoms, so it will not be difficult to diagnose it.

Some encounter scab in piglets. This skin disease can be caused by two types of mites, one of which is scabies. Traditional methods of treating scabies can cope with this disease.

Scabies in pigs. Symptoms

If red dots and crusts appear, you should pay attention to the auricles and auditory canals, since mites often hide there. But diagnosis is difficult in the summer, as the farmer can easily confuse the manifestation of ticks with mosquito bites.

Important! A characteristic sign of infection with a scabies mite is the presence of paired red dots - the places of entry and exit of the insect.

To determine the disease, you need to take a scraping from the skin of the animal. Experts recommend taking samples from areas of the auricle. In addition to an individual with scabies, tests must be taken from 10% of the animals in this pen. In case of a negative result, the procedure is repeated after 3 weeks. By then, the mites will be more evident.

Piglets itch: what to do

Pig diseases

Experienced farmers fight scabies in pigs by disinfecting premises, spraying animals, adding special products to feed, and also by injecting them.

Important! During spraying, animals must be clean, and there must be no organic matter on their body.

Commonly used pig treatment products:

  • chlorophos;
  • trichlorometaphos-3;
  • solution SK-9;
  • TAM-85;
  • neostamazan.

When spraying, special attention should be paid to the ears, patch and abdomen. It is important to first rid the animal of scabs. For this, infected individuals are bathed in warm soapy water, to which creolin is added. The affected areas can also be treated with medifox.

The key to success in the fight against scabies mite is the treatment of the room. Good results were shown by the tactic drug (10 ml of the solution is diluted in 10 liters of water). Before starting treatment, bedding and feed are taken out of the pen, and all drinkers are carefully closed. Spraying is carried out in the presence of animals.

Piglets itch

In pig production, injection is considered the most effective way to combat scabies. This method allows you to calculate the dose of the drug individually for each individual. However, the farmer should be aware that it will take a long time to vaccinate the entire herd. In addition, the medicine cannot affect the eggs of the ticks, so there is a high probability of re-infection.

Experts report that the most effective drugs are ivermectin and doramectin. The dose is calculated according to the scheme: 1 ml of solution per 33 kg of animal weight. The medicine is administered at intervals of 2 weeks. In total, 2 injections are made, and treatment with other drugs during this period is prohibited.

If scabies is detected in piglets, ivomek premix can also be used in the treatment. The dose of the drug is calculated based on the weight of the individual (0.1 mg per 1 kg of body weight). The medicine is administered 2 times at intervals of 1 week. Also during this period, special additives are added to animal feed.

Traditional methods of treatment

African swine fever - signs of the disease

Many farmers use folk remedies to treat scabies in pigs, but they only give a lasting effect if activities are carried out regularly. The most popular methods for processing scabs:

  • Garlic oil solution: 0.5 l of mustard oil is mixed with 100 g of peeled garlic. The resulting mixture is heated, the garlic is chopped and put on the fire again for 20 minutes, then cooled.
  • A mixture of oil and tomatoes: 0.5 l of sunflower oil, 1 kg of tomatoes. The tomatoes are fried for 20 minutes, then the oil is drained, and the mixture is applied to the ulcers 3 times a day.
  • A mixture of gunpowder and sour cream: proportions 1: 3. The mixture is infused for 3 hours.
  • Lavender oil. The animals are rubbed with oil several times a day.
  • Herbal ointment: 45 g of wild rosemary and hellebore roots are mixed with lard.
  • Infusion on a walnut peel: 200 ml of boiling water is poured over 20 g of green peel. The mixture is infused for 30 minutes.
  • Garlic soap: add water and chopped garlic to the laundry soap. The mixture is heated and then poured into molds.
  • Ashes from cigarettes. The ashes are rubbed into the combed areas, and then the body of the pig is smeared with sulfur ointment.

Disease prevention

To avoid scabies, the following measures should be taken:

  • do not raise pigs in untreated premises.
  • introduce a 3-week quarantine for new individuals;
  • conduct periodic tests for the presence of parasites;
  • make sure that the animals receive the proper amount of calcium, vitamin A;
  • maintain the same growing conditions;
  • regularly conduct hygiene procedures and examination of animals;
  • monitor the quality of feed;
  • control the humidity in the room;
  • once a year, treat the ears of animals with a 0.2% solution of a biocide with vegetable oil;
  • in the summer, treat pig pens with a 0.1% biocin solution.

Scabies is a very common disease, but it can be avoided by following basic preventive measures. Treatment for scabies in piglets is practically the same as for adults, but it is important to observe proportions when injecting. You can also improve the condition of the pigs with folk remedies, they also effectively fight scab and combs. Each farmer decides for himself how to treat scabies in pigs, after weighing all the pros and cons, but this must be done as quickly as possible.