Your Pot Belly Pig Information Center

Mites

If your pig has mites you may want to dust him with Seven Seven powder like you use on your garden (you can get this at your local garden supply).  Make sure you do not get the powder in their eyes or mouth! This is meant to help with the itching, but you will still need to worm them with Ivomec to kill the mites.

If you don't have any Seven Seven dust at home try the feed store for some hog dust. The dust will help give relief on the itching while the Ivomec is working to kill the mange mites from the inside. There is also a spray is called Furacin that will help keep the skin moist that some are using.

Another thing to try is bathing them everyday for about a week with oatmeal shampoo. This will help with the itching and any rough dry scaly skin. This is normally used for dogs, but will work fine on our pigs.

You can get the Ivomec at some feed stores or ask your vet to give you enough for two doses. Tell your vet you want to give it by mouth instead of in shots and he needs to give you a little more than the shot would be. If you can not get it from your vet or find it at your local feed store then you will need to shop on-line. We get ours from KV Vet Supply. You are looking for Ivomec for swine the 1 percent solution.

How to Give Ivomec

Everyone has their own way of giving Ivomec. If you go to the vets he will want to give a shot. Pigs don't handle shots very well so ask if it can be given orally. Some use 2/10th of a cc per 10 pounds of body weight and 1/10th of a cc per 10 pounds if given by injection.

Others give 1cc per 50 pounds of body weight. This is the formula we go by here at Pigs4Ever. Ivomec is safe and hard to overdose so don't worry.

If your pig will sit nice for a treat then you can just squirt it into the side of their mouth. (Make sure it is the side of their mouth, not straight down their throat, so it doesn't go down the wrong tube.) Or you can dampen his food just a little and squirt the Ivomec on the food and stir and they will usually eat it. If you have more then one pig keep them separated so that you make sure each pig gets his full dose.

"Yes, I put it in my pigs food when I give it. Make sure you are giving enough as these pigs grow fast and it does take a little more when you do it by mouth. I cut the food in half, dampen it a little, then squirt the Ivomec on the damp food and stir it up. By cutting it in half you are making sure that they clean it all up and are getting the medicine. Then mark it on your calendar and 14 days later do it again. We do this on the outside pigs every fall and spring and it keeps things pretty much under control until some new kid moves in that has it." Phyllis Battoe - Owner of Pig Pals Sanctuary

If you use Ivomec it will work for those in his ears as well as anywhere else. (Ivomec is not picky about what part of the body it works on as it goes into the blood stream and goes all over the body).

Also for chronic mange you can give every 5 to 7 day for up to 4 weeks. It is really hard to overdose on Ivomec. For a 'normal' case of mange you give two doses about 10-14 days apart and that is it. From then on you will want to worm your piggy twice a year (spring and fall) as a precautionary measure.

It usually takes that second dose to get the larva stage of the mange mites that haven't hatched yet. BUT make sure you do it twice, 14 days apart! You may have a problem with mites in their bedding also. Change all bedding every time you use the Ivomec so they don't get reinfected. It is the bedding (straw/hay) that will carry the mites.

Are You Itching Too?

Try some Right Guard Deodorant spray on the parts that are itching. I cannot speak from personal experience, but have been told it is the best thing to relieve the itching. Another thought is the dog dip for mange. Just wet a corner of a rag with a small amount and put it on. They really don't like us too well and are easy to get rid of and sometimes they leave on their own. Constant washing with alcohol might work too.