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| Mange Mites in Alpacas |
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Mange is a mite which
burrows under the skin causing itching. Mange mite infection can appear
and spread extremely rapidly. The skin will first appear red and
blotchy, and will then become extremely dry and crusty. Main initial
areas of infection are the ears, and at the tops of the legs (front and
back), the belly area and under the tail. When the area infected is
around the teats it can make feeding a cria difficult, painful or
impossible for the dam.
The recommended treatment is 4 doses
of ivermectin, each 7 days apart, and each dose at the rate of 2mls per
50 kilos body weight. If the weight cannot be accurately taken, then
this dose can be increased to 2.5mls/50 kilos BW to ensure each alpaca
has at least the minimum dose. (The doses can be given up to 10 days
apart and will still be effective against the mange mite)
The
whole group, or whole herd, should be treated at the same time; not
just the apparently infected alpacas. The injections are given
sub-cutaneously.
'Ivomec' or the much cheaper and identical
ivermectin 1% "Virbamec'. The more expensive 'super' versions of these
drugs are unnecessary in the treatment of mange, as the additional
ingredient in these is specifically to treat liver fluke.
To save on vet. visits, ask your vet to teach you how to give injections.
In
addition to dosing with Ivermectin, you will need to soften the skin
and remove the hard scaly skin in order for the fibre to grow back. To
do this, first treat topically with cattle teat dip solution, which
contains iodine. This can be applied using a car sponge. Make sure the
solution goes right to the edge of the affected areas. If necessary
trim back the fibre to make sure the entire area is properly treated.
Wait for this to dry completely.
Then use cattle Udder Salve
on the entire area. Apply daily for severe cases, but twice a week or
even once a week for less severe cases. This will dry. The hard skin
will come away almost by itself, leaving new pink skin underneath. The
fibre should then grow back normally.
Teat dip solution and Udder Salve can be obtained from Agricultural suppliers.
N.B. Mange cannot be treated with Eprinex. Here is an extract from a recent study:
1: Vet Dermatol. 2007 Feb;18(1):59-62.
Efficacy
of topical eprinomectin in the treatment of Chorioptes sp. infestation
in alpacas and llamas. Plant JD, Kutzler MA, Cebra CK.
Department of
Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Oregon State
University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA. jon.plant@oregonstate.edu
Chorioptes sp. mite infestation is increasingly recognized as a cause
of skin disease in New World camelids and there is a need for an
effective treatment protocol to eliminate herd infestation. In this
field trial, eprinomectin applied topically at the rate of 0.5 mg
kg(-1) weekly for 10 weeks was found to be ineffective in a herd of 12
llamas and 16 alpacas.
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