Ticks in cattle: drugs and treatment

Many farm animals suffer from insect attacks. And cows are precisely those that are prone to being bitten by a whole swarm of pests. They attract flies, horseflies, gadflies and ticks. And among all those listed, it is the ticks that are of particular danger to cattle. Therefore, a responsible owner must take measures to protect animals from this parasite, if possible, use a specialized medicine for ticks for cows.

Why ticks are dangerous for cattle

Ticks belong to a number of blood-sucking insects, which can also be carriers of a large number of dangerous diseases. The list of diseases carried by these parasites includes:

• young;
• brucellosis;
• encephalitis;
• psoroptosis;
• piroplasmosis.

Infection occurs as a result of a bite. If it is not detected in time, this is fraught with both the cow itself and the person who consumes milk.

In nature, there are about 55 thousand varieties of ticks, the size of which varies from 0,2 to 5 mm. They are most active in late spring and early autumn.

Most often, cattle are attacked by “pasture” ticks. You can find them in the groin area, undergrowths and on the neck. They belong to the carriers of pathogens of piroplasmosis, anaplasmosis and babesiosis.

Ticks are very dangerous parasites that can cause various diseases in cows.

Sometimes it is possible to observe the defeat of cows by Chorioptes mites, which often settle on the mammary gland (udder), as well as on the hind limbs and in the tail area. They are representatives of the genus kozheedov, which provokes the appearance of scabies in cows. Also, the defeat of these ticks is called Chorioptosis.

Another representative of this parasite, which causes demodicosis in cattle, is the demodectic mite. It develops and forms colonies in hair follicles and sebaceous glands.

A tick can live without food for more than 1 year. Therefore, as a preventive measure, the room where cattle are kept should also be treated.

Tick ​​preparations for cattle

To date, a considerable number of preparations against parasitic insects for cattle have been presented. But, as a rule, those products that do an excellent job with flies and mosquitoes are practically not suitable for protecting against ticks. Therefore, a number of effective preparations suitable for combating ticks and for preventive measures will be presented below.

Means that are used against ticks in cows are divided into 2 categories:

• repellents (repellent prophylactic);
• insecticides (killing).

Among the drugs used, it is worth highlighting:

1. Bayofly Pour-on (Biofly Pur-on) – the drug is produced in the form of an external solution, which is a transparent yellow-brown liquid, intended for treatment of cattle during the grazing period to protect against blood-sucking insects, not recommended for cows weighing less than 300 kg (protective period 28 days) .

   

2. Entomozan-S – an insecticide-acaricidal contact agent designed to kill ticks, used in the form of an emulsion by spraying or washing throughout the pasture season, is considered moderately toxic, which at the recommended concentration does not have a local irritating effect on the animal.

   

3. Oxarep – an aerosol repellent intended for daily spraying of all parts of the body (especially the neck, head, back and limbs), dairy cows are treated after receiving milk, thoroughly washing the udder, the drug belongs to the budget category.

   

4. Acaromectin – an aerosol agent to combat demodicosis in cows, apply it 4 times during the treatment period with an interval of 5-7 days. This drug is a destructive composition that effectively fights demodectic mites.

   

5. Butox – a remedy that is used for external treatment of the body of a cow by spraying with an aqueous emulsion at a concentration of 0,005% twice with an interval of 7-10 days, is effective in the treatment of psoroptosis, the drug is also used for preventive purposes, but spraying is performed once during the summer season.

   

6. Sebacillus – a means for the destruction of scabies mites, used by washing for individual treatment of cows, for group treatment, the spray method should be used, this remedy is not intended for dairy cows.

   

7. Sanofit – a preparation in the form of an ointment used to treat the mammary gland of a cow, is intended to repel various insects, including ticks, and is also an anti-inflammatory agent. The composition of this ointment includes essential oils, the smell of which repels insects.

   

8. Ivomek – this is a ready-made sterile solution intended for administration as a subcutaneous injection, it is a destructive drug that begins to act 1 hour after injection, kills scabies mites (this drug has unique therapeutic effects and has no analogues among other antiparasitic agents).

   

9. Pharmacist – antiparasitic sterile solution for subcutaneous injection in the back third of the neck or in the forearm. During treatment, cows are given it once or twice, depending on medical indications.

   

10. Cydectin – injection solution for subcutaneous administration, intended for the treatment and prevention of both scabies and pasture mites, it is absolutely harmless when used in the indicated dosage.

    

Rules for the use of drugs for ticks

Preventive measures to protect cows from ticks must be carried out immediately with the onset of heat. For these purposes, drugs with repellent action are usually used, which are designed to repel parasitic insects.

Depending on the drug used, the method of use has significant differences. For example, Biofly pur-on is applied by drip from the withers to the tail. Further, the drug is excreted through the glands on the skin for 12 hours, spreading over the entire surface of the cow’s body. Protective properties last up to 3-4 weeks, after which re-treatment is required.

In the case of water-soluble drugs such as Butox, Entomosan-S or Sebacil, the protective effect lasts no more than 10 days. Then the spraying or washing procedure is repeated as necessary. But it is worth noting that in most cases these drugs are insecticides of contact action.

Aerosol sprays, such as Oxarep or similar, require daily use.

Ointments to protect the mammary glands of a cow are used after each milking.

It is also worth understanding that any medicinal chemical penetrates the body of a cow. Therefore, after processing the animal, milk should not be eaten, it is advisable to postpone the slaughter of livestock.

Folk methods of protecting cattle from ticks

Many livestock breeders often use folk remedies that are safer for cows instead of chemicals. These methods of protecting cattle from ticks are more prophylactic, but they cannot be called ineffective.

Among the tested means should be highlighted:

• vegetable oil – lubrication of the groin area, ears and udder of the cow allows you to protect the most vulnerable places for ticks at home, this method is the easiest way to protect against ticks, but is more suitable for a small farm (when keeping two or one cow);

  

• tar solution with vegetable oil at the rate of 1 to 10 – used by coating, the solution after processing retains its effects for 3-4 hours;

  

• used machine oil – it is applied in the form of strips on the body of the animal over the entire surface and in the groin area, the treatment is carried out at the beginning of the grazing period, many livestock breeders claim that the use of used engine oil against parasites does not affect the taste of milk;

  

• mixture of vegetable oil and shampoo – the agent is diluted in a ratio of 2 to 1, applied by smearing over the entire body of the animal, the head, neck, legs, groin area is more abundantly lubricated;

  

• smearing with wormwood, mint, lavender or geranium – this method allows you to protect the animal from the attacks of blood-sucking insects by scaring them away, but it is ineffective against ticks, therefore it is more suitable for calves that are not yet driven out to pasture with the herd.

  

Treatment with folk remedies allows you to moderately protect the animal from the misfortunes of parasitic insects. At the same time, preventive procedures should be carried out daily, since the protective effects of home remedies are short-lived.

Conclusion

The tick medicine for cows is a means of protecting the animal from various diseases that can be transmitted by these parasites. By providing timely preventive measures with folk remedies to protect cows, serious consequences can be avoided that require the intervention of more effective chemicals.