mange mites in pot belly pig

Question
will the .27% ivomec work in place of the 1% to treat for mange mites. my pot belly is 8 months old and weighs 45lbs. she is an inside pigs and it would kill me if something happens to her.

Answer
I am not a vet, I can not make a medical diagnosis or prescribe medication over the internet.

The typical symptoms of mange include itchiness and flaky skin. But, pot-bellied pigs have particularly dry skin, and when they are shedding (called blowing their coat) they get very flaky skin. The clue that indicates mange is an orange "stain" under the arm pits, between the rear legs, on the belly, or behind the ears. Vets check for mange by taking a skin scraping and studying it under a microscope, where they can see the tiny mites.

If you are certain your pig has mange, Ivomec is available over the counter without a prescription. It comes in several forms; a paste that can be injected or given orally, a liquid given orally, a pour-on product and pre-mixed with feed. There's different formulas for different animals so be sure to choose one made specifically for swine, not horses or goats.

The injectable paste can be given orally, mixed with something smelly and tasty like peanut butter. I absolutely do NOT recommend injection. Injections are best left to trained medical professionals.

Mange mites live a couple of weeks. When the pig is dosed with medicine, it kills all living mites, but has no effect on the eggs. When the eggs hatch, the mange is back. To eliminate mange completely, the medicine needs to be given at least twice, two weeks apart.

Doseage is determined by the weight of the pig and the concentration of the medicine. The package instructions will say how much to give (usually measured in ccs, 1 milliliter (ml) = 1 cc) per X lbs of weight. Weigh your pig immediately before giving the medicine. Double check your calculations. If the calculations produce a difficult number (for example, 1.3333333 cc), it's ok to round down slightly (in this case, 1.25 or even down to 1). Use a precise measuring tool, like a spoon or vial, which you can get at almost any drugstore, and measure carefully.

If you still feel uncomfortable about this, talk to your vet. Ask if they can sell you Ivo (or a similar drug) in a premeasured dose for your pig.

If your pig does indeed have mites, a few days after the first dose the mites under the skin will die and the skin will really start to peel off. Your pig might be uncomfortable for a week or so. There might be more peeling after the second dose, but it should not be as bad as the first dose.