Mange mite treatment baby pig

Question
We have a pot belly pig about 6 wks old. Weighs 2.5 pounds. After reading the information on these websites I determined she has mange mites. I went to the vet and got Ivermectin. I think the dr. told me to give her 1 cc a day for 3 or 4 weeks. Based on the information on the websites it looks like she needs less than 1 cc and it also looks like she only needs 2 treatments around 14 days apart. Can you help me determine the proper treatment plan and amount of medicine.

Answer
Your baby is on the small side for a 6 week old. As a rule of thumb, babies should gain about 1 lb a week for the first few months.

Mange mites lay a lot of eggs that take about 2 weeks to hatch, so any treatment must continue long enough to kill all the mite eggs. Normally, this takes anywhere from one to four treatments, given once a week or once every two weeks, depending on the kind of mange, the seriousness of the infection, and the kind of medicine used.

Each brand and type of medicine is different. Some are injected, and some (not all) injectables can be given orally. Some are meant to pour on the back of the pig, these can only be applied topically. Some are given orally, usually in a paste that's mixed with a strong tasting treat like peanut butter. Or you can purchase medicated food.

The proper doseage depends on the kind of medicine, how strong the medicine is, and how it's administered. For example, injectible medicine can be given orally at a higher dose or injected at a lower dose.

Ivo is used to treat a lot of different parasites, not just mange. Also, white piglets raised completely indoors and never exposed to sun will sometimes develop an orange cast to their skin that can be confused with mange, in this situation, a skin scraping can confirm that no mites are present.

Finally, if the problem is mange, within a few days the mites will begin to die, and the skin may peel quite a bit, depending on how bad the infestation is. The worse the infection, the more peeling.

I am not a veterinarian, and it's impossible to make a diagnosis over email. Your piglet is small for her age and still very young, your vet might be concerned about an overdose if you were to use the once per week (or per two weeks) treatment plan. Your vet might be using the Ivo to treat for other conditions. The brand of Ivo, kind, strength and method of delivery all affect the proper doseage.

So under the circumstances, the best I can do is suggest you ask your vet why he/she decided to do it this way. I'm sure there is a good reason.