Comparative evaluation of doramectin, ivermectin and castor oil for the treatment of sarcoptic mange in goats: clinical, parasitological and antioxidant responses

Sarcoptic mange is an important contagious parasitic skin disease of goats that adversely affects animal health, welfare and productivity. The present study evaluated the comparative therapeutic efficacy of doramectin, ivermectin and castor oil against naturally occurring Sarcoptes scabiei var. caprae infestation and assessed associated alterations in selected antioxidant biomarkers. A total of 30 Assam Hill goats were included, comprising 24 mange-infested goats randomly allocated into four groups of six animals each and six clinically healthy goats maintained as a healthy control. Groups I, II and III received doramectin 1% subcutaneously, ivermectin 0.5% pour-on and topical castor oil, respectively, while Group IV remained as an infested untreated control. Therapeutic response was assessed clinically and by weekly estimation of skin mite concentration up to day 48. Antioxidant status was evaluated by estimating superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and malondialdehyde (MDA) on days 0, 24 and 48. All three treatments produced progressive clinical improvement and significant reduction in mite burden compared with the untreated control. Doramectin showed the fastest parasitological response, with mites becoming undetectable by day 28, whereas ivermectin and castor oil resulted in mite-negative skin scrapings by day 42. Castor oil produced noticeable improvement in pruritus and comparatively earlier hair regrowth. Treatment group, treatment period and their interaction significantly influenced mite concentration and antioxidant parameters. Following treatment, SOD and GPx activities increased significantly ( p≤ ​ 0.05), whereas MDA levels decreased significantly ( p≤ ​ 0.05) in all treated groups, approaching values observed in healthy goats. In contrast, untreated infested goats showed progressive deterioration, increased mite burden and an unfavourable antioxidant profile. Doramectin, ivermectin and castor oil were effective against sarcoptic mange in goats, with doramectin demonstrating the fastest mite elimination. Castor oil showed promising potential as a locally available herbal therapeutic option and was associated with improvement in antioxidant status. Further studies with larger sample sizes and standardized herbal formulations are warranted to validate these findings.