People think that if a particular dog is dirty and not kept well groomed it already has dog lice but that is not always the case. The most groomed and cleanest dog out there can also get lice. Dog lice are very unpredictable. You should immediately notify your vet if this happens.

What are lice? Can the dogs pass them to the owner? How do you get rid of lice?

We will try to answer these questions here. Canine lice are very common parasite in this country. You can easily see the symptoms of lice infestation if you know what to look for.

Many people encounter the phrase “my dog has lice,” especially when they see the symptoms. You dog will appear sick and your dog will have severe irritation. Anemia is a common complication of having dog lice.

A dog louse will look flat, wingless, and grey if you look at it on a microscope. They are about ½ cm long. They move very slowly. If the louse has no host like a dog or a cat then it will eventually die.

Dog lice come in two types, the first one will simply bite at the dog’s skin and eats skin flakes. The other one will attach itself to the skin of the dog and will feed on its blood. The second one is very dangerous because it will cause serious irritation and they will actually penetrate your skin and feed on the dog’s blood. The first symptoms they may encounter are skin irritation and hard scratching.

The sensitive parts of the dog’s body are the favorite areas the louse infests like the ears, shoulders, anus and neck. They lay their eggs in the dog’s hair. You can easily see these eggs or nits because they sit upon the hair itself and will look like pieces of dust or rice.

Puppy lice are also lethal because your puppy is still not fully developed which will make it very vulnerable to anemia. Lice are not resistant to insecticides which make them relatively simple to treat. Your vet will suggest several insecticides for you and you can use it either as a bath or spray. The treatment is very effective. It is also necessary to cut the dog’s hair short and you can wash him once a week with stronger insecticides. You should not stop until all the lice are dead.