Is my dog suffering from lice?
All dogs can get lice, but puppies are especially sensitive to them. Lice can get on a dog through direct contact with others or indirect contact such as with a brush or cushions. Lice are host-specific and occur less frequently than fleas, so you don’t need to worry about getting lice from your dog. The most common louse found on dogs is Trichodectes canis, a biting hair louse. It feeds on the dog’s skin flakes. The eggs (nits) are white and attached to the hairs. It takes about 2 to 3 weeks for a nit to develop into an adult louse.
There are also blood-sucking lice, but these are almost never found in the Netherlands. Like fleas, Trichodectes lice can serve as an intermediate host for the flea tapeworm Dipylidium caninum.
Symptoms of lice in dogs
If a dog has lice, it will experience intense itching and skin damage, causing it to scratch and develop an odor. The coat often becomes matted and starts to smell. You can see the lice with the naked eye among the dog’s fur. They look like light-shy pale creatures about 1 to 2 millimeters long. Lice are blue-gray and brown in color. The eggs are white and look like small skin flakes, but they stick firmly to the hairs. You can identify them even better with a nit comb.
Treatment of lice in dogs
You can remove lice using the same products used to eliminate adult fleas, such as Frontline spray and spot-on treatments. Lice die faster with these treatments, but treat the dog again about a month later to prevent the development of any remaining nits. Then, trim away all matted fur and try to remove all nits. Also, thoroughly clean the dog’s bedding and belongings. Additionally, it is important to treat all other pets in your home to prevent reinfestation.
