Dog Lice: How to Spot, Treat, and Prevent Them

When it comes to parasites, many pet owners think about fleas or ticks, but what about lice? Can dogs get lice? The answer is yes, dogs can get lice, but it's a different type than the lice that affect humans. This article will help you understand the causes, symptoms, and treatments for lice in dogs so you can keep your furry friend healthy and comfortable.

What Are Lice?

Lice are small insects that parasitize the body surface of humans or animals and live by sucking blood. Below are detailed information about lice.

Morphological Characteristics

Lice are tiny, wingless insects that feed on the skin, blood, or debris of their host. Unlike fleas, lice are species-specific, meaning dog lice only infest dogs and cannot spread to humans.Lice are usually off-white or brown in color, small in size and have six legs. Adult lice are about 2-3 millimeters long, usually off-white in color and round in shape. 

Types of Lice in Dogs

Dogs can be affected by two types of lice:

• Chewing Lice (Trichodectes canis): Feed on skin debris and hair.
• Sucking Lice (Linognathus setosus): Feed on the host's blood.

• Head lice attach to hair and body lice hide in clothing fibers.

  Also Read: Can Dogs Get Head Lice

Lice and Flea

How Do Dogs Get Lice?

There are several main reasons why dogs get lice:

• Environmental factors 

Dogs are prone to come into contact with ticks or lice eggs when they are outdoors a lot, especially when they are playing in grass, bushes, etc. For example, when a dog runs through grass, lice may jump from the grass to the dog's fur. Dogs are also prone to harboring lice if they live in a humid, unventilated environment. For example, in some southern rainy seasons, a dog's den may become a breeding ground for lice if it is not cleaned and kept dry in a timely manner.

• Lack of regular deworming 

If owners do not deworm their dogs regularly, lice have the opportunity to proliferate on their dogs. It is generally recommended to deworm your dog externally once a month, using a deworming medication that contains ingredients such as fipronil, selamectin, and imidacloprid.

• Contact with animals infected with lice 

Ticks may spread from one dog to another when dogs come into contact with each other, especially when they are in close contact with a dog infected with ticks. For example, at a dog party or petting zoo, if there is a dog infected with lice, other dogs may be infected. If there are multiple pets in the home and one is infected with lice, the other pets are likely to become infected with lice through direct or indirect contact.

• Individual Factors

Some dogs have a low immune system and are unable to effectively defend themselves against parasites, resulting in lice being susceptible to harboring on their bodies. For example, puppies or older dogs have a relatively weak immune system and are more susceptible to lice. If a dog is malnourished, the skin's ability to protect itself will be reduced, also making it susceptible to parasites such as lice.

What are the Symptoms of Lice in Dogs?

• Itchy skin

Lice will feed by sucking the dog's blood, and during the sucking process, they may cause an itchy sensation on the dog's skin. If the dog scratches with its paws, it may lead to localized skin breakage, causing skin infection and aggravating the itching symptoms.

• Hair loss

Tick bites on dogs can lead to roughness and massive hair loss in some areas. For example, if a teddy dog has localized hair loss and abnormal hair fall on its body, it may be the result of too many fleas and ticks

• Red spots and erythema on the skin

Red spots or erythema may appear on the dog's skin (usually on the back of the waist, tail, etc.), which are the traces left by lice bites.

• Black dots and dander

When combing the dog's hair every day, if you find a lot of dander or black dots at the root of the hair, this indicates that the dog may have a lot of fleas and lice, and these black dots and dander are all parasite excreta.

• Allergic dermatitis

If the ticks stay on the dog, it may lead to allergic dermatitis, the symptoms include redness and swelling of the skin, localized skin spots, and in severe cases, pus.

• Anemia

In extreme cases, if there are too many ticks on the dog, prolonged tick bites and blood sucking may cause the dog to develop symptoms of anemia.

Related: Anemia in Dogs

• Affecting appetite and mental state

When there are a large number of lice and hair lice parasitized on the dog's body surface, due to the severe itching, it will affect the dog's appetite and normal rest, often showing lethargy, hair loss, skin flaking, etc.. For a longer period of time, the sick dog will show lack of spirit and physical deterioration.

How to Treat Dog Lice?

1. Use new deworming drugs

For example, deworming medications containing ingredients such as Fipronil and Selamectin, which are more effective in killing lice and other parasites.

2. Integrated treatment approach

In addition to the use of medication, integrated treatment is emphasized, including environmental cleanliness, pet hygiene and preventive measures. For example, regular washing of your dog's mattresses, blankets and toys, using a vacuum cleaner to clean the floors and furniture in your home, and the use of veterinarian-recommended preventive products such as flea and tick prevention drops or collars.

3. Medicated baths

A medicated bath containing ivermectin or selamectin in combination with lithosulphur compound is particularly effective for dogs with severe tick infestations.

4. Use of lice collars and sprays

These products not only kill lice, but also prevent them from re-infesting. For example, some de-lousing collars are effective for about Ⅲ months and can effectively drive away lice.

5. Specialized bath products

Use pet-specific mite and lice removal body wash, this method is relatively gentle and will not bring toxic side effects.

6. Environmental disinfection

Disinfect your dog's living environment, including the use of professional lice removing insecticides, sprayed on the places where dog lice are easy to be parasitized when you take your dog out of the house, as well as spraying insecticides on small yards where you have planted flowers and grasses at home9.

7. Regular review and prevention

Even if it appears that the ticks have been removed, it is important to regularly check the condition of your dog's coat and skin and continue to use preventative products to prevent re-infestation.

8. Avoid contact with the source of infection

Reduce your dog's contact with other animals that are infected with lice, as well as avoiding situations where your dog is susceptible to lice.

9. Use natural remedies

Some natural methods have also been used to treat dog lice, such as the use of citrus peel juice or balm. Citrus peel juice can be obtained by chopping up fresh citrus peels, wrapping them in gauze and squeezing out the juice, diluting it and spraying it on your dog. Windex can be used by putting a few drops into your dog's bath, which kills the ticks and prevents them from coming closer.

10. Use a lice ring

Although the lice ring can not kill lice, but it can effectively drive away the bugs, and the lice ring is very beautiful, but it is worth noting that the lice ring contains chemicals, the efficacy of the drug can only last for three months4.

11. Gene Therapy

Although still in the research phase, gene therapy promises to be a new way to treat dog lice in the future. This method works by altering the expression of your dog's genes to make them resistant to lice.

12. Immunotherapy

Fights lice infections by boosting your dog's immune system. This may include the use of vaccines or other immunomodulatory medications.

How to Effectively Prevent Your Dog from Getting Ticks?

• Regular external deworming

Deworming is usually done once a month using medications such as Serramycin and Fipronil. If your dog is an adult and seldom goes out, you can also deworm your dog once every 2-3 months.

• Maintain environmental hygiene

Regularly clean your dog's living environment and supplies, including kennels, mats, toys, etc. and expose them to the sun. Disinfectants or insecticides can be used for cleaning to prevent lice eggs from hatching and spreading .

• Avoid contact with tick-infected animals

When walking your dog, avoid close contact with stray dogs or other animals that may be infected with ticks to reduce the risk of infection.

• Grooming

Regularly comb your dog's coat, especially for long-haired dogs, and use a flea comb to help remove ticks and eggs. Be careful to comb against the direction of hair growth to better detect lice.

• Use dewormer products

Fipronil Spot On

Fipronil is a new dewormer that belongs to the phenylpyrazole family, indicated for the elimination of fleas on cats and dogs and dog lice.

View Product

You can use products such as tick and flea collars, bug sprays, and body washes, which usually contain insecticidal ingredients to prevent tick infestations.

• Medicated baths

Bathe your dog with a special body wash for dogs that contains a tick repellent effect. When bathing, make sure the foam stays on your dog for a sufficient amount of time (e.g., 12 minutes), and then rinse it off.

• Environmental cleanliness

Keep the environment of your home clean and vacuum regularly, especially the areas where your dog spends a lot of time, to remove any lice and eggs that may be present.

• Avoid environments where your dog is prone to lice growth

Such as grass, bushes, garbage piles, etc, which may harbor ticks.

• Use natural insect repellents

If the orange peel is chopped up and soaked in water, spray the dog on the body, or use citrus peel juice to repel lice, take 250 grams of fresh citrus peel, chop it up and squeeze out the juice with gauze, dilute the mixture with 500 grams of boiled water, and then spray it directly on the dog's body after it cools down, or wet a towel with the juice and wrap it around the dog's body for an hour, and then all of the lice can be killed.

• Pay attention to dog nutrition

Keep your dog's nutrition balanced, enhance the skin resistance, malnourished dogs are more likely to be infected with lice.

FAQs

Can human lice get on dogs?

Lice in humans are not usually transmitted to dogs because lice are species-specific and are generally only transmitted between the same species. In other words, lice on humans are adapted to the environment of the human body and lice on dogs are adapted to the environment of the dog's body, and they have difficulty surviving and reproducing between species.

However, in some special cases, if a louse on a human comes into contact with a dog, it may stay for a short period of time but usually does not parasitize the dog for a long period of time. For example, human lice may be temporarily transferred to dogs because human clothing, towels, and other items come into contact with the dog, but this is rare and the lice do not establish a stable parasitic relationship on the dog.

Also Read: Can Dogs Get Lice from Humans

Conclusion

While lice infestations in dogs are uncommon, they can cause discomfort and skin issues if left untreated. By recognizing the symptoms early and taking preventive measures, you can keep your dog lice-free and healthy. If you suspect your dog has lice, consult your veterinarian for an accurate diagnosis and treatment plan.