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• Part 1 of 2: Determining if your dog has lice
• Part 2 of 2: Treating the infection

Nobody likes it when their dog has a parasitic infection, especially when it comes to lice. These tiny bugs live on the surface of the skin and lay their eggs on the dog's hair shafts. Lice infestation is particularly undesirable in dogs, because other dogs can easily become infected and the dog gets very itchy. The good news is that a lice infestation is fairly easy to resolve. You must persevere and treat all animals that have been in contact with the infected dog and the environment of the dog.

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Part 1 of 2: Determining if your dog has lice

1. Look for signs that your dog has lice. Lice cause itching, so the first noticeable symptom is often excessive scratching. There will probably also be more dandruff in the coat of the dog than usual.
   • Lice bite the dog and suck its blood, so a heavy contamination can cause anemia.
2. Examine what lice look like. Similar to human head lice, dog lice are small animals that are almost invisible to the naked eye. They have 6 legs, which have claws, with which they can grasp hair firmly. Lice spend their entire life cycle on the pet.
   • Dogs can become infected with one of two types of lice, the dog chewing lice (Trichodectes canis) or the louse (Linognathus setosus), which are less common. The treatment is the same for both types.
3. Look for lice in your dog's coat. Use a lice comb, a very fine-toothed comb, to examine the base of your dog's hair follicles, directly against the skin. The louse grabs onto the hair shaft and can be seen as a small, glittering speck. You may also see the nits, or eggs, that the parasite attaches to the hair shaft and also look like tiny, glittering spots.
   • These parasites move slowly, so an examination with a lice comb will usually reveal the lice themselves or their nits on the hair shafts if your dog is infected.

Part 2 of 2: Treating the infection

1. Use a lice and nits comb to remove the lice. This option requires physically removing the lice with a fine-toothed comb. The advantage is that no chemicals are involved, however, it is very time consuming and an intensive task. It would be a great option for a short-haired Chihuahua, but impractical for a Bernese Mountain Dog.
   • Lice and nett combs are best used as an aid in removing the lice, rather than as the sole treatment.
   • You have to be 100% sure that you have combed the whole dog and been in every nook and cranny. It is very important to pay attention to the armpits, crotch and ears. Lice cling to hair quite tightly, so you may not have removed all of the lice, even if you combed the whole dog.
   • It is necessary to comb thoroughly daily for several weeks (approx. 4-6 weeks) to catch and remove the nymphs that hatch from the egg.
   • Kills the lice you removed by soaking them in boiling water for a few minutes.
2. Wash your dog with flea shampoo. Many flea shampoos that contain pyrethroids or organophosphates are very effective against lice if you brush the dog with a flea comb immediately after washing. However, once the coat is dry and the shampoo cannot penetrate the eggs, the treatment will not work, hatching the next generation of lice 2-4 weeks later. So it is necessary to wash weekly for at least 6 weeks.
   • Follow the manufacturer's directions carefully. This is particularly important when it comes to how long the product must be in contact with the skin before rinsing off. Failure to observe the recommended time can lead to reduced effectiveness.
3. Use insecticides. There are no anti-parasitic products certified to treat lice in dogs, however there are some that are known to work. These include products containing Fipronil (Frontline, Effipro) Permethrin, Fosmet, Fenthion, and Selamectin (Revolution US, Advantage UK).
   • However, be aware that while most of these products state that they should be used monthly, when treating lice it is recommended to use them every 2 weeks. This is because its effectiveness decreases after 2 weeks. Since there is no product that can penetrate the lice eggs, it is essential to maintain an even, high level of the active ingredient so that hatching nymphs are also killed.
4. Treat all dogs in the household. Lice are highly contagious to other dogs, but can survive on one dog. Whether you have many dogs or just one, every dog ​​should receive the same treatment. Assume that all dogs in the household are infected to some degree and treat all dogs with the same care against lice.
5. Keep the dog in quarantine. Because a lice infection is so contagious, the dog should not come into contact with other dogs (including the walking service) while being treated. To prevent the spread of this nasty infection, your dog must remain in quarantine for about 4 weeks after treatment.
6. Clean all objects related to the dog. For example: wash the dog bed on the hot setting in the washing machine. Repeat this each time the dog has been treated so that it can lie down on a clean bed and not re-infect itself from an infected bed.
   • Pay particular attention to disinfecting the care products. These provide the lice with the perfect way to move from one pet to another. Disinfect brushes and combs after using them on one dog. Do this by placing them in boiling water for 10 minutes.
7. Treat your home. Adult lice are not particularly strong and can be killed with a steam cleaner. This is a good option for furniture and carpet upholstery. However, the nits, or eggs, are more powerful. You will have to wait for these to hatch and then repeat the steam cleaner treatment to kill them in the vulnerable adult stage.
   • You can also use an insecticide spray for the environment, such as Nuvan Staykill, Acclaim, or RIP Fleas. These are designed to kill fleas, larvae and eggs. The advantage of these sprays is that they work for several months, which means that the new nymphs are also killed with just one treatment. The downside is that they are highly chemical products that are not suitable for use in rooms containing birds, reptiles or fish as they are poisonous to these species and will kill them.
8. Clean your house several times. It can be difficult to predict when lice eggs will hatch, making it okay to just clean regularly. The entire cycle from egg to adult takes between 2-4 weeks. With that in mind, it's okay to steam clean on a weekly basis for about 6 weeks. However, it doesn't hurt to do this more often and for a longer period of time.
   • Prevent future infections by keeping your home clean and hygienic. Make sure your dog lives in clean living conditions and does not live with too many other dogs. Lice like to live in dirty conditions where many dogs live close together, because then they can easily switch from one host to another.