Dog Lice

Just like humans, dog are also prone to being infested with lice, however dog lice are different from those found in humans.  Dog lice are not known to be transferable to other animals or humans and are a lot easier to treat and handle as compared to any other type of lice.



Dog lice symptoms are usually found in dogs that are malnourished or that live in unclean and unhygienic environment wherein they are likely to develop a lice infestation. Dog lice treatment should be prompt because of delayed or left untreated, dog lice are known to result in illness or even cause severe skin irritation.



Dog lice are known to be physically slightly smaller than fleas are also a lighter color mostly being tan or beige. Dog lice are very slow moving and sometimes are found almost motionless on the skin of the dog.



Fortunately, unlike human lice, dog lice cannot jump from one host to another and are hence not as contagious.

There are two main types of lice that the dog may be infested with one being lice that feed on the blood of the dog and can thus be very irritating and the second type of lice is one that feeds on the skin flakes of skin that are found resting on the  body of the dog. It order to determine how to treat dog lice or how to get rid of dog lice one should first determine the type and level of the lice infestation. A few natural treatments for dog lice are bathing the dog daily with a natural dog shampoo and allow the rather to remain on the dig for at least 10 minutes. After bathing the dog one should apply a natural lemon rinse which is also known to be effective against ticks and fleas. The lemon rinse will also be effective in killing any remaining eggs on the dig’s skin. Most dog owners find it difficult to remove the eggs or the nits of the lice that are attached to the hair follicles. In such cases one may rub some mayonnaise on the hair of the dog while massaging it with ones finger tips. This may then loosen the eggs and allow them to be washed off with some firm shampooing. One of the best ways to prevent a re-infestation of lice is to keep the dog in optimum health which in turn reduces their chance of being infested by any parasite.