Dog lice..ewww

kirama · 03-02-2010, 11:36 AM

Murphy had to go to the vet yesterday for his shots, the vet noticed he was scratching and asked me about it. I told her that I was at a loss to explain it, all 3 dogs were scratching & had been for a few weeks, I told her that I thought maybe it was from the dry air in the house. She then spent a good 10-15 minutes reviewing his diet with me, eliminating any environmental factors etc. Then she went through his coat inch by inch until she found the culprit- dog lice (gives me the creeps..ewww) She said they are common and can be picked up at the groomer, or at a doggie day care etc. and the only way to know who brought it home would be to determine which one started scratching first (I honestly have no idea lol, it just seemed like they all started at once). They are only transmitted dog to dog and don't affect humans. Their entire life cycle is on the dog, so you don't have to treat the house as you would for a flea infestation.

These lice are little tiny things, like fleas, but they hardly move. She put all 3 dogs on frontline and said that I will have to keep them on it & that in about 48 hours the adult lice should die but the nits will probably hatch for the next 3-4 weeks and cause a day or two of itching before they die from the frontline. I asked her about the safety of frontline and she said that it's one of the safest things you can use, that they just did extensive studies in Great Britain and they are on the verge of approving it for human use for lice infestation.

I love my vet, I think I'm going to send her some flowers for taking the time to figure out why a dog was scratching, most other vets would not have even noticed!

Lucky Me · 03-02-2010, 12:38 PM

That would freak me out..... just the thought of them makes me scratch!
When my daughter came home from school with head lice, I scratched my head raw.....and I didn't even get them!
Just one of those things I have a hard time dealing with!!!

kirama · 03-02-2010, 12:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lucky Me

That would freak me out..... just the thought of them makes me scratch!
When my daughter came home from school with head lice, I scratched my head raw.....and I didn't even get them!
Just one of those things I have a hard time dealing with!!!

OMG me too! But in the scheme of things, ticks are worse..I used to live near the Sacramento Delta & would take my dogs out to run and when I got home they ALWAYS had ticks, my sons used to earn their allowance by removing ticks from them, 50 cents per tick lol. I couldn't do it, it just gave me the heebie jeebies

Jac · 03-02-2010, 04:17 PM

Wow...this is a new one for me...and I hope that we never have to deal with it! Probably it is because we do use Frontline...I am very happy to hear that your vet says it is safe. I always worry...

**lindamarie** · 03-03-2010, 10:41 AM

EEEEEWWWWWW is right!!
Bogart has been scratching too and I wonder now!!!

But, we also use Frontline.........fingers crossed.

03-02-2010, 11:36 AM	#1 (permalink)
kirama Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 858	Dog lice..ewww Murphy had to go to the vet yesterday for his shots, the vet noticed he was scratching and asked me about it. I told her that I was at a loss to explain it, all 3 dogs were scratching & had been for a few weeks, I told her that I thought maybe it was from the dry air in the house. She then spent a good 10-15 minutes reviewing his diet with me, eliminating any environmental factors etc. Then she went through his coat inch by inch until she found the culprit- dog lice (gives me the creeps..ewww) She said they are common and can be picked up at the groomer, or at a doggie day care etc. and the only way to know who brought it home would be to determine which one started scratching first (I honestly have no idea lol, it just seemed like they all started at once). They are only transmitted dog to dog and don't affect humans. Their entire life cycle is on the dog, so you don't have to treat the house as you would for a flea infestation. These lice are little tiny things, like fleas, but they hardly move. She put all 3 dogs on frontline and said that I will have to keep them on it & that in about 48 hours the adult lice should die but the nits will probably hatch for the next 3-4 weeks and cause a day or two of itching before they die from the frontline. I asked her about the safety of frontline and she said that it's one of the safest things you can use, that they just did extensive studies in Great Britain and they are on the verge of approving it for human use for lice infestation. I love my vet, I think I'm going to send her some flowers for taking the time to figure out why a dog was scratching, most other vets would not have even noticed! __________________

03-02-2010, 12:38 PM	#2 (permalink)
Lucky Me Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Northern California Posts: 1,744	Re: Dog lice..ewww That would freak me out..... just the thought of them makes me scratch! When my daughter came home from school with head lice, I scratched my head raw.....and I didn't even get them! Just one of those things I have a hard time dealing with!!! __________________ Judi,Tuesday, Marley, Easy (and little Reba too!) www.judiblueszoo.com

03-02-2010, 04:17 PM	#4 (permalink)
Jac Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: northern California Posts: 9,243	Re: Dog lice..ewww Wow...this is a new one for me...and I hope that we never have to deal with it! Probably it is because we do use Frontline...I am very happy to hear that your vet says it is safe. I always worry...

03-03-2010, 10:41 AM	#5 (permalink)
lindamarie Super Moderator Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Birmingham, Michigan Posts: 6,171	Re: Dog lice..ewww EEEEEWWWWWW is right!! Bogart has been scratching too and I wonder now!!! But, we also use Frontline.........fingers crossed. __________________ Linda & Bogart Dogs=Unconditional love "We have it all! Just like Bogie & Bacall!"

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