How To Treat A Dog For Lice

by Brightlight
(Orlando, Florida )

Reader Question: How do I treat a dog for lice and make sure it doesn't spread?

My 6 week old puppy we brought home has lice. She has small scabs on her body and is scratching a lot. We gave her a garlic bath because we thought it was fleas. Once we realized they were grayish looking with a brown head and the bugs barely move around we assumed this wasn't fleas. We got advantage for puppies and treated her but she is still scratching and whining a lot.

I don't know what else to do besides a vet but I wanted immediate relief for her. Also the lice on her I found one attached to my son’s head which worries me because I thought humans can't carry them and have a 10 month old baby who crawls around...any advice would be great

Thanks,

Brightlight

Vet recommendations for ridding lice & stopping the spread of it

Hi Brightlight,

If your puppy has lice (the best way to know for sure is to make an appointment with your vet), they are actually quite easy to get rid of. Most flea and tick shampoos also kill lice, as do Revolution and fipronil (e.g., Frontline).

You don’t have to be concerned about your puppy passing lice on to your children. Lice are species-specific, meaning that people can only get human lice, dogs get dog lice, etc. Lice from your puppy might crawl onto your children, but they can’t stay there and reproduce.

Good luck,

Jennifer Coates, DVM