EW! YUCK! Dog Lice

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I mentioned in a recent discussion that Ned was really scratching under his chin. I thought it might be an allergy - to a food suppliment, to shampoo/detanglers, to his leather collar. Or that maybe his chin stayed too wet and bacteria grew.
Well, after trying various things for the past few weeks, I finally took him to the vet today - before his grooming appt. The vet (not the usual one) suggested that we get rid of all of the plastic dishes and get only metal ones - his is metal but the other dogs have plastic. She said it wouldn't be an allergy to something he ingested because the itching was only on his neck. She gave him a shot and sent me on my way. She never really looked at the site just said Ned was cute and ...
Well, on to the groomer and, lo and behold, all THREE of my dogs have dog lice!!! I paid 75 bucks to the vet so that the groomer could find what was really wrong. I go on-line and find out that Lice is RARE and usually found on DIRTY RESCUE DOGS AND IN DIRTY ENVIRONMENTS! I am pretty insulted because none of that applies to my household.
The only thing I can say is that it is passed dog to dog, so I am figuring that the Dog Parks and campgrounds we have been to recently must be "rarely infected" with dog lice.
The good news is that two applications of Frontline 2 weeks apart will take care of the problem - after the groomer bath. The bad news is that lice causes dry skin/fur problems and increases matting. Poor Ned is now a short-haired dood. Can I just say it will be his summer cut and watch out for sunburn? No calendar pictures of Ned this summer.
How did I miss this on THREE dogs who get brushed, loved, and cuddled all of the time!!?? Needless to say that my newly disinfected house is the cleanest on the block.

[Linda,Yankee & Finn]

OMG, I didn't know that our dogs could get lice. Is it passed easily from another dog? How long does it take to get rid of them? Can we get it from them? Sorry, all I have are questions. I hope your pups feel better soon.

[HANNAH 8/2/07 & HONEY 7/2/08]

They are flat, gray, wingless parasites that are about a twelfth of an inch long. Dog lice are very slow movers. In fact, they hardly move at all. They do not jump from dog to dog like fleas, but dog lice are still spread through dog-to-dog contact, so if your dog interacts with other dogs on the trail, at the dog park, at your friend’s house or in doggie day care, your dog may be exposed. If your dog shares a bed, or crate, they can be infected. Grooming instruments may serve as a source of transmission.
If your dog has lice, you have a few options on how to deal with the problem. Dog lice causes severe irritation and illness to your dog. In addition, dog lice carries disease and complications such as anemia.

1. You can bathe your dog in a pyrethrin-based shampoo at seven-day intervals, I do not recommend just doing this, I would have a groomer do it.

2. Contact your vet about using Frontline, Advantiks, Advantage, or Revolution as a preventative measure, and if your dog has visible lice. It is recommended that you repeat 2 weeks later.

3. For pregnant Dams, and puppies over 6 weeks old, revolution is one of the most recommended preventative, but always consult your vet first. I love using revolution for fleas, ticks, ear problems, it just is a great treatment for dogs, but you must get it from your Vet first.

If you have a puppy that is infected with lice, consult your vet first before starting on any kind of pesticide treatment or other type of medication. Especially with Toy puppies, they do not tolerate flea baths.

To prevent further lice infestation and make sure that all the lice eggs have been completely eliminated, it is a wise idea to wash and sanitize all bedding & dry on high heat. Or throw away all bedding that your dog has laid on during lice infestation and to disinfect the area where he sleeps. Wash the clothes you were wearing when you groomed and found the lice.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Ooh, yuck, Nance, so sorry the dogs have this. (See, I told you it wasn't an allergy, lol! Sorry, couldn't resist!)
I would call the vet and tell her about this. I think it's outrageous that you got charged for a misdiagnosis and advice about food bowls- and what the heck kind of shot did she give him? What was that supposed to be for? I mean, giving drugs without knowing the reason for the problem or even doing a thorough exam? I would say something. Maybe at the least you'll get your money back.
Poor Ned. I'll bet you feel crawly all over just thinking about it. Go have a drink. I'm raising mine to you right now!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I did call the vet office and will probably call again during the week. My dear old vet finally decided to take Saturdays off and only work 5 days a week and he hired this person for Saturdays. She is nice but I felt she didn't do anything you all here hadn't already suggested - and yes, Miss I told you so - you were so right and I knew you were but needed to hear it! My receipt just says injection, outpat - whatever that is. However the purpose was to calm the hot spot of his itching. Even though it isn't for the purpose she thought (plastic dish bacteria) it has already calmed down his scratching the sores under his chin.
Getting rid of them is supposed to be relatively easy. They all had medicated baths at the groomer and we are putting on Frontline now and then in two weeks. The lice have a gestation of 21 days, so reapplying it in two weeks ensures that any nits/bugs that survived the bath will be killed with a second dose of Frontline.
It doesn't transfer to humans, thank goodness.
I cannot figure out where they got this or which dog got it first and passed it on or even how long they might have had it. My guess, yucky though it is, is that they must have had it a while for all three guys to catch it. I assume it all started with one bug that layed its millions of eggs which hatched (remember 21 days) and spread to the other dogs.
Some of the information I got said to wash, throw away or put in a hot dryer all fabric things and other information said it wasn't needed. I didn't want to take any chances so every fabric thing is in the process of being sanitized. What is scary is that untreated lice can cause serious problems: infections, anemia, hair loss, even death!
Here is an interesting hint from this experience. One dog didn't scratch at all, one a little and one a lot. But the interesting thing is that the scratching occurred most often in the evening and morning - do lice have a day and night???
There is good news. My groomer is such a sweetheart. Her partner is the one who told me over the phone that Ned would have to have his fur cut down to almost nothing. However my groomer went to extraordinary trouble to de-mat Ned and thin his fur and he looks BEAUTIFUL. I was expecting to cry when we picked him up and instead I took a picture!

I paid $100 for all three dogs to be groomed and left a BIG tip. If the vet refunds any of my money, the groomer gets it!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

He looks beautiful! Your groomer is worth her weight in gold!
Yes, the scary stuff about parasites- "infections, anemia, hair loss, even death!"- is what makes me continue to use the Frontline, even though there is so much controversy about it, and people always looking for "natural" remedies. To me, the harm that can occur from lice, fleas, etc., is far worse than any minute possibility of side effects from the topicals. For a dog like Jack, a parasite infestation on top of the problems he already has, could kill him. Even just what you're going through with the stripping & washing everything, the vet & groomer trips & bills,and being paranoid about any bugs that might have escaped, it's just not worth it.
I'll bet anything they got it from dogs or wild animals at the campgrounds; I also read that doggy daycare facilities in certain parts of the country are seeing outbreaks of dog lice. So apparently not so rare, lol.
Relax & hug your clean, gorgeous Ned. And don't forget that drink!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Got the drink right here - Thanks for the reminder.
We have always used Frontline but we don't have fleas so I have been using it every three months and even taking breaks in the winter. No more = my guys are going to get it every month in the spring, summer and fall, and in the winter - if we go somewhere - they will get it also. When the information about the fake Frontline came in, I made sure that mine was authentic. They had it last on April 29th but they could have had lice then and I only killed the live ones not the nits. I can't believe that I missed the nits on my Springer. The dark fur around his ears is covered with them and I brush him at least every other day.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Yeah, that's totally bogus about dirt & uncared for dogs...my poodle got fleas when we had a bad outbreak here, and she was kept very clean & well-groomed, and I keep a very clean house. Parasites are attracted to blood, sweat, carbon dioxide, vibrations...not dirty dogs, sick dogs, unkempt dogs, etc.

[cheryl & oliver]

OMG, Nancy, who knew that dogs could get Lice!!!!!....Bless you for having this problem under control now, I probably would have freaked and called in a cleaning crew and then the exterminator, and then whoever I could find to make sure all is scrubbed and done...As far as the vet goes, I would ask for a refund, she prob. gave Ned a shot of Bendryl, for $ 75,00, What nerve!!!!...Anyway wtg with handling the three of them, and it is summer, so that explains the short but sassy haircuts....

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I would have really freaked when I was younger but I am the seasoned mom of three now grown kids with two of them boys. I am a girlie girl to the core, but I am so used to boys ...... Now if the snake gets loose - call the cleaning crew, exterminator, zoo keeper - who ever - I am outta here.

[LuvMyAbby&Kaela]

Ewwww. I never even knew such a thing existed.

I would definitely phone your vet tomorrow and inform her! She should have caught this - maybe she should credit you for a one free visit.

[Maryann,Roo and Tigger]

Oh yuck and double yuck. What a marvelous groomer you have, and how could the vet have missed it. My heart goes out to you cleaning it all up. My pups picked up Giardia and it HAD to be at a dog park. Also a double yuck. Six straight weeks of disinfecting the dog run, their paws, rumps and faces - every day. I love taking my pups to the dog park, but your 'adventure' shows that you can pick up some ucky things there.

Wish I had your groomer!

[F, Calla & Luca]

This is one of the reasons I have my own "dog Park" i.e. my fenced yard. I got a second dog in part so the first would have a playmate. The last time I took Luca to the dog park a woman told me her dog, who had just pooped, had diarrhea that day. I left quickly! And it cost me $90 to have my standard poodle groomed a couple of years ago here, which is one of the reasons why I groom the 2 myself.