Lice feed off the skin or blood of their hosts; in cases of a severe infestation of small puppies, blood loss from lice can lead to shock or even death. Infestations are relatively rare among dogs in the United States and Europe. However, lice can be avoided and treated.

What if my dog has lice?

To start, treatment in severe infestations involves clipping matted hair off the dog because lice and eggs will likely be attached to that hair and hard to dislodge. You can also use flea combs to remove live and dead lice on the rest of the coat.

Can lice affect dogs?

Lice are a species-specific parasite, and only feed off their chosen species. So, while your child's head lice may pass to you, your pet will not be infected. 1 Human lice need human blood to survive, while dog lice need dog blood, and so on.