The bad news: there is such a thing as dog lice. But the good news is, it isn’t that bad. Here are some of the first questions that might be going through your head if you discover that your dog has lice.

Can dog lice spread to humans? No, it is species specific. Not only will it not spread to humans, dogs cannot get human head lice. So there is no reason to banish your pet to the backyard.

Can it spread to cats? No, your cats are safe.

What about other dogs? Possible. While they don’t jump around and spread as quickly as fleas, they can move from dog to dog. Because of this, try to isolate whichever pooch has the problem.

Is it hard to take care of? It is far easier to cure than human lice.

How will you know that your dog has lice? You will be able to see it on them. It isn’t always easy to spot, however. A lot of times, it will just look like dirt. Lice don’t run around like fleas do. And if it isn’t a bad infestation, your pup may only have a few on his body and not be covered with them.

So how do you find out if your dog has lice? Well, to start with pay attention to their behavior. If they are scratching more than normal, it might be because the lice are biting them. But that behavior may also be do to fleas or allergies. The best thing you can do is to take your pet in to be professionally groomed. When you do so let the groomer know that your dog has been scratching more than normal and that they should let you know if they spot anything unusual. They have a lot of experience and will have little trouble noticing a problem while they are grooming your canine.

If there is a case of dog lice, you should act quickly to get rid of it so your pet can enjoy non-irritated skin. If your pet is a young puppy, a pregnant dog, or an adult with a health problem that requires regular medication, please call your vet before you start any form of treatment. While medicine that kills dog lice is safe, you should always take precautions.

A lot of the medications that are used to kill fleas with also take care of your lice and nit problem. This include Revolution, Frontline, and Advantage. These are typically applied to the skin of your dog in an area such as the back of the neck where they cannot lick it off. You will want to keep your pet separated from other pets for around 24 hours when you apply this so they cannot lick it off their buddy.

When you typically use these products for fleas you wait a month before reapplying them. Your vet may advise you to reapply them after two weeks to make sure you kill all of the dog lice and nits. If you wish to use a natural remedy you may wish to supplement your dog’s diet with garlic. This is unlikely to quickly kill the lice, however, so consider using something more effective like the medications listed above or whatever your vet recommends. If you have a multiple dog household, however, you may wish to give your other dogs a garlic supplement to help prevent the creatures to spreading to them.