Human head lice do not like living off of the human head. In most cases, they will not venture away from the warm, cozy home of one person for another, much less onto an environment that is not suitable for sustaining its life. Off the human head, lice can only survive for 24 hours before starving to death and dying. So, if a louse happens to climb, fall, or is otherwise transported off the human head and onto the household cat or cats, the louse will die within a day.
During that time, they will not be able to feed or reproduce and, therefore, will not infest your cat. Besides cats and dogs, people have physical contact with horses.
Lice that fall off a person onto a horse have a slight chance of finding another human before dying. But animals cannot act as vectors for head lice any more than inanimate objects can, so it is highly unlikely to catch lice from a horse. Two types of lice , neither of which infest humans. Found lice after the fair? Goat lice are different from head lice and only infest goats. You cannot catch head lice from a goat or other barnyard animals.
What people call bird lice are actually mites. Mites can cause problems for humans. People cannot catch rat lice from rats, but pet rodents like hamsters can. Adult lice are large enough to be visible to the naked eye, roughly the size of a sesame seed — about 2-to-4 millimeters — and are yellow to tan or medium brown in color. They are distinguishable from fleas, which are very dark, almost black looking. Chewing lice will move around more than the sucking lice, which, like ticks , embed their piercing mouthparts into the skin.
If you suspect an infestation of dog lice, you might want to go over the area with a flea comb and examine the hair. Lice, especially the eggs or nits, are sometimes mistaken for dandruff, and one way to distinguish lice from dandruff is by shaking hair removed from the dog.
Other signs of lice infestations on your dog include:. Lice have limited mobility; they can crawl, but are unable to jump, hop, or fly. Also, adult lice die in a few days if they fall off the host. Transmission is usually through direct contact with another infested animal, although they can also be passed on from contaminated bedding, dog collars, or grooming tools. Lice may be a threat wherever dogs congregate, such as dog daycare centers, dog shows, boarding kennels, and parks.
The cycle starts when the female lays tiny yellow or white eggs at the base of the hair shaft. It takes about one week for the eggs to hatch, releasing the immature lice, known as nymphs, which are no larger than the head of a pin. After about one week, they enter the adult phase, starting the cycle all over again. The Merck Veterinary Manual says it takes about 3-to-4 weeks for most lice to go from nit to reproductively capable adult.
Monthly flea and tick preventives have made lice infestations rare among well-cared for pet dogs. Along similar lines, your cat or dog cannot catch lice from an infected child as the head lice do require human blood to live. It is also important to remember that human lice are not a result of poor personal hygiene habits. That said, lice in pets and other animals often occur when animals live in unsanitary environments. As such, it may be no surprise to learn that lice are not a commonly diagnosed parasite in animals.
Lice are highly contagious and can spread easily in schools, daycares, and playgroups from head-to-head contact and as children share hats, hairbrushes and hair accessories.
While lice in people are not the result of poor hygiene, pets and other animals often pick up lice from unsanitary living conditions. Lice can be transmitted easily in animal shelters that lack proper disinfection methods, grooming facilities that fail to sanitize their equipment, or pet stores with poor living conditions. For pets who contract a lice infection, dogs may play host to one species of bloodsucking lice and two species of chewing lice, while cats only attract one species of chewing lice.
Regardless of the type of lice your pet has, she will become itchy, causing her to rub, chew, and scratch at the affected area, which leads to a matted, rough coat. If you notice your pet itching, chewing, and scratching, schedule a veterinary visit to determine the cause. If your pet has lice and your child snuggles your pup or kitty, she may have a louse or nit fall on her.
Fortunately, since lice are species-specific parasites, the opportunistic louse on your child or pet will soon die without an appropriate meal. Since lice can take weeks to fully eradicate from your family and your home, prevention is much simpler than treatment. For your children, prevent them from sharing hats, brushes, helmets, and hair accessories with other kids. For your pets, investigate your grooming and boarding facilities to ensure they are clean and thoroughly disinfected between each pet.
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