I am wondering if anybody can give me any advice on lice infestation. I picked up my Bernese puppy three weeks ago only to discover when I got him home that he was ridden with lice! I immediately took him to my vets who said it was the worst case they had seen!! They applied advocate but two days later they were still crawling in their thousands so I went back and they applied frontline spray. I consequently had him clipped as his coat was so thick I thought this would give us a better chance on getting on top of them. i am  grooming him twice a day with a nitcomb as well as a brush. He had to have a second dosing of frontline last Friday as they were still present!! Now my concern is that the vet says bathe him after 48 hours in sebocalm as he has a few sores on his skin from the itching  but wont that wash the frontline out and then when the eggs  hatch  the whole cycle will start again. I am massaging olive oil to the areas that are sore and scabbed over.   Also the vet says that lice are active in the enviroment just like fleas but according to various info on the net they are saying thats not true! I am at my wits end just dont know what to do for the best. By the way they are the chewing lice not the blood sucking ones so thankfully he is not anaemic. Any replies would be appreciated.

Oh dear how awful

I know this isn't helpful to you and I am guessing you already have but have you informed the breeder? It's likely the rest of the litter have them if he came to you with them so they will need treating too.

It sounds like you are doing everything that you can from a medicinal point of view, have you thought about trying a homeopathic remedy to use along side the prescribed medication?

Nicki xx

Yeah I have told the breeder cos I too was concerned about the other pups but apparently they are OK??Both me and my vet find that very hard to believe!

What homeopathic remedies would you suggest??

Lisa xx

The bath should not wash out the frontline once it has been on the skin for 48 hours.
You may find the nit comb a bit harsh for his baby skin and it could be aggravating it. How old is he? Bernie puppy fur is so very soft and I know it is very hard to groom down to the skin but try a wider toothed comb first then once it is all clear you could try the nit comb!
Puppies should not be lousy!!! I cannot believe the rest of the litter are not affected either.
Aileen

A friend of mine has just bought a puppy with lice, her vets treated it with Stronghold, poor puppies!

What kind of breeder is this?   

I find it impossible to believe that the other pups aren't affected, lice are passed from dog to dog, my bet is the mother has them too

info here
http://www.pested.msu.edu/Resources/bulletins/pdf/2492/E2492chap10.pdf

Have you got a Nitty Gritty comb ?    costs about £10 but will help rid the nits too    It's used with conditioner to aid combing

Yeah I have invested in a Nitty Gritty comb they are fab and kind to the pups skin.

I really think the other pups will be infested. I know the lice cannot jump and are passed by contact so it seems right they will have got them from the mother.

He was so sad the first few days I had him and I think that was more down to discomfort than missing his mum. All in all hes much better than he was but just can't wait for the day until hes free of every single one of them! His socialisng is suffering because of it as well because its unfair to take him near other dogs and I feel obliged to tell people he has lice even though they dont live on us.

Thanks to you all for replying to my post, its nice to have support.

Lisa xxx

Just like to add that my Vet spoke with frontline before she applied the second dose as you normally have to leave it a month between doses and we felt it needed doing again after two weeks because there were still live lice on him. Frontline said it had been tested successfully and we all felt that it was in my pups interest to proceed. The only thing Frontline said was that dog lice are active in the enviroment so maybe he was being re-infested and they were living somewhere in the home?? I have read that lice are not active in the enviroment and presumed it was nit eggs hatching and thats why he still keeps having bouts of lice. By the way the whole house has been sprayed with indorex and his bedding is boil washed daily.

Your comments please!

If your Vet is an older man (they know that way it used to be done rather than younger Vets who use drugs for everything!)  ask him about benzyl benzoate.   It used to sort out lice with just one treatment.

Oh the poor pup. I do hope that you get it sorted soon..

I would be going back to the vets to try something else if what you are currently doing isn't working.

Is there an area of your house that you can keep your pup which is not carpeted for the time being until you get this sorted?

Have you any other pets in the house or recently had any in the house?

oh poor boy! That sounds horrendous

hope it clears up soon

> the whole house has been sprayed with indorex and his bedding is boil washed daily

Is Idorex an environmental insecticide that has insect growth inhibitors/regulators.  If not then this is what would stop any environmental reinfestation issues as it stops insects developing.

Benzyl Benzoate
When i had horses this was always used as part of the stables husbandry every horse and pony in the yard was done reguardless every spring,stinky stuff but does the trick humans can also use it if you happen to get any of the lice on you.You can buy it from some of the bigger saddlers or online but please check with your vet first. Hope all goes well with your pup debby

Benzyl Benzoate
Kills anything that crawls!   I've always got a bottle in the cupboard.

By the way the whole house has been sprayed with indorex and his bedding is boil washed daily.

Has your car been sprayed? I always remember taking a stray cat to a local rescue, we went on holiday shortly afterwards for a couple of weeks parking the car at the airport, came back 2 weeks later got in the car and was immediately covered in fleas desperate I imagine for a feed took 2-3 treatments a couple of weeks apart to solve that one!

Its funny you should mention horses but the pups were housed in stables with horses!! Think I will invest in some Benzyl Benzoate but will speak with the vet first.

Do reputable breeders keep pups in stables? 

Well they certainly may use stables to contain pups to dry off, or have wet weather space/shelter, but I woudln't expect to see a litter reared in stables these days, as most peopel want a pup used to the household.

To be honest can't compalin at all about his house training hes been fantastic. Mind you I am with him all the time so I suppose that helps?  He is such a laid back little fella no issues at all apart from the lice!! However just bathed him and am pleased to say nothing walked off of him unlike after last weeks bath!! Fingers crossed we are heading in the right direction...

The only thing Frontline said was that dog lice are active in the enviroment so maybe he was being re-infested and they were living somewhere in the home?? I have read that lice are not active in the enviroment and presumed it was nit eggs hatching and thats why he still keeps having bouts of lice.

At home in Sweden if a dog gets any kind of infestation it is usually lice as fleas are extremely rare. I never saw fleas ever in Sweden in 22 years there as they tends to mainly exists in the southern parts. Hence I've seen lice a few times, although not on my own dogs. (I used to work as a vet nurse in Sweden.) The difference between fleas and lice are that lice can't jump so can't infest other animals as easily, and also they die after a maximum of 3 days off the host. I.e. they cannot live in carpets etc for long, so my vet's advice was always to not let an infested dog have access to each room for 3 days, then any lice in there would die. Same would go for the car etc. In Sweden the advice is two baths in insecticidal shampoo with 7-10 days in between each bath.

He is such a laid back little fella no issues at all apart from the lice!!
You've only had him 3 weeks - it's very early days yet!  If the litter was kept outside all the time then it's really not the best start.  Did they show or work the dam or were they just producing puppies from their pet?  Were the sire and dam hip and elbow scored?  Any tremblers or Malignant Histiocytosis in the line?

Can we keep this thread on topic please.