Can animals get lice from humans?

Therefore, if your child comes home from school with a diagnosis of head lice, your dog, cat or other pets in the household are not at risk of catching the lice or hatching eggs. Conversely, while lice are not common in dogs and cats, the species of lice that live on dogs and cats are not able to live on humans. read more

Lice in Humans. While not an immediate threat to health, human head lice is contagious and not an indicator of poor personal hygiene. If your child has been diagnosed with lice, please see your healthcare provider for treatment and methods for removing the eggs (nits) from the hair, scalp, bedding, and clothing. read more

There is a different species of louse for each species of animal. While dog lice are uncommon, Linognathus piliferus is the species most often found. The entire lifespan of a louse is lived on 1 host. Dog lice will not live on humans; nor will human lice live on dogs. Dog lice mate on the dog and attach their nits to the hairs of the dog. read more

Head lice are very sturdy creatures and can survive many days off of people in furniture, linens or clothing. Head lice need a blood meal every few hours and the warmth of the human scalp to survive. When off the human body, they cannot survive for more than 24 to 36 hours. Nits (lice eggs) can fall off a person’s head, hatch and cause another person to get lice. read more

Lice are species-specific, which means there are different species of lice for each animal species that they depend on. Human lice need human blood to survive; dog lice need dog blood and so on. Therefore, if your child comes home from school with a diagnosis of head lice, your dog, cat or other pets in the household are not at risk of catching the lice or hatching eggs. read more