Veterinarians are warning Las Vegas dog owners tonight about a dog lice outbreak.
Doctors say there's been an unusually high number of cases in the past month or so.
"(Dog) Lice isn't very common to see but when we have a lot of cases coming in we do get concerned," said Dr. Taylor Parker with Lone Mountain Animal Hospital.
Dr. Parker says Lone Mountain Animal Hospital is one of many animal hospitals across the valley seeing this issue.
"Dogs are coming in with a bunch of itching, scratching, some are losing some hair, and then when we look at the dog, we see some actual lice on the dog."
The bugs are either white or brown and lay white eggs.
"If dogs are in a small confined area and they are exposed to each other just by contact alone, they will get lice," said Dr. Parker. "And it can spread very quickly. We are seeing it most commonly in areas where dogs come together a lot."
Dr. Parker warns you to think twice about dog parks and doggie daycares during this time where we are seeing so many lice cases. She says if you are going to continue going to these places, make sure your dog has had some form of a topical treatment like Revolution or Frontline.
"It's so easy to pass it along," she said. "One dog can infest a bunch in one day."
Dr. Parker notes that our climate and geographical location make a dog lice outbreak unusual.
"It's crazy that in the middle of the desert in the summer, we're getting a huge infestation of it."
