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Key words: Canis lupus, Dog Lice, ectoparasite, Gray Wolf, northern Rocky Mountains, Trichodectes canis, wildlife disease
Dog Lice (Trichodectes canis) frequently infest domestic dogs and other wild canids in North America (Brand and others 1995). Gray Wolves (Canis lupus; hereafter Wolves) infested with Dog Lice were identified on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska in 1981-1983 (Schwartz and others 1983; Taylor and Spraker 1983; Zarnke and Spraker 1985; Golden and others 1999); in Interior Alaska near Denali National Park in 1999 (Golden and others 1999); and in Tanana Flats, south of Fairbanks, Alaska in 2003 (Alaska Department of Fish and Game, unpubl. data). Louse-infested Wolves have also been documented in Minnesota (Mech and others 1985; Gogan and others 2004), Wisconsin (Mech and others 1985), and Saskatchewan (Wobeser and others 1983). Dog Lice, however, have not been documented on free-ranging Wolves in the Northern Rocky Mountains in the western United States. We report the 1st recorded cases of Dog Lice infesting 14 Wolves in 9 different packs in Montana and Idaho from 2005 through 2007.
Dog Lice and louse eggs (nits) can be seen attached to individual hairs on Wolves. Nits hatch in 1 to 3 wk, and their life cycle is completed in 3 to 4 wk (Turner 1971). Dog Lice are scavengers that eat bits of skin, hair, blood, and sebaceous secretions, causing pruritis, which in turn causes Wolves to chew and scratch affected areas on their bodies. Alopecia frequently results from broken or missing guard hairs, primarily on the shoulders and groin areas. More severe cases progress to seborrhea and secondary bacterial infections which lead to matted malodorous underfur (Schwartz and others 1983; Brand and others 1995; Kreeger 2003). Lice can be transmitted to uninfested Wolves by direct or indirect contact with an infested Wolf, Coyote (Canis latrans), or Domestic Dog (Canis lupus familiaris). Wolf pups are more frequently infested and more vulnerable than juveniles and adults (Brand and others 1995; Kreeger 2003).
In 1995 and 1996, the US Fish and Wildlife Service captured 66...