Understanding Insect Bites on Your Dog

Contrary to what most pet owners know or assume, our beloved pets sometimes have to constantly endure being stung or bitten by insects. However, most of the time, we are not usually aware of this kind of suffering that insects may afflict on them. Here’s everything you need to know about insect bites in a nutshell.

How to Tell Your Dog Has Been Bitten or Stung by an Insect

There are several visible signs that may betray that your dog has been bitten or stung by an insect. Here’s a quick primer on that.

·         Excessive Itching

·         Swelling

·         Redness and obvious skin irritation

·         Skin that is obviously too hot to touch

·         Vocal sounds e.g whining or howling that could indicate that possible discomfort

How to Treat and Pacify Insect Bites

Fortunately, treating insect bites is not as complicated or as complex as other pet emergencies. If anything, it is possible to even hack it at home. We have outlined an array of simple steps that you can follow to do as safely and as quickly as possible.

·         Pay attention to the pet’s behavior: Sudden behavioral changes such as collapsing, seizures, diarrhea, and vomiting may indicate that your beloved poodle is undergoing anaphylactic shock and needs immediate veterinary care.

·         Look for a stinger: All other factors held constant, there should be a stinger left behind in the wound from the insect bite. Ensure that this sting is removed as quickly and safely as possible without the risk of ejecting more venom into the animal’s body. For this reason, you may want to use a credit card or attempt to work it out by hand rather than use a pair of tweezers.

·         Cold compress always works: You can always use the old-fashioned cold compress method to ease swelling from the aftermath of the insect sting or bite and soothe the pet.

·         Apply water and baking soda paste to the wound: Make a paste using water and baking soda before applying it to the wound to soothe the bite or an insect sting. Do this the same way as you could apply ointment to your skin following a bite.

·         Oatmeal bath: Try giving your dog a well-deserved oatmeal bath, especially if they have suffered multiple stings and bites. You’d be surprised how soothing and pacifying this could be if they don’t overstress or irritate the animal. 

References: VCAhospitals, veterinaryemergencygroup