The Dangers of Insect Bites: What You Need To Know – Part 1

A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of having dinner with Steve Dale who is a pet expert and certified dog and cat behaviorist, journalist, radio host, and frequent speaker at national veterinary and animal welfare conferences. Steve was in New York City to promote a book he helped edit called Decoding Your Dog, written by the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists. Though he was kind enough to give me (and sign) 2 books (one for Abandoned Angels Cocker Spaniel Rescue’s recent online auction), what he was really there to talk to me about was insect bites. I know what you’re thinking: Who cares about insect bites? Read on.

Steve Dale with his furry wiggle butts

As dog owners, we’ve all heard about the importance of flea and tick prevention. Depending on where you live in the world, the dangers of these insects are more (or less) pronounced but, when is the last time you heard about the dangers of mosquito bites for dogs? More importantly, did you know that mosquitoes are the pesky bugs that spread heartworm and that heartworm can be deadly?

Photo credit: Tobyotter / Foter / Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)

As a resident of New York City, I know that a lot of dog owners here only use flea and tick prevention on their dogs during the warm months and I’ve actually never heard of mosquito bite prevention for dogs. I also know plenty of dog owners who just don’t like the idea of putting a chemical or pesticide on their dog, myself included. That said, it’s a necessarily evil if you want to protect your dog and quite simply, a few months of protection out of the year just isn’t enough, regardless of your location. Steve told me that veterinarians have been seeing a huge spike in vector-borne diseases among dogs in metropolitan areas across the country, including New York City and his hometown of Chicago. I’m guessing the increase may be due to the fact that most city dwellers don’t believe they need to put their dogs on preventative all year long. After all, we’re surrounded by concrete – not trees!

But… then I remembered that time I took Frenchy for a walk in my Queens neighborhood only to find a tick embedded in her fur upon our return…  and then I confessed to Steve that for years, my husband and I have thought we might have a mosquito infestation behind our apartment building because every summer, we go crazy killing about 30 or so in our bedroom.

So, it’s time for us to get some scary facts out in the open:

FLEAS

• In just one day, a single flea can bite your dog more than 400 times.
• Blood consumption by fleas can produce iron deficiency anemia and even death in heavy infestations.
• Flea bites can cause flea allergy dermatitis – an allergic reaction to proteins in flea saliva.

TICKS

• Ticks can consume 100x their body weight in blood. (Ick)!
• Ticks spread Lyme Disease which dogs are 50% more likely to contract than humans.
• Studies show that topical products containing permethrin (which kills on contact) can prevent Lyme transmission to dogs.

MOSQUITOES

• It only takes one mosquito to transfer heartworm from one dog to another.
• Heartworm occurs in all 50 states.
• The American Heartworm Society recommends year-round prevention, even in seasonal areas.
• Heartworms may live for 5-7 years and each mosquito season can lead to an increasing number of worms in dogs.
• There is no natural prevention for heartworms.
• More than 70 species of mosquitos can transmit heartworm disease.
• Humans can get heartworm but only by the bite of a mosquito carrying the disease. Petting or licking by a dog with heartworm cannot transmit the disease.

For now, I ask that you mull over these facts. In Part 2 (coming soon),  I’ll tell you more about what you can do to prevent vector-borne illnesses in your dog.

Disclaimer: This post is provided for informational and educational purposes only and is not meant to substitute for any medical advice provided by your veterinarian. You should not use information contained in this post to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease, or prescribe any medication. If you suspect that your pet has a medical problem, contact your veterinarian. 

Were any of these insect danger facts new to you? Please let me know by leaving a comment below.