{"id":14366,"date":"2021-04-05T08:50:54","date_gmt":"2021-04-05T14:50:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/outwardhound.com\/furtropolis\/?p=14366"},"modified":"2022-04-29T08:04:18","modified_gmt":"2022-04-29T14:04:18","slug":"my-dog-ate-a-cicada","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/outwardhound.com\/furtropolis\/barking-news\/my-dog-ate-a-cicada","title":{"rendered":"Brood X Is Coming: What You Need to Know If Your Dog Ate a Cicada"},"content":{"rendered":"

Are Cicadas Harmful to Dogs?<\/h2>\n

If you live on the east coast, brace yourself. Brood X is on its way<\/a>, and it’s going to take over your neighborhood for a good month or so. While cicadas aren’t especially harmful to dogs as they do not bite or sting, they can cause gastrointestinal upset if ingested in large amounts.<\/p>\n

If your dog eats things they shouldn’t or has a hankering for household insects like stink bugs, cockroaches, grasshoppers, and the like, start trying to curb the habit as soon as possible. There are a few measures you can take to prevent them from snacking on these loud insects and their hard exoskeletons.<\/p>\n

Come May, you don’t want to call your vet to say, “My dog ate a cicada. What do I do?”<\/p>\n

What Is Brood X and Why Are They Emerging Now?<\/h2>\n

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Billions of cicadas (yes, billions) will soon be all over 18 states in the mid-Atlantic region,\u00a0Matt Kasson<\/a>, an associate professor of forest pathology and mycology at West Virginia University, told\u00a0The New York Times<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Dr. Kasson says the Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Northern Virginia regions are in one of three epicenters that will see the largest amount of cicadas. Indiana and Tennessee are the other two.<\/p>\n

Even if you are not in a Brood X-specific region, you can still find cicadas in your state in the summer months. While there are many different types of cicadas, Brood X is a group of periodical cicadas that emerge from the ground every 17 years to mate.<\/p>\n

Having grown up in Washington, D.C., I can attest that this cicada emergence is no joke. Though I was a student in junior high 17 years ago, I remember the cicada takeover well.<\/p>\n

They were\u00a0everywhere<\/em>. (Even on\u00a0restaurant menus<\/a>.) It wasn’t possible to walk home from school at one point without stepping on one, even if you tried to tip-toe around them as if navigating a minefield.<\/p>\n

Cicadas also have no personal boundaries. They will fly right into your face, land on your hair, bump into your arm \u2026 anything goes! It’s their world for a few weeks, and we’re just living in it.<\/p>\n

My dog ate a cicada. How do I stop it?<\/h2>\n
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My dog Jack loves chasing bubbles, bees, and flies. Hopefully not cicadas.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I wasn’t a dog owner 17 years ago, but I am now. And while Jack<\/a> doesn’t have a bug-eating habit, he does have a bug-chasing<\/em> one. I think they remind him of bubbles, which he also loves to chase. He thinks flies and bumblebees buzzing by him equate to being challenged to a duel. As such, I worry he’ll find swarms of cicadas too enticing.<\/p>\n

That’s why I’m practicing the\u00a0“leave it” command<\/a>\u00a0with him before the great emergence. Bottom line, teaching “leave it” is an essential command that could save your dog’s life by keeping them away from hazardous items they might want to ingest.<\/p>\n

Teaching the “Leave It” Command<\/h3>\n

Instead of Fido’s regular old dog food, grad some high-value treats<\/a> for this. Start in a quiet area with limited distractions. You may use a clicker if you have one.<\/p>\n