(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — If your dog has a penchant for sampling the local cicada cuisine, a local expert says your dog’s health could be at risk.
Mike Bleser became concerned when Trixie, his 13-year-old chocolate labrador retriever, had a bloated abdomen after sneaking out of the house for a couple of hours and likely gorging on cicadas.
“She could barely move,” said Bleser, of Deerfield. “She looked like she was on hallucinogenic drugs.”
Bleser said he noticed his dog eating cicadas “like popcorn” during their walks, but it wasn’t until the dog was out on its own that it, apparently, overdid it.
He ended up taking Trixie to a veterinary emergency center twice last weekend. A veterinarian couldn’t confirm cicadas were behind the illness but believed that to be the case, said Bleser. Trixie got better after more than three days.
American Kennel Club Chief Veterinarian Dr. Jerry Klein, who lives in Chicago, said cicadas are not toxic to dogs but shouldn’t be part of their diet.
“If they eat enough of them, especially if it’s a small dog with a small stomach, they can become embedded, so you don’t want them to eat endless amounts,” Klein said. “That could be problematic.”
Klein said if a dog starts vomiting or gets sick after eating cicadas — or anything else, for that matter — owners should take it to see a vet.
He advised raking your yard of cicadas or keeping dogs on a tight leash during walks to lessen the chance the dog will eat the insect.
Bleser found another solution, though: He puts Trixie on a muzzle now during their walks.
“It works perfect,” he said. “She tries to scoop up and eat the cicadas but the muzzle won’t allow her to do it.
“She was annoyed at it probably the first two days, and now it’s just a part of her routine. Every time we go outside, we put the muzzle on, and it prevents her from eating any cicadas.”
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