Experts Warn: Don't Let Your Pet Eat Cicadas

[austin]

Pet experts say that this spring's crop of 17-year cicadas will seem like a yard full of chicken nuggets to dogs and cats. The Humane Society of the United States warns that, like junk food, the cicadas can make pets sick.


Randall Lockwood, a Humane Society vice president and animal behaviorist, says the insects are protein-rich but their exoskeletons are indigestible, so eating too many can cause vomiting or constipation.


Millions of the large, red-eyed insects are expected to emerge from the ground across the eastern United States within days or weeks for a once-every-17-years mating dance.


Experts say the nymphs will climb into trees, shed their shells to reveal wings, and then go about their business, including loud buzzing by males to attract mates.


The Washington-based Humane Society advises keeping pets indoors, securing screens, and holding tight to dog leashes during outdoor walks.

[babybluetx23]

WOW! Who would have thought! Thanks! I normally dont LIKE my dog to eat bugs.....I guess it just kind of grosses me out!

[JDUCE]

I hate those little buggers! They are so loud!

[LavenderRott]

i Hate Beetles!!!!!!!!!

[austin]

Hanaah loves anything that will make her barf, so I now have one more thing to worry about.

[Denise L.]

Wow!

Great...another thing to worry about!

BTW, I LOVE the buzz of cicadas...the sound of SUMMER!

[Brooke&Ryan]

Thank goodness it's not worms or Julius would be SO depressed!

[babybluetx23]

EW! Worms?!?!?! I guess thats Canine Pasta?!?! BLECH!

[C Ross]

We are expecting five billion cicadas in southwest Ohio in the next couple of weeks. I didn't live here 17 years ago, but the veterans tell me the sound is deafening.

Local experts are advising that the cicadas are not toxic to pets, but overconsumption can result in vomiting. I don't have many trees, and the soil is mostly clay in my yard, so we're taking a wait and see attitude.

Christine

[babybluetx23]

We are the same way here. We have the Hard Packed Clay type Soil. Our biggest problem here are crickets and june bugs! YUCK! Harley already thinks that june bugs are a canine all you can eat buffet! YUCK!
We have mayflies too and he catched thos in mid air and eats them! Ewww!! hehehe Getting the willys now!

[MyRottBullet]

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...cicadas_pets_1

[Squeaky2004]

So thats what that noise is during the summertime? I didn't know what they were I have always just referred to them as June bugs? hmmmmm interesting but scary.

[Lookie]

We call them Junebugs, and thank goodness they aren't in my immediate area, cuz Harley chases anything that flies.

And in regards to that, she'll chomp down on bees too, is that anything I should worry about, besides the stinging of course, and that doesn't seem to bother her...will anything else?

[Squeaky2004]

ewww i hate junebugs, I have only ever seen one up close and that was at the science centre. Well thanks for posting that heads up, we will watch her even closer (which i dont know how possible that is) lol when we start hearing those things.