As Floridians, we know that bugs are a year-round problem. Bugs thrive in our hot, humid climate, and can often bite and bother your pet. Various parasite and insect species may bite or sting your pet, leading to discomfort, a mild or life-threatening allergic reaction, or disease transmission. Our Bayview Animal Hospital team knows that reducing insect exposure is important to your pet’s health, so we’re sharing everything you need to know about bug bites.

Fleas and flea allergies in pets

Fleas are a huge problem for pets, including indoor cats. These tiny, jumping insects live on your pet as adults and deposit their eggs on your pet’s fur and in their environment (i.e., your home). If your pet is infested, fleas continuously bite them, causing your four-legged friend to suffer constant itchiness and irritation. Flea bites are not typically visible on your pet’s skin, but you may see the pests or their droppings (i.e., flea dirt). Many pets with fleas develop a flea bite allergy, which causes widespread extreme itchiness, hair loss, and red, inflamed skin. 

Ticks and tick-borne illnesses in pets

Ticks live in wooded or grassy environments and bite their hosts to have a blood meal. While a tick feeds, the parasite can transmit a multitude of disease-causing bacteria and viruses, including Lyme disease. Tick-borne disease severity ranges from asymptomatic to deadly, depending on your pet’s immune response. Tick bites are irritating and leave a firm bump on your pet’s skin for several weeks, occasionally becoming infected or resulting in a local rash.

Mosquito bites and heartworm disease in pets

If a mosquito bites your pet, the wound appears as a red, itchy welt that resolves in a few days. However, the main mosquito bite concern is heartworm transmission. Heartworms can grow up to a foot long and reproduce within your pet’s most vital organs, their heart and lungs. Heartworm infection is usually silent for months or years, but damage accumulates during that time, eventually leading to a pet’s heart failure or death. A high-quality monthly heartworm preventive is an inexpensive, effective option that will prevent your pet from contracting a heartworm infection. However, to prevent mosquitoes from biting your four-legged friend, you can also apply a pet-safe bug repellent before they head outdoors. 

Bug bite reactions in pets

Many other bugs, including spiders, flies, bees, wasps, and ants, can also attack your pet. These bites and stings usually cause an itchy or painful bump or red spot but occasionally cause an allergic reaction that can be local (i.e., a rash or lesion in the area around the bite or sometimes at distant sites, such the ear tips). A more severe allergic reaction affects a pet’s entire body, causing hives, facial swelling, vomiting, diarrhea, or, rarely, anaphylactic shock. If your pet experiences a systemic allergic reaction, our Bayview Animal Hospital team or a local emergency facility must provide them with prompt emergency care.

Preventing bug bites in pets

A veterinarian-recommended flea and tick preventive can greatly reduce, but not entirely stop, these pests from attacking your pet. Preventive products work continuously over one or three months to kill biting fleas and ticks, ending their life cycle. Because a tick may die slowly after attaching to your pet, you should remove any ticks you find on your four-legged friend to reduce their risk of contracting an infectious disease. To help limit the number of mosquitoes that bite your furry pal and their exposure to other bugs, you should administer a pet-safe bug repellent, made from natural, non-chemical ingredients, before heading outdoors.

Treating bug bites in pets

If you suspect your pet has a bug bite, you should first schedule an appointment with our Bayview Animal Hospital team so we can rule out parasites and other skin conditions, including allergic reactions or infections. Placing your pet on a high-quality flea and tick preventive helps to both treat and prevent flea infestations, the major source of pets’ bug bites. 

Once our team has determined that your pet is not experiencing a more severe skin condition, you can treat the occasional bug bite at home. Oatmeal, aloe, or hydrocortisone shampoo will help ease your pet’s itchiness. You can apply an ice pack to an acute bug bite or sting to reduce pain and swelling.  Always seek veterinary care if you suspect your pet is having an allergic reaction to a bug bite or the wound does not improve after you administer simple home treatments.

Insects will always bug pets in our area. Now that you are aware of bug bites’ dangers, you can help keep your pet comfortable and healthy by preventing bites and stings and treating a mild reaction at home. If your pet exhibits any skin changes or problems that do not resolve within a few days, or needs immediate care for a severe bug bite allergy, contact our Bayview Animal Hospital team.