Content
- habits of scorpions
- Symptoms and Treatment for Dog Scorpion Bite
- Scorpion sting on dog, what to do?
- Scorpion sting prevention
There are insects that regularly attack dogs. Fleas, ticks and mosquitoes are irritating external parasites, and when we are responsible for the health of our dogs, it's up to us to protect them from them. Collars, pipettes, antiparasitic shampoos and some homemade tricks are the arsenal we have when it comes to adequately protecting our dogs from bites that they can spread disease, infect or irritate your epidermis. There are also, to a lesser degree, bee and wasp stings, which are very painful and can cause severe anaphylactic shock if the dog is allergic to bee and wasp venom or is attacked by a swarm.
However, an arachnid that occasionally may sting our dogs is the scorpion. This type of bite is accidental and is a defensive response of the scorpion when it sees its integrity in danger in the presence of a dog. It is a very painful sting and can be more or less dangerous, depending on the area or country where the sting occurs and the offending species. There are about 1400 species of scorpions in the world, and most produce very painful but harmless stings. However, there are scorpions whose sting is potentially fatal if not treated immediately.
Therefore, in case of scorpion sting on dog, what to do? Keep reading this PeritoAnimal article to clarify your doubts and find out how to react appropriately if this happens one day. Good reading.
habits of scorpions
Before speaking properly of scorpion sting in dog, one factor that must be taken into account is that scorpions are animals of night habits. Therefore, the period of greatest danger for the dog will be at night.
Stings usually occur when accidentally stepping on the scorpion when the arachnid is outside its nest. During the day, scorpion stings are rarer, as they hide very well in their shelters. There are 4 basic types of scorpion, depending on their habitat:
- You psamophiles: inhabit sandy places, being very fast on this type of surface and highly protected against dehydration.
- You lithophiles: they live hidden under rocky soils, and their morphology is very flat.
- You diggers: they live underground in galleries excavated by them or in natural caves.
- You erratic: change habitat frequently, being easier to observe than the other three types.
In this other article we show you how to scare off scorpions.
Symptoms and Treatment for Dog Scorpion Bite
You most common symptoms of scorpion sting to dog are as follows:
- Lachrymation.
- Salivation.
- Muscle tremors.
- Dilated pupils.
- Difficulty breathing.
- Collapse.
All these symptoms are accompanied by moans of pain of the dog. In the most severe cases, seizures occur that precede death.
If you want to know what to do in case of a scorpion bite on a dog, it is important to point out that when the dog is bitten there is only one basic and essential rule: it must be taken to the vet urgently.
In the vast majority of cases, it will be just a very painful sting, but no secondary risks. However, in some regions there are some species of scorpions with a deadly sting.
Every year, more than 3,000 deaths occur worldwide from scorpion stings. In Brazil, according to the Ministry of Health, there were more than 154,000 accidents with scorpion stings just in 2019. Obviously, these fatal accidents also occur among our pets.
Scorpion sting on dog, what to do?
If preventive measures have not worked correctly and you are already seeing scorpion sting symptoms in your dog, follow these steps:
- Keep calm (this is very difficult).
- try catch the scorpion with a long handle put it in an empty preserve jar and take it to the veterinarian so he knows the species. If that is not possible, try photographing the scorpion using your cell phone.
- Don't get too caught up in the second point. And don't wait for dog bite symptoms. The most important thing is to get him to the vet quickly.
- Don't try to cure it with a home remedy for dog scorpion stings
- Remember that the faster you take him to a veterinarian, the more likely he is to save him in case of risks caused by scorpion venom
Scorpion sting prevention
Scorpions tend to remain sheltered most of the time and come out of their hiding places when they need to feed, feel threatened or when they are going to reproduce. They prefer to hide under logs or rocks, inside burrows, and some species manage to bury themselves. Here are some tips that can help you:
- The first prevention to prevent a scorpion bite on a dog will be just don't let him walk at night through garden areas of the houses, as it is during the night that scorpions leave their nests and shelters to hunt insects, spiders, lizards, snails and countless small animals on which they feed.
- Don't leave building materials, wood and other debris lying around in the yard, as they make excellent shelter for scorpions.
- Have some phone numbers available to contact your emergency veterinarian as well as your doctor.
- Protect the joints of your home's doors and windows by splashing them vinegar diluted in water. Scorpions don't like the smell of vinegar.
- If you receive visits from scorpions at home, a good way to keep them away is to use lavender. The plant is a natural scorpion repellent. To do this, plant it in some specific places or, if you have nowhere to do this, just dilute 15 drops of lavender essential oil in a glass of water and, with a spray bottle, apply the mixture around windows and doors. your home.
And since we're talking about dog care, be sure to check out the following video where we talk about dog care in the summer:
This article is for information purposes only, at PeritoAnimal.com.br we are not able to prescribe veterinary treatments or perform any type of diagnosis. We suggest that you take your pet to the veterinarian in case it has any type of condition or discomfort.
If you want to read more articles similar to Scorpion sting on dog, what to do?, we recommend that you enter our First Aid section.