Dogs love to play with bugs, and sometimes eat them! That’s a fact! While it may seem awful to us, some dogs love to chow down on insects. But what happens if a dog eats a centipede?
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What is a Centipede?
You’ve probably seen these creatures crawling around in most, dark areas of your home. Centipedes have long bodies with what looks like hundreds of legs. Actually, they look like worms with legs; they can have from 35 to over 350 legs, as they have a pair of legs for each body segment.
There are several types of centipedes that live around the world. The most common are those that live in most areas of North America and Europe, the house centipede.
These arthropods are not poisonous, but they are venomous. They carry a venom that is used to kill their go to meals which include spiders, silverfish, cockroaches, ants, and more. For this reason, it’s actually a good thing to have a centipede around. They kill off other bugs that can be a nuisance. It is the venom that can cause a problem for your dog.
House Centipede Venom & Dogs
Dogs love to go after centipedes, just like they love to chase other types of bugs. For medium and large dogs, eating a centipede probably won’t cause too much trouble, even with the venom. This is because the larger the dog, a higher amount of venom would be necessary to make them sick.
On the other hand, if a smaller dog eats a centipede, it’s possible that the small amount of venom in the bug could be enough to make the dog seriously ill. It depends on the size of the dog and how much venom they have ingested.
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Ask a Vet Live NowDog May Experience These Symptoms After Eating a Centipede
If your dog happens to eat a centipede, then he could develop some of the following symptoms:
- Vomiting
- Breathing issues
- Diarrhea
- Nausea
- Agitation
- Tremors
- Seizures
If you notice any of these symptoms in your dog, then do call the vet immediately. This could be a medical emergency.
Another issue some dogs may have is that they are allergic to the venom. Whether they’ve been stung by the centipede or eaten the bug, a dog that is allergic to the venom could develop the following symptoms:
- Difficulty breathing
- Furious scratching
- Hives
- Swelling of the face, ears, earflaps, lips, or eyelids
- Red/inflamed skin
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Nausea
- Sneezing/snorting/coughing
The dog could have a minor allergic reaction or if he’s very allergic, the venom could cause an anaphylactic reaction, which is a medical emergency.
The best thing is to try to keep your dog from playing with or eating centipedes. These are good bugs to have around, but your fur babies shouldn’t play with or eat them.
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Julie
Julie is a graduate of the University of North Carolina, Wilmington, where she studied Animal science. Though contrary to the opinion of her parents she was meant to study pharmacy, but she was in love with animals especially cats. Julie currently works in an animal research institute (NGO) in California and loves spending quality time with her little cat. She has the passion for making research about animals, how they survive, their way of life among others and publishes it. Julie is also happily married with two kids.
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