Ah Summer, time for bug bites!

Most all of us enjoy summer over all the other seasons. It is a time for gatherings, camping, swimming and just plain enjoying the outdoors. (Normally, we will see with Covid-19.)

While we are out and enjoying nature, so are our pets. This means bug bites, and some scary looking bites they can be. Below I will put up photos of different bites and what they look like on your pet, to help you with the worries that come with finding these lesions. T

You can protect your pets from Fleas and ticks simply by giving them a monthly tablet or monthly application on their skin, but you can't protect them from the Gnats and the Flies as easily.

This is what the average Gnat bite will look like on your pet.

A Gnat bite is usually round, red and looks like a target. This can be confusing because Tick bites can cause a target on humans. Dogs do NOT get targets with Tick bites and Lyme.

Often times you will find several bites, beings Gnats love to swarm, and they are often on the underside of the pet from laying in the grass.

Keeping the area clean and stopping your pet from licking at the area is the best coarse of action, but if you see the redness spreading or yellow puss forming it might be time to call the Vet for further diagnosis.

Next we have the Black Fly, we have all felt their wrath, and this is what they look like.

Notice how the Black Fly bites are not as rounded, and they are fully red rather then lighter in the center. Again you may find them anywhere on your pet, but the area that they normally go after is the underside of the pet, and they like the ears and muzzle of your pets as well.

Again, keep these areas clean and make sure that the pet is not licking at the area. Keep an eye on these areas for signs of infection like talked about in the above picture.

Tick bites are a little different, most of the time you will see the Tick still holding on. If you have used preventative the tick will be small and dead, but if you are not using preventative you may see an engorged tick that has been sucking the blood of your pet, and possibly transmitting disease such as Lyme, Anaplasmosis and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Ticks should be removed carefully, you want to make sure that the entire head is taken out so that it will not continue to fester. Always grab the tick as close to the skin as you can get so that it doesn't break. Once the Tick is out clean the area and watch for redness or swelling. If this occurs, give your Vet a call and have your pet checked for infection.

Finally we have our best friends, our State Bird, the Mosquito.

This is a classic Mosquito bite dog. Some of them can get bumps all over like this, where as others you can't even tell that they are being bit. The scary part about these little biters is that they are carriers of Heart worm disease, a deadly worm that lives in the heart of your dog. *See my blog on Heart worm for more information and preventative. Mosquito bites will fade fairly quickly if left alone. If your dog is bothering at these bites, a t-shirt could help to keep them from licking at the area. You can also talk with your Vet for anti-itch medication.

Thank you as always for reading, and have a safe and healthy summer. Call us if you need any help.

Carmen