Most Common Bug Bites on Cats and Dogs

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There are many ways in which you can treat a bug bite on your pet. Although prevention is the best treatment, sometimes that’s not possible. So it’s important to be aware of the most common bug bites that you can find on your pet and how to treat each of them. One of the key components of pet ownership is recognizing, preventing, and treating bug bites on your pet.

1. FleasFleas are pesky insects that infect our pets by jumping onto our beloved pets’ bodies and zooming across the surface of their skin. The most common places they are likely to bite and irritate the skin are the head, groin, neck, and tail base area. In order to alleviate the discomfort, your pet might itch, scratch, or chew on the areas where the tick has been. Flea saliva has very allergenic properties that further aggravates your pets. A single bite is able to cause your pet to itch all over his body.
2. TicksTicks are found everywhere. If your pet loves being outside, then ticks are always a risk. Your pet can acquire ticks by simply rubbing against a leaf, grass, branch, or even the ground. Ticks are creatures that slowly crawl across the surface of the skin until they find a good enough spot to sink their teeth into to satisfy their blood lust. The common sites where ticks are discovered on pets are the face, ears, head, flanks, and limbs. There is usually redness and swelling around the tick bite.
3. MitesThese are microscopic insects that are impossible to see with the naked eye. They burrow through layers of your pet’s skin to feed and live. They chew their way through the skin and creates inflammation which can then lead to infections like bacteria and yeast. Skin lesions can also manifest through the whole body. The areas which are most commonly affected are the armpits, ear margins, groin area, and areas like elbows that have minimal fur.
4. MosquitoesYes, even our pets get irritated by mosquito bites. Pets can also feel that stinging sensation of the mosquito penetrating their skin. This can lead to sudden chewing, licking, and scratching. Although all body parts are exposed to mosquito bites, the back and flanks provide a broader surface for the mosquito to bite on. Post-mosquito bite, your pet may display swelling, redness, or hives at the site.
5. AntsAlthough ant bites don’t have long-term, whole-body effects, they still cause localized swelling and pain. Most common symptoms associated with ant bites are itching, swelling, lameness, and redness.Knowing the type of bug bite and the symptoms they cause can be really beneficial in treating the condition.