Article on Yahoo! - Pet owners warning

Pet Owners Warned of When Cicadas Emerge
Thu Apr 29, 1:24 PM ET Add U.S. National - AP to My Yahoo!


By DAVID DISHNEAU, Associated Press Writer

HAGERSTOWN, Md. - When millions of cicadas emerge across the eastern United States for a rare mating season, they will appear as tasty morsels to pets who could get sick from eating the insects, officials warned.


The insects are protein-rich but their hard outer shells can cause vomiting and constipation in cats and dogs, said Randall Lockwood, vice president for the Humane Society of the United States.


"Imagine a yard full of chicken nuggets, that's sort of what it's going to be like" for dogs and cats, Lockwood said Tuesday.


Millions of the large, red-eyed insects will soon emerge from the ground for a once-every-17-years mating dance lasting well into June.


Experts say the insects will climb into trees and shed their shells to reveal their wings. Males will attract mates through a loud buzzing sound.


The approximately 1 1/2-inch-long bugs "combine all the stuff that particularly dogs like to chase," Lockwood said. "They're kind of flying pet toys: They are loud, slow-moving, often low-flying."


The Washington-based Humane Society advises keeping pets indoors, securing screens and holding tight to dog leashes outdoors.


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On the Net:


Humane Society of the United States: http://www.hsus.org./ace/352

 

eeeewww. That sounds dreadful. I hope they don't come to the west coast.

 

elizavixen: WOW!!! that's news to me. We are ready to come into our cicada season. And, yes, my dogs would try to eat one. I never heard of this. Another thing for me to worry about. I clicked on your link and read about the baby seals. I posted about this subject on an other board a few weeks ago which was posted in the New York Times. OMG it's so horrible!!! But about the cicadas, thanks for posting. Now I just have to figure out how to keep my dogs from wanting to eat them.

 

I was in high school in Cincinnati one year when the cicadas came out. For someone who has an irrational fear of insects (me) it was not fun!!

They are back again this year. My mother is glad they don't live there now (and we don't either). I never thought about dogs eating them. Ick! Ick! Ick!! *shudder*


Jamiya

 

YUCK! I hate bugs soo much. I don't know what it is. They are mostly all small and harmeless, and I am not a real "girl" and wimp about most things. EXCEPT bugs! I hope we don't get 'em here. Poor Curt will have to care for Harley outside while they're out, cause I will be barracaded in my house.

 

WHEN I WAS YOUNGER I CAN REMEMBER GOING SHOPPING WITH MY MOM AND BEING "ATTACKED" BY LOTS OF THIS GUYS. THE STORE OWNER HAD A BUCKET BY THE FRONT DOOR WITH A HAND BROOM AND DUST PAN SO YOU COULD BRUSH OFF THESE BUGGERS AND SQUISH THEM AND THEN PITCH THEM IN THE TRASH. ME I THOUGHT IT WAS MORE FUN TO PUT THEM BACK OUTSIDE...WHILE LETTING MORE IN!

 

Goo got "mauled" by one of these last summer, it was laying in the road as we walked by, and she kicked it, which sent it buzzing loudly up her leg... talked about freaked out :shock: . She started cowhopping, and did that about 10' down the street (on her leash, me attached), at which point I had to go back and see what it was (was worried that it was a bee, and had maybe stung her). She balked, planted her feet, and gave me her biggest "NOT going near that thing again" look before finally giving in and allowing herself to be half-dragged along with me back to inspect. I nudged the bug with the toe of my shoe, and it buzzed around in a circle on the ground, which sent Goo into a fit of furious barking. Once I figured out it was no harm, we headed home, Goo peeking back every few seconds to be sure he wasn't chasing us :lol: