Your dog just ate a cockroach scurrying across the floor. You may be feeling disgusted. But are cockroaches edible to dogs? Should you be alarmed that your dog may have eaten a cockroach? What should you do?
Roaches are not poisonous. But, if your dog eats them, they frequently contain parasites and diseases that might make him ill. Also, using poison in pest control to kill cockroaches can further complicate matters. Therefore, eating cockroaches is not advised, even though it may not be harmful.
Dogs are curious animals. They’ll chase around pests, even poisonous spiders and deadly animals. It’s your job to protect them, and the best way to do that is to keep your home pest-free.
Can a dog eat a cockroach?
Dogs have a powerful predatory drive that isn’t commonly engaged. Your dog will immediately make it its mission to catch anything, like a cockroach darting around in search of food. Superworms and mealworms are also dog favorites.
It’s beneficial for their mental health to enable this prey drive, but chasing and eating roaches isn’t any pet parent’s idea of fun.
Despite having no nutritional value, many dogs view cockroaches as a tasty snack and a good source of protein. So they consume them!
Are roaches bad for my dog?
There’s no need to freak out if your dog ate a cockroach. Dogs can consume them with minimal effort and generally show no reaction to their snack. This is especially true if there is only one cockroach there.
However, if you have any concerns, you should watch for any complications in your dog’s health. Below, we’ve provided further information on that for you.
Due to their heightened sensitivity compared to adults, puppies may experience stomach discomfort when attempting to digest anything.
Additionally, you should ensure to have it examined for parasites or infections, as these can be more problematic in puppies.
The cockroach’s death’s cause is another issue to consider. Homeowners and pest management experts despise these pests because they are notoriously tough to kill.
You should immediately take your dog to the doctor if it’s poisonous.
Symptoms to watch for if a dog ate a bad cockroach
Cockroaches fatally poison only creatures nearly the same size as themselves. When the poison is consumed, toxic chemicals are directly injected into the dog’s bloodstream.
The negative consequences will be felt much more severely in a young, old, or sick dog. Depending on how much the dog has been exposed to the poison, even healthy dogs may require assistance.
Keep an eye out for the following:
- Vomiting
- Shaking
- Excessive drooling
- Diarrhea
- Breathing difficulties
The above signs only appear in a healthy dog following repeated toxin exposure. The one exception will be vomiting, a typical response of dogs after exposure to any chemical.
My dog ate cockroach poison; what do I do?
Although roaches are not deadly by nature, people spend a lot of time and money deliberately poisoning them.
Although roach poison is toxic, the dosage needed to kill a roach should be too little for your dog to suffer significant harm if he eats a poisoned roach.
According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals eating ant and cockroach bait by cats and dogs is surprisingly prevalent.
Sugar and other tasty elements draw the insects to them, so it makes sense that dogs would want to eat them as well.
The amount of active substances in the baits is so small that even if your dog consumes one, you probably won’t notice any issues aside from minor gastrointestinal trouble. The fact that these baits are often packaged in plastic raises more safety concerns owing to possible intestinal blockage than actually consuming the bait.
Boric acid and sugar are occasionally used to make homemade cockroach bait. Roaches devour the dust that sticks to their bodies as they clean themselves after they have crawled over it.
When consumed, boric acid disturbs an insect’s stomach and has the potential to kill it by drying it out.
According to the National Pesticide Information Center, pets should not be exposed to boric acid in amounts greater than 631 milligrams per kilogram of body weight. So, while not remarkable, it is also not particularly poisonous.
How do I keep my dog from eating roaches?
Cockroaches do not naturally attract dogs. But, of course, a dog’s food and waste can.
1. Pet food
Cockroaches enjoy discovering a consistent food source. What could be more trustworthy than a pet’s food bowl? Food scraps will be left for scavengers if a dog doesn’t thoroughly clean its bowl after eating.
Most dog owners leave kibble out for their dogs to chew on all day. Cockroaches will locate close once they learn there is such a quantity of food.
Besides roaches, pet food will also attract rodents like rats. The rats will come for the insects and the pet food as well.
2. Dog sludge
Cockroaches also eat dog feces. Before the owner has time to collect the dog waste, dog droppings are frequently left in the yard. This can draw not only cockroaches but a variety of bugs.
Cockroaches will eventually be attracted to your home since there is much more nourishing, carbohydrate-rich food there.
3. Water
Cockroaches may be drawn to water dishes. Therefore, it is essential to locate a water supply because these pests require moisture to survive.
How to keep cockroaches away from dogs
Regular cleaning and changing how you feed your dog are required to prevent this. This is how:
- More regularly, pick up and get rid of the dog’s waste.
- Similarly, dispose of any leftover food.
- Think twice before leaving a bowl of kibble out. Instead, just enough kibble should be left out for the dog to eat during the day.
- As an alternative, store the leftover meal overnight in an airtight container.
Conclusion
Roaches may not harm your dog if he takes a bite. However, they’re commonly full of parasites that may make your dog sick.
The best way is to keep roaches out of your house. This way, dogs won’t find them and won’t eat them as a result.