My dog eats cicadas-- can this be harmful? (lab, bite, paws)

[Townandcountrygal]

The Cicadas are emerging from their slumber here in the high desert and my lab mix is eating them again, maybe one or two a day. He loves to catch them as they buzz past him. Could ingesting them hurt my dog?

[eevee188]

The last time we had cicadas here I researched this, and apparently cicadas are safe unless the dog eats so many it causes a blockage. My dog once found an entire bowl full of dead cicadas and started crunching them down like a bowl of cereal.

[thatdurncat13]

My dogs eat the ones they can catch also. Not that many of them though. Kind of like rice crispie treats.

[Hedgehog_Mom]

My dogs eat anything that flies, crawls or hops through the back yard when they're out there. Cicadas are a pretty satisfying mouthful to them.

[TinaMcG]

{{{{{fullbodyshudder}}}}}

Our 17-year brood emerges next year, and considering how enthusiastic Karma and Teddy have been with mayflies this year, they're REALLY going to love 2014. I am hoping they outgrow their puppy love of eating bugs by then, but I will say our screened porch has never been so pest free.

Teddy discovered pillbugs (rolypoly bugs) over the weekend. We no longer need to buy toys for him. Or food either!

[BayAreaHillbilly]

Better than eating dirt, rocks ... or ... p__p!

[passwithoutatrace]

They aren't toxic but they can be hard to digest due to the hard exoskeletons.

[no kudzu]

We used to have a cat who would play with them for hours. he would hold one between his paws and take a gentle bite and then release. he must have liked the vibrations on his lips.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by Townandcountrygal

My dog eats cicadas-- can this be harmful?

Sure doesn't do the cicadas any good.

[abbara]

Originally Posted by Drover

Sure doesn't do the cicadas any good.

:-)