Do kissing bugs affect dogs?

Kissing Bug Disease FAQs

Can kissing bugs kill dogs? Not directly, but kissing bugs can carry and transmit a parasite that can cause Chagas disease. Not all dogs who are exposed will develop symptoms, but some dogs can develop fatal heart disease.

Are kissing bugs harmful to dogs?

It has a cute nickname and sounds like a harmless little insect- but the so-called “kissing bug” can spread a disease to both you and your dog which could ultimately be fatal. The parasitic 'Kissing Bug's' real name is the Triatomine bug, and it exists here in Florida, and throughout much of the southern United States.

What are the symptoms of kissing bug in dogs?

Most infected dogs demonstrate subtle signs, such as lethargy (tiredness), decreased appetite, and weight loss. In more severe cases, you may also notice more severe signs, such as fainting, exercise intolerance, vomiting, and diarrhea.

How do I protect my dog from kissing bugs?

By reducing the amount of outdoor lighting at night, kissing bugs may be less attracted to an area. If you keep your dog in a kennel outside at night, consider installing a protective screen on the kennel.

Can Chagas be cured in dogs?

Chagas Disease has no known cure, and because it can be transmitted easily to humans, dogs and cats who contract the parasite commonly are euthanized. However, some drugs have shown promise when administered in the acute stage of the disease.

What are kissing bugs? And why are they deadly?

How do you test a dog for Chagas?

In living dogs, serologic testing is the primary method of diagnosing Chagas disease. Serologic testing uses a dog's serum to detect antibodies against T. cruzi. A positive antibody titer indicates a dog has been exposed to, and likely infected with, the parasite.

How common is Chagas disease in dogs?

Chagas disease affects dogs by damaging the right side of the heart. Dogs become infected after either getting bit by or eating a kissing bug or assassin bug. Both the bugs and the disease are common in Texas and Gulf Coast states, with as many as 18% of shelter dogs in Texas infected.

What animal eats kissing bugs?

Kissing bugs are bloodsuckers and seek out mammals including dogs. Dogs eat bugs and will snatch up kissing bugs.

Can Chagas disease affect dogs?

Chagas disease is caused by infection with the protozoal parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. Dogs become infected when they ingest the feces or bodies of infected kissing bugs. They can also become infected by blood transfusions or via transmission from a dam to her puppies.

What keeps away kissing bugs?

Sealing cracks and gaps around windows, walls, roofs, and doors. Removing wood, brush, and rock piles near your house. Using screens on doors and windows and repairing any holes or tears. If possible, making sure yard lights are not close to your house (lights can attract the bugs)

What percentage of kissing bugs carry Chagas?

Scientists have found that about 50% of kissing bugs are infected with the Chagas parasite. Kissing bugs are a 'vector' because they can carry a parasite that can make people and animal sick. The parasite is Trypanosoma cruzi, and it causes Chagas disease.

What bugs make dogs sick?

Can Chagas go away on its own?

If untreated, infection is lifelong. Acute Chagas disease occurs immediately after infection, and can last up to a few weeks or months. During the acute phase, parasites may be found in the circulating blood. This phase of infection is usually mild or asymptomatic.

Do kissing bugs live in beds?

Kissing bugs can hide in cracks and holes in beds, floors, walls, and furniture. They are most likely to be found: Near places where a pet, such as a dog or cat, spends time. In areas where mice or other rodents live.

What defines Chagas disease in dogs?

Canine Chagas disease can be acute or chronic and is predominantly characterized by inflammation and fibrosis of the heart, resulting in arrhythmias, myocardial dysfunction, heart failure, and sudden death, although many infected dogs are asymptomatic.

What is the initial symptom of Chagas disease?

Symptoms may include swelling at the infection site, fever, fatigue, body aches, rash and nausea.

How fatal is Chagas disease?

Chagas disease (T. cruzi infection) is also referred to as American trypanosomiasis. It is estimated that as many as 8 million people in Mexico, Central America, and South America have Chagas disease, most of whom do not know they are infected. If untreated, infection is lifelong and can be life threatening.

How do you rule out Chagas disease?

The diagnosis of Chagas disease can be made by observation of the parasite in a blood smear by microscopic examination. A thick and thin blood smear are made and stained for visualization of parasites.

Can you smash a kissing bug?

If you find a kissing bug, the CDC recommends you do not touch or squash it. To help understand the problem and how many carry the disease, the CDC is asking for help.

What states have the kissing bug?

Most of the world's kissing bugs are in Central and South America and Mexico. They've also been found in the United States in the lower 28 states, with higher concentrations in Texas, Arizona and New Mexico. Kissing bugs have been spotted a far north as Delaware, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

Do kissing bugs survive winter?

Their northern limit of distribution is likely determined by their intolerance to survive prolonged cold temperatures but reports from Utah and Colorado have shown these insects can be hardy.

Is Chagas disease permanent?

Chagas disease is curable if treated soon after infection. Unfortunately, most infected people are unaware of their infection until it's too late, and they present with complications of chronic heart or bowel problems.

How common is Chagas disease in USA?

More than 5 million people worldwide have Chagas disease. In the United States, there are estimated to be at least 300,000 cases of chronic Chagas disease among people originally from countries of Latin America where Chagas disease is endemic.

How long can you live with Chagas?

About 70-80% of people will remain asymptomatic for life and never develop Chagas-related symptoms. However, an estimated 20–30% of infected people will develop health problems years to decades later that are often fatal.