Bug Bite Central

My kids call me “Dr. Karen.” Whenever there is a medical problem, they call for advice on what to do about it. My husband’s pretty good at it, too, so he gets in on the diagnosing and advice.

Lately I’ve been “Bug Bite Central.” I get calls just about every week about some bug bite or other and what to do about them. Everyone’s afraid of the Brown Recluse spider, of course. I keep hoping I never see one…or the results of a bite from one.

Today the question was about three bites on a 4-year-old’s abdomen. They have a center with a red ring around it and a white raised ring around that. Now, that’s a new one on me. My advice was cortisone cream and benedryl. If things don’t look better by evening, a call to the real doctor is in order.

Flea bites are the most annoying. For some reason, a flea will bite two or three times, the bites lined up in a pretty straight line. I’ve never researched why they do this. Flea bites itch like all tarnation, and cortisone creams don’t seem to do much good. Neither does scratching.

The best thing to do is to get rid of the fleas. That’s easier said than done if you have indoor pets who have outdoor privileges. The strange thing about fleas is that once they hitch a ride inside, they hop off and burrow into your carpets and furniture. Any old crevice will do. They lay eggs and spit out blood that gives the hatching larvae something to live on until they can become adults.

I remember one time many years ago coming across a pad of cloth that one of our cats used for a sleeping place. It must have had 50 to 100 little worm-like things on it. I threw it out of course, and wondered what those critters were. Soon I discovered they were flea larvae. Ick!

Protecting your pets with flea treatments not only makes life easier for them, it keeps you from having a house full of fleas. I prefer the kind I get at the veterinary. There’s an applicator filled with several drops of liquid that you squirt between the animal’s shoulder blades, high up on its neck. It requires reapplication monthly, but it’s worth every penny.