Adventure Dog Blog

The scorpion is part of the arachnida family, the same as the spider. You will find them in places all over the world, and the majority of them cause no great harm to large mammals like dogs and humans.

However, there are a few species of scorpion that can cause great harm, including death, so it’s always important to be careful when you encounter one. A general rule of thumb, according to The Scorpion Files, is that scorpions with large powerful claws are usually harmless, whereas the ones with thin slender claws can be dangerous.

Particularly dangerous scorpions can be found in the Southern United States, Mexico, Central America, the Carribean, South America, Asia, Western and Southern Africa, Northern Africa, the Middle East, and across the Mediterranean from Spain to the Middle East.

Before we panic about scorpions, you should know that they are not terribly agressive. They are afraid of humans and other large potential predators and try their best to run away. Scorpions are noctural so you are most likely to encounter them at night. During the day, scorpions are often hiding under rocks, in piles of wood or leaves, or inside your shoes. Always shake out your shoes before putting them on, shake out towels and clothes that have been lying around, and check your bed before getting in it! For your dogs, the best thing you can do is keep them inside at night.

While in Mexico, my big dog Anna was stung by a scorpion. She left my bedroom and turned to sniff something on the day bed when she pulled back her head suddenly and began to shake it. She started smacking her lips and rubbing her nose with her paw. I knew something had happened. After searching for awhile, I found a scorpion between the mattress of the day bed and the wall. Luckily, the village we lived in had a very good vet and I was able to call her immediately on the phone. We walked over to her house, and within fifteen minutes of being stung, Anna was receiving two shots of antihistamines.

We were fortunate, while the scorpion that stung her was known to cause fatalities, Anna never showed any signs of being stung beyond the initial shaking of her head and smacking of her lips. The vet said that she’s seen two reactions in dogs to scorpions here. One is when the dog gets glassy eyed and tends to stare off into space, the other is when they seem to lose all coordination, a condition she said was very scary, even for her as a vet.

But what is a person to do when there is no vet around? There appears to be very little you can do about scorpion stings in animals. According to Pet Place there is no home care for venemous scorpion bites. Treatment for scorpion stings tends to be supportive, and you just have to let things run their course. Pain can be managed by applying ice to the site of the bite. My vet administered antihistamines to help combat the body’s reaction to the venom. The best treatment seems to be avoiding getting stung in the first place.

Visit The Scorpion Files to learn more about scorpions.