I didn't know I was getting a fly catcher..

[HappilyEvrAfter]

We live in an area that is rampant with aggressive flies. They get in the house no matter what anyone does...it's just part of living here.
No biggie.

What I'm worried about is that our dog is a born fly catcher. He's totally great about it..I haven't had to buy any other type of fly getter-ridder at all this year!! AND it keeps his occupied. Lol.

What I AM worried about is whether this is bad for him or not. I searched the internet, but I can't find sufficient info on a fly eating dog. Lol.

My next step was to call the vet, but she'll more than likely want me to make an appointment....small town, vet has the monopoly on services.

Anywho...any insight?

[panamama]

i don't have any real insight, just wanted to offer that our kitties eat every single bug that comes into the house -- moth, cricket, spider, mosquito, ants, etc -- and we've (they've) never had any problem. i'd think that unless you have some big poisonous buggers around, it's fine...

[Irishmommy]

Is the dog actually catching real flies? I'm asking, because my dog does the fly catching thing, but it's actually seizures. If they're real flies, then hey, free source of protein . If it's seizing, then maybe get her checked out. My vet said that she was otherwise healthy and happy, so we don't do anything about it, it's not causing any harm.

[SunShineSally]

Not sure if they are safe to eat but all my kitties have eaten EVERYTHING down to the bugs we call the "stupid bugs" no one knows what they are but they sit there and watch you kill them ohh and all my kitties are and have been fine flies and moths are their favorites:

[Girl In The Fire]

My dog has been eating any kind of bug she can catch for years and is just fine. She has fly hunting down to an art and no fly lives for than a few minutes once it is inside.

[Krisis]

Can I borrow your dog so I can teach my useless, lazy-butt cats a thing or two? Seriously, they'll see a spider on the wall, meow, and walk away. What the heck? Eat the dang thing! Free snack! I don't want to kill it!

I hate spiders :

[Girl In The Fire]

The one thing my dog wont catch and eat are spiders. I assume their bites are painful and she knows not to mess with them.

Oddly enough she is an avid bee killer and has that down to a refined art. She knows which plants attracts the most bees and stakes them out. Once a bee is sighted she stalks them then goes in for the attack. She pulls her lips back so she wont be stung and snaps them with her front teeth so they fall on the ground. Once on the ground she manipulates them carefully with front teeth and occasional swipes of the paw into the proper position for eating enjoys her treat

[lilyka]

my fog is obsessed with catching flies. glad to hear it is not bad for her. she is quite good at it too. and the best is when we shut a fly between the storm windows. Lucy goes flippin' nuts. hours of entertainment for everyone.

[onelilguysmommy]

i used to have a dog that would do that! it was so funny to watch him sit there and make noises but hold really still and pounce or snap and catch them :

[rhubarbarin]

My dog is crazy about fly catching and yes, he does swallow them. Never had a problem or thought twice about it. It's odd because he won't play with or chase anything else.

[rhiOrion]

My cat and dog are both avid bug stalkers, but I've only seen the cat actually eat one. Actually two, in about a 5 minute time span. He launched himself into the air and grabbed the fly out of midair. Then he slammed his paw down to the ground and kept lifting the edge of it up, trying to look under his paw to see if the fly was actually there. It was like he didn't believe it himself. Finally he put his mouth down there and ate it!

This is the same cat that followed a big frog around our patio the other day and did nothing more than pat it on its back with his claws retracted. It literally looked like he was congratulating the frog on a job well done.

[Katie Bugs Mama]

Our Abigail used to catch flies out of the air. It was pretty impressive since she only had one eye and no depth perception. She lived to be 15, so I don't think it could possibly have been too bad for her.