Poisonous moths in PA?

Question

Does anyone know if there are any poisonous moths in Pennsylvania? My kittens enjoy chasing moths and eating them. I was wondering if there was any possibility of them eating a moth that's poisonous and getting sick.

Answer 1

It's kittens, isn't it?

Nevertheless, no poisonous moths.  My cats love 'em.  I guess there is a possibility that they could vomit just because the dry wings stuck in their throats a bit, but I have never seen that.

Answer 2

Some families of moths are rather noxious and contain distasteful compounds as a defense against bats. However, this is not designed to make predators sick, rather just deter them from eating similar looking moths again. Where are you located? I can't think of any NA moths that would be especially dangerous.

In my experience, eating moths would not make your dog sick. I have seen foaming mouths after my labs ate a large toad, but not insects. This being said - there is obviously something wrong with your pup and you should definitely see a vet.

In the past, few of my friends  dogs have eaten several moths and never had a problem. The concentration of the noxious chemicals would be quite low - however, if your dog have had a specific reaction. I would be more inclined to think that pesticides on lawns would be a more likely candidate for making your dog sick.

It would be best to see a vet asap. Let us know how it turns out!