I stood outside with her for a few minutes & it was dark of course. Well the next morning I was getting dressed & noticed a small "slug" on my lower calf! I know, YUK! When I went to take it off it was attached like a leach! We have lots of slugs & will be treating the yard soon for insect control (at least now we will!) I have had leaches as a kid wading in small brooks & such, but never heard of a slug attaching itself. I went to the rheumatologist yesterday, but he kept me so darn busy answering my life history from age of 7, I totally forgot to ask him about it. This has been about 5 days ago, & I still have a small red spot with a hard little lump about the size of a misquito bite. Does anyone know if they carry any typd of disease especially? I don't know a thing about them other than they are slimy! Eewwweeee! Freaked me out when I found it atached & had been there all night apparently. thanks... Mary
I have a strang question for you. The other night when I let my dog out?
Question posted by Anonymous on 29 March 2012
Last updated on 2 April 2012
9 Answers
Hi Hun, as you've got such a good response already, I just wanted to add something for the benefit of your pooch. If eaten, slugs can cause worms, & most importantly heart worms, which a lot of wormers do not treat, so invest in a good one, such as Milbemax : )
Hey Delila! Good info! She was trying to eat a dead worm yesterday. Was mouthing it & when i saw what it was, used a tick to thorw it over the fense. Dogas for some reason feel like they have to roll & rub the stinky dead worm snell all over them. YUK! She has stayed on Heartgaard Plus all years this year becuse of the warm weather. The vet asid it wans't necesaary, but I flet it was, plus I try to walk her at least a bit each day (when my bakd will let me) & even tho we have a city ordinance about picking up after your dog poos, not everyone complies, so am very careful about the worming routine. I know she can pick them up the same as we can thru the soles of the feet! I never go barefoot in the grass anymor. Haven't for years! As a kid, I probably went barefoot more than with shoes, but way back then they didn't know about all these diseases either, & the only time you took a dog or cat to the vet, it had to be dieing or hit by a car or something like that. Modern Medicine has come a long way since those days.
That was used a stick not a tick! to move the dead worm! ( Still on first cup of coffee this morning)
I know Mary- a stick- we're probably on the same meds- ha, ha- I'm thinking and writing-the phone is ringing-and I read over and I see what I think that i wrote or I'm in such a hurry to take more meds and people probably think that i didn't make it past kindergarten when they read my posts- ha, ha, ha- really I'd like to blow up the FDA-at least get it to act responsibley. Did any of see that there was a court order for the FDA to prohibit the use of antibiotics in livestock and poultry feed over 20 years ago- and yesterday or the day before- a federal judge ruled that the FDA is negligent and it needs to follow federal law. i need 2 go and pick up meds for nausea-
If it was a soft slug like body, it probably was a type of leech. Did you pull it off? It is possible that part could be still inside. If it ever happens again, shake salt into your palm and hold that salt directly over the leech and the salt will make it pull out on its own, lessening the danger of it leaving anything inside you! I'm not sure if putting salt on the ground will be enough to kill them though. Rajives article mentioned coffee grounds. That might be a better option and safer for your plants and things, as salt is not good for your plants AND you might want to consult a pest company. It might actually be a good thing that you shaved part of the scab off! It there were mouth or head parts still in the wound then perhaps that was enough to get them out.
If the area doesnt clear up pretty quickly or of course, if you notice a red streak coming up the leg from it, or any purulent drainage and redness/heat around it, see the Dr asap! If you are seeing any of your Drs in the next day or two, I'd be sure to mention it anyway, just to be safe, but I dont know that you need an appt just for that unless it starts looking infected. You dont want to put alcohol or peroxide on the wound because those solutions can damage the newly formed healing cells and keep the wound from healing properly. Just wash the area with soap and water and gently pat dry. You can apply a tiny bit of Neosporin (if you arent allergic) or some other antibiotic cream or ointment that you like and you can cover it with a band aid loosely to keep it clean. Wounds should actually be kept moist for the best healing. When I worked at a chronic wound healing center they always taught us to keep wounds moist. You can get a wound gel (wound gel is just a clear gel that doesnt have any antibiotic or anything, it is just to keep wounds from drying out) at the pharmacy, if you want, instead of neosporin or the like, but for this, it is probably too small to need it. I tell you Mary! Your luck for weird things happening are about as good as mine! lol Just keep a close eye on it and stay out of the grass! lol
Thanks Dzoo! Yes, I do have weird things go wrong! Lara texted me, "A slug??? Eweee"! I think it will be ok, but have never read of a slug attaching to a human. A leach yes, but a slug? Guess they are sort of in the same family. We have no water near us so am surprised to see them at all, but I guess slugs are in the damp grass. I do see them in the garden occasionaly under the mulch. I just wasn't sure about any disease they might carry. I have wiped it good with alcohol & was planning on putting neosporin on tonight before I go to bed. When I let the dog out at 10 you can bet we will both get a check up before bedtime! I put table salt around the edge of the sidewalk where it's just mulch, & also in a circle around my Hostas. Hope it doesn't harm them. they are already over 16 inches tall, but have always wondered every year what is eating the leaves in little circles.
Thought it was our lady bug explosion the past few years (the Asian kind), but they aren't out yet so it must be the slugs. Will have to watch it I guess. I have to mow tomorrow& will be rubber banding my ankles! (& Deep Woods too)
Cayenne pepper is good to keep any insects like ants out & away too, & have jars of it for that reason, but with the dog, am afraid to put it near where her back yard is. She sure wouldn't appreciate getting a snoot of it!
Hey Mar, I don't want to scare you, but being from the south, it really sounds like a tic. They get QUITE LARGE after they have been (sorry) sucking your blood all night. was it hard to remove? If it was a tick, then you have left the head in. yes people do put matches to them, but before the body comes out. Alcohol would probably shrivel up the head, but watch the spot! If you get a bullseye rash, RUN to the doctor and get treated for Lyme's disease IMMEDIATELY.
I really hope that it was not a tic, but you can never be too safe. Especially people in our condition.
Love you!
No Ellen, it wasn't a tick. I know ticks! It was a slug. We see their little trails on our sidewalk in the morning. Lines of slime everywhere crisscrossing. I think this weird weather has made them go crazy. I haven't ever seen them around the outside of the house before like this. It was about an inch long & slimey when I pulled it off. Grossed me out too! Yuk! Just wasn't sure if they carried disease like other insects can or not. Also, thanks to Rajive, I know what's eating holes in my leaves on the hosta plants. I put table salt all around the edge of the sidewalk today & around the edge of my plants. Bump remains.
Well, I'm glad that you're right, and I'm wrong!! :-))
Yeah, probably a leach. If it was fat as a slug it was filled with blood. We used to take them off with a cigarette in Viet Nam. If the bite is down to mosquito sized and not bright red with a center like a pimple it;s probably OK. Leaches generally don't transmit disease though it is possible specifically if it has bitten something else and didn't get enough blood. Generally, just keep it clean, warm water and soap, gently. Maybe a drop of hydrocortisone cream in its early stage. Keep an eye on it and if it changes into something bright red with an expanding circle, perhaps hot to the touch, see a doc. Don;t worry, I probably pulled off a hundred in Southest Asia, no problems. Oh, and if leaches carried genetic diseases, they wouldn;t be used medicinally as they have for a few thousand years. And, they're FDA approved.lol
It was a slug, but a small one (thank goodness!) because it had the little antennae looking nodes on it's head. Thanks!
I'd give it some air after putting alcohol on it-no bandaid. Sometimes lack of fresh air- a bandaid-makes a wound to get worse. We don't know what chemicals the slug has, so I wouldn't put anything on that would raise themp. When people were dying from the Brown Recluse spider in the South, a spider bit me right on the end of the nose. To me the worst part was wondering how to put a tournquit on a nose-which was what doctors told people to do.
Aaaaagh Meyati - ME being TOTALLY neurotic, if I got a spider bite at a time when people were dropping dead from a particular species of spider, I wouldn't have been worrying about how to put a tourniquet on the bite. I would be fretting over the question of, was I a goner!!! And I'm the type who wouldn't even go rushing off to a doctor (as I'd be afraid of the BAD NEWS)... I'd just drive myself nuts worrying about when I was going to die lol! So I have to hand it to you - you are "cool hand Luke", and I love how blase you were concerning all that!!!
I did scrub it with alcohol & it has scabbed again. but still sort of sore & still the same size. I didn't cover it, but sure checked me & the dog when we just came in from the yard. She might have carried it in, & it got on me while sleeping too. I'm not positive. I don't have much feeling in that leg, so I wouldn't have felt it crawl up my leg! Eweee!
I was freaked out like you wouldn't believe- but the news people said to put a tourniquet on it-meaning a leg or arm-and get to a hospital ASAP. I kept screaming how do you put a tourniquet on a nose? Everybody was laughing wich didn't help my mood. It was really a good jumper, so it probably was a cotton spider-my nose didn't swell any- but it surely hurt. I think that scabbing up is okay. I've actually used bandaids to create infections. I have cystic acne-so pimples cysts whatever don't come to a head and fester under the skin-I'd stick a dirty needle in- then cover with a bandaid-and usually in 24 hours I could pop it out and have healing-cheaper than a dermotologist. I live in the desert-so some small thorns- splinters-don't do anything but hurt-so I bandaid-I'm allergic to them and the thorn will usually pop out.
... So I misjudged you Meyati... you WEREN'T "cool-hand Luke" AFTER all lolol! You DID freak out, and I don't blame you for that! And yes, that's what happens here in my house - I bug out, and they all start LAUGHING at me... think it's very funny, and they're not that sympathetic! So all I can say is POOR YOU for getting a fright like that!
Yeah, with Mary, I always do think that you're best off letting the air get at it. Often bandaids cause irritations to remain moist and septic. Dabbing it with a bit of alcohol sounds like the best way to go, and seems to be the consensus with most of the posters here. Let us know Mary, how you make out with that.
I'm not scared of spiders, bees, rattlesnakes, but I was taking a nap- and all of a sudden a spider was sitting on my nose, biting the heck out of it. I open my eyes and see this giant 8 legged-creature that thinks that I'm enough to feed it for the next 4 million years- Probably ready to wrap me up like a mummy in spider web. I'm screaming-trying to catch the thing to take to the ER with me. That's how I knew it could really jump. Then I think-how can I put a tourniquet on my nose and drive 150 miles to a doctor before my nose rots off and my brains fall out?
Many of the Apaches and all of the Navajos believe spiders to be sacred and beneficial. Navajos believe that the spider goddess taught them how to weave cloth. Apaches believe that spiders are dead and dearly loved relatives watching over them to protect them. An Apache graduate student had a party-and one of the classmates came out and said-"I just killed that spider in your bathroom." The party was over, because her 'grandmother' had been stomped on and flushed down the toilet. So, if I go somewhere-I learned this as a child-I say, "do U know there's a spider in your bathroom?" If the person screams and jumps on a chair, wanting 911 to be called- I stomp on it and flush it down the toilet. If the person dismisses it, saying leave it alone, or they'll take care of it later- I leave their relative alone. I had a pet spider on a rose bush. We had a deal- it ate aphids and othe bugs, and I made everybody to be nice to her- she might have taught people how to weave rugs.
In Ireland Mayati, it's considered to be BAD LUCK to kill a spider. But heck, if you want to see ME spring into action, LOSE IT, and scream my lungs out, just present certain types of bugs to me. As a child, it was spiders. And due to the dampness, Ireland abounds with them... you'd always find one in your bathtub. On each and every occasion, even through my teens, if I walked in & there was a spider there, I'd get stuck to the wall, petrified, yelling for my mom to come, KILL IT,,, and my mom, with an attitude, would comply... but with the commentary: "Ah KATHLEEN! You're terrible to be making me kill a poor spider!".
Funnily enough, when I came to the States, I lost my fear of spiders... to the point that I became somewhat of a pacifist - like the Hindu's who believe that all living things have souls - so that now, if there is a spider or even a big hairy centipede (and THOSE guys CAN sting you... ) - well, I catch them in my hands gently, and just put them out the door. Nor was I ever afraid of things which CAN hurt you; the wasps in Ireland are MUCH larger, & ditto for the bees... used to catch the bees in jars when I was little - got stung so many times, but it never phased me.
But my CURRENT terror are two things I never encountered in Ireland, and which freak the heck out of me - praying mantheses and waterbugs. Again, just like the spiders, I LOSE it if one crosses my path! I know they can't hurt you, but oh gosh am I terrified of them. And I hear that the waterbugs down in Georgia & FL, (THINK they call them Palmetto bugs) are rampant, and that they FLY, and can land on you if you're unlucky! That's why I dare not set foot in either of those states, even though I'd love to see them - their bug species and the possibility of running into one have me warned away! NOT for me...
well if spiders in Ireland are lucky, that might explain things. My dad built custom houses, and he'd kill a rooster and put its blood across the door step to protect the family. Then he buried the rooster under the front porch. I like praying mantises. They like me.
I got bit & am the ony one in the family that does with the exception of my middle son that does, by a brown recluse about 12 years ago. It was under the covers of my bed. As soon as I jumped in, I got bit & it hurt. We both (Gary & I) jumped out of bed & threw the sheets back to look for it, & never did see it, but it got me on the back of my thigh. I waited for almost 2 weeks before going to the doctor about it, figuring it would go away (didn't know for sure what kind it was) but it just kept getting worse & worse. Had a huge red circle, & then it started moving around in my thigh (the poison I assume) I got all kinds of hard pennysized lumps under the skin in an area of a saucer, that hurt like mad. When I couldn't find a disease specialist that would see me finally went to my doc.
" He said drop em (my jeans) & lets take a look" He ended up putting me on Valtrex, which I thought, I don't have Herpes,what's the deal? It did work altho' so I guess it was the right choice. We lived sort of out in the county at the time, & I hate spiders with a passion. We always spray around the doors & window ledges as it seems that's where they come in from. Even tightend down every little crack around the doors, but they still get in occasionally, Just harmless ones, but I'm afraid to kill them. If I don't get them on the first hit they usually get away, & end up biting me somewhere. My one son out of three ,& has worse allergies than I do, always gets bit too if there is a spider in his house. I always as a kid was so interested in science, & wanted to go on to be some type of scientist, but thank the Lord I didn't Ha! Couldn't handles spiders if I had too, but think it's because they always bite me. Gary's good about the spider & snake scream I have now, & usually gets up to kill them for me. I used to live in Wyoming so got used to Rattlesnakes. Just gave them a wide berth, but here in Illinois you usullaly only see gardner snakes, but I still don't like them. Only 2 things that really bother me, until the slug thing! I did use neosporin overnight as Dzoo suggested (was going to anyway), & it seems much smaller this morning. Still a tad sore, so think I'll dab it again with neosporin, & put a bandaid back on after my shower. Thanks to EVERYONE for your help. Sort of freaked me out a bit, & it takes quite a bit to do that! More worried about any disease it could have spead to me as in Lyme or West nile. I know it's usually ticks, fleas, & mosquitos, but you never know. what if he had been on a bird that was infected or something. We lost all our Blue Jays to West Nile more than 10 years ago. Had to pick them up off the lawn & street all that year we got struck with it, & haven't seen a jay since. Too bad, what a beautiful bird too. Sure hope I didn't get that salt too close to my Hosta, would hate to lose them. Probably should have just used inscrt spray around them that's safe for plants... Mary
Oh, & too we get what they call wolf spider here about the size of a silver dollar or bigger. Used to live right on a revine in the backyard, & they were constantly in my basement. Thant's was before computers & the kids were little. Hard to depopulate when you live on a ravine, so ended up moving because of it! Just let the spider have that house! Not for me!
Oh now Mary, when I said I don't hesitate to pick one up in my hands (spiders, that is), I wasn't thinking about one which would be the size of a silver dollar... I am talking about a size within reasonability! And you have such biggies IN YOUR BASEMENT? On no. If you wanted to revive my phobia concerning the critters, that's all it would take - for one THAT size to cross my path! And no wonder you are no fan of spiders, having been unsuspectingly bitten (and it HURT!) in the bed one night!
You DO raise an excellent point though. If it's the case that we have an allergy to ANYTHING - be it food or the toxin of a specific bug, or a wasp - such a scenario can in certain situations be fatal! My aunt was allergic to wasp stings, and subsequently was paranoid each time one indiscriminately got into her house (in summer she always kept the back door open)... because she had a near-fatal experience by a sting one time. Her tongue swelled up, nearly cutting off her air supply, and her breathing got labored. So that IS a legitimate reason to fear certain things.
And Mayati, that tradition of killing a rooster, putting it's blood on the front door etc... is that an ancient Native American ritual? It sort of has reminiscences of what Judaism was told to do for Passover, as per the angel of death's instructions to pass over those homes which had a red "X" painted on them with lamb's blood. And isn't it true that the Santeria religion, prevalent in Hispanic societies (custom brought from South America) uses the rooster as part of it's ritualistic killing? Clue me in on that one Meyati, as you got me thinking!
Hi all, Mary, my husband found a wolf spider that was so huge, he said it 'reared up n growled' at him!! OK, that was just for giggles, but those wolf spiders are all over here (Michigan) and they are as ugly as original sin!!
I will gladly send blue jays your way Mar!! We have coyotes as well, but I don't think you want them!!
xoxo
Kathleen, No wonder my father will NOT kill a spider!! I've always thought that was weird, now I know why.
Thanks gurl !! (I will though, is that why I've bad luck?)
Lara, good luck catching them jays! They are such a beautiful bird, & we did lose all of them. Oh, & I do have an Epi-pen around here someplace just in case! Probably so old it won't work!
Yes Lara, that's exactly what happened to you, and why you've "never had a stroke of luck in your life" (lol- one of my mom's favorite expressions!)... it's because you've been going on a mission to exterminate spiders!!! But YIKES -WOLF SPIDERS? Ya gotta be kidding me! (aaaaagh!!! )
We have cute little wolf spiders, almost as large as a dime. pretty red or yellow or some black ones. I never saw big ones like U R talking about--
Oh yes! And they are BIG! Dark brown to grey looking & hairy too! won't ever get near one again!
Now I know why I'm happy with my bitty fluffs of red or yellow that help eat mites in the carpet-who needs to spend 10 million dollars with these sweet little things
10 million for a super vacuum and carpet cleaner that is. I wouldn't mind spending the money on things-but I'll let the spiders rule.
Meyati, they can rule here too, only OUTDOORS!
Poor Mary!! Only this would happen to you! I would still tell a doc or wait to see if dzoobaby thinks you should go to the doc. I hope the bump has gone down.
xoxo
Lara
Yep! Only me!!
hi mary,dont stress.what a leach does is when it attaches itself to you it locks its mouth to the area pushes in a kinda non blood cloting agent so your blood can be sucked by it without your bodies cloting factor making it harder.just rub some alcohol on the site and slap a bandaid on it.change it daily and your be fine,promise. remember when leaches were used to suck out infection ? you will be fine.dont spray chemicals on your lawn keep the grass cut low the sun will keep them away.subzero58
Will do! Thank you... Mary
Well they are definitely not in the same category as TICKS Mary, which DO carry Lyme disease; so I wouldn't worry on that score. But the fact that you have a little red area with a head on it does suggest the critter caused some sort of inflammation; or it's slime gave off some kind of a toxin, doesn't it? I don't think I'd worry unduly about this, as the area you are describing isn't huge. Just keep an eye on the area for a few more days, to make sure it doesn't get any larger, or become sore. I apparently was bitten by a spider a few years back, and IT'S toxin caused my eye to swell up and close for a day. So I'm imagining that with bugs, the most that CAN happen is that you'll suffer some kind of a temporary reaction to their toxins... along the same lines as your having an allergic reaction. So just keep an eye on it. Kathleen
Thanks Kathleen, I didn't really think it would cause anything serious,but it is a wee bit bigger after I accidetly shaved the scab off yesterday! Will put some alcohol on it & keep it covered with a bandaid. I was just worried that it might carry some unknown disease or something... Mary
Hi Mary,
This is what I found for you on the net, hope it helps you, take care, best wishes!
The great majority of slug species are harmless to humans and to their interests, but a small number of species are serious pests of agriculture and horticulture. They can destroy foliage faster than plants can grow, thus killing even fairly large plants. They also feed on fruits and vegetables prior to harvest, making holes in the crop, which can make individual items unsuitable to sell for aesthetic reasons, and which can make the crop more vulnerable to rot and disease.
As control measures, baits are the norm in both agriculture and the garden. In recent years iron phosphate baits have emerged and are preferred over the toxic metaldehyde, especially because domestic or wild animals may be exposed to the bait. The environmentally safer iron phosphate has been shown to be at least as effective as poisonous baits. Methiocarb baits are no longer widely used.
Other slug control methods are generally ineffective, but can be somewhat useful in small gardens. These include beer traps, diatomaceous earth, crushed eggshells, coffee grounds, and copper.
It is of scientific interest that salt kills slugs by causing water to leave its body owing to osmosis but this is not used for agricultural control as soil salinity is detrimental to crops.
In a few rare cases, humans have contracted parasite-induced meningitis from eating raw slugs.
In rural southern Italy, the garden slug Arion hortensis was used to treat gastritis, stomach ulcers or peptic ulcers by swallowing it whole and alive. Given that it is now known that most peptic ulcers are caused by Helicobacter pylori, the merit of swallowing a live slug is questionable. A clear mucus produced by the slug is also used to treat various skin conditions including dermatitis, warts, inflammations, calluses, acne and wounds.
Thanks Rjive that info helps a whole lot! I have a dog so will hve to use a non toxic way to get rid of them & they are in our back yard where she is always at. thanks again. I shall sprinkle salt around our house, as the always seem to crawl around our sidewalk at night, & will be checking myself & the dog befoe bed... Mary
Most welcome, I think sprinkling salt should solve your major pest problems in the garden.
Take care, best wishes!
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