# Is it bad that my dog eats lightning bugs? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 21, 2009, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-bad-that-my-dog-eats-lightning-bugs/503744 "2009-07-21T16:17:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mooch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@Mooch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mooch)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2009, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-bad-that-my-dog-eats-lightning-bugs/503744/1 "2009-07-21T16:17:18Z")
On our evening walk, my dog eats lightning bugs that hover at chomp level. Last night he devoured 5 of them. I considered trying one in case I am missing out, but then realized he also is a connoisseur of all manner of disgusting things. Is this dangerous for him? Nothing is glowing (yet). ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2009, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-bad-that-my-dog-eats-lightning-bugs/503744/2 "2009-07-21T16:25:45Z")
Well, lightning bugs are predators of lawn insects. As predators, they concentrate environmental toxins in their bodies from their prey. Their prey feeds on lawn grasses. If the lawn is “treated,” a euphemism for “sprayed with poison,” I’d discourage the dog from ingesting lightning bugs. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2009, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-bad-that-my-dog-eats-lightning-bugs/503744/3 "2009-07-21T16:39:10Z")
Probably not a good idea. At least some of them contain [toxic compounds](http://www.news.cornell.edu/releases/July99/firefly_lizard.hrs.html) which can be a serious problem for small animals like lizards and amphibians. They would probably not be an immediate threat to even a small dog, but they are probably not good for him. ---
**Author:** ![Mooch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@Mooch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mooch)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2009, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-bad-that-my-dog-eats-lightning-bugs/503744/4 "2009-07-21T17:37:07Z")
He is 65lbs, but I guess I’ll move our evening walk until after dusk. The lure of glowing greenish yellow butts floating, taunting and tempting may well prove too difficult to avoid. We’ve all been there, I’m sure. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2009, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-bad-that-my-dog-eats-lightning-bugs/503744/5 "2009-07-21T18:33:43Z")
Does your dog have psychedelic poop? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2009, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-bad-that-my-dog-eats-lightning-bugs/503744/6 "2009-07-21T18:47:33Z")
Radioactive Man, Issue 3 - _Introducing Radioactive Rover_. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2009, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-bad-that-my-dog-eats-lightning-bugs/503744/7 "2009-07-21T18:51:17Z")
> [@Mooch](#): > > We’ve all been there, I’m sure. Well there was that strip club back in the 60s that used black lights… ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2009, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-bad-that-my-dog-eats-lightning-bugs/503744/8 "2009-07-21T19:20:39Z")
> [@Mooch](#): > > Is it bad that my dog eats lightning bugs? Well it’s not very good for the bugs. ---
**Author:** ![Mooch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@Mooch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mooch)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2009, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-bad-that-my-dog-eats-lightning-bugs/503744/9 "2009-07-21T19:25:06Z")
> [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](#): > > Well it’s not very good for the bugs. Now I am thinking of those poor bastards, glowing their way through his lower intestine. **panache45** , you may get your wish! ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2009, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-bad-that-my-dog-eats-lightning-bugs/503744/10 "2009-07-21T20:05:53Z")
Oh… so I shouldn’t be releasing fireflies into my room for my cat to play with, then? :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-bad-that-my-dog-eats-lightning-bugs/503744/11 "2009-07-22T00:36:32Z")
My dog used to eat bugs all the time. He wouldn’t hunt them out but if they got too close CHOMP. He loved crickets especially. People way over worry abou their pets, after all they’re animals. Bugs are full of protein and probably delicious, though don’t count on me to try one to back that up 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-bad-that-my-dog-eats-lightning-bugs/503744/12 "2009-07-22T01:04:13Z")
> [@Markxxx](#): > > Bugs are full of protein and probably delicious, though don’t count on me to try one to back that up 🙂 Many bugs, such as crickets, are edible, but there are lots that also contain toxic compounds. Most probably won’t seriously affect an animal the size of a dog, but they can be bad for birds and other small predators. ---
**Author:** ![Mooch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@Mooch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mooch)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-bad-that-my-dog-eats-lightning-bugs/503744/13 "2009-07-22T12:42:03Z")
Ok, my curiosity is getting the better of me. I am going to eat one tonight and see what it tastes like. ---
**Author:** ![Kevbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e47774/32.png) [@Kevbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kevbo)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-bad-that-my-dog-eats-lightning-bugs/503744/14 "2009-07-22T14:54:14Z")
My curiosity runs the other way: Does this diet make for glow-in-the-dark doggie doodle? To the OP: Nature set up dogs so they will eat darn near anything, but barf it up if it disagrees at all. (does that glow??) IME a healthy dog will up-chuck for no obvious reason every 3-4 weeks, usually instigating the event with grass consumption.