Biting Biting: Snacking Gujarati-Style

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While there’s no guaranteed way to avoid the wrath of insects entirely, there are ways to prevent and reduce your risk of being stung or bitten: ✔️ Cover up

This is not a comprehensive guide to bites and stings. If you experience any unusual reactions or issues following a bite or sting, please seek medical advice. Wishing you a safe and happy bite and sting free summer! Sometimes, the redness and swelling can measure more than 30cm in diameter, says Dr Lee. ‘If you have several bites, this can even result in swelling of your whole limb,’ she says. ‘In this case your symptoms will be more severe, with marked discomfort, and intense itching.’ • Systemic allergic reaction We spoke to pharmacist Navid Sole from Peter’s Pharmacy and Dr Deborah Lee from Dr Fox Online Pharmacy about how to identify, treat, and ultimately prevent bites and stings from occurring – plus, the symptoms of a bad reaction, and when to consider seeing a doctor: What causes a reaction to insect bites or stings? To minimise the opportunity for bites and stings, keep your arms and legs covered, with long-sleeved clothing and full length trousers. ‘Don’t walk around barefoot – keep your shoes on,’ says Dr Lee. You should also cover any food and drinks, remembering insects can climb inside cans. ‘Avoid rubbish bins and refuse areas and keep the lids on your bins,’ she continues. If you’re at home, keep windows and doors closed. ‘You can use a net covering at windows or a bead covering at doorways to stop insects getting into the house,’ says Dr Lee. ‘Keep your car windows closed.’ To make sure you know what to do and what is the right information, consider our Essential First Aid Course.Antihistamines (Pills or Topical Creams) will also help reduce the reaction and will treat itching and swelling. If you are in pain, you can take paracetamol or ibuprofen to manage it. Anaphylaxis If you have children, puppy mouthing can be a real issue as it’s hard for them to react calmly if they are the target. For most people, an insect bite or sting usually causes a small red lump on the skin, which is often painful and can be extremely itchy. The question is: why? It's going to take a lot of willpower, but scratching that itch won't give you any relief in the long term. In fact, it’ll make it worse and leave you open to infection. Try not to touch the area unnecessarily, and consider a trip to the pharmacy if it becomes uncomfortable. ‘For itching, your pharmacist will be able to provide treatments including crotamiton cream, hydrocortisone cream and antihistamine tablets,’ says Sole. ‘For swelling, continue applying a cold compress, or go to your pharmacy to get some antihistamine tablets.’ 4. Take a painkiller Fleas are minute, irritating insects, that like to feed on our blood and that of our pets. They are a real nuisance and their bites are itchy and sometimes painful. Getting rid of fleas is hard and requires professional pest control treatment for total eradication. Pet owners are most at risk of flea infestations, but it is possible to have fleas in your home without pets.

They are members if the Trombiculidae family and are tiny mite like spiders. They are known as berry bugs, red bugs or harvest mites. If your cat bites and won't let go, grit your teeth and push your hand and arm in toward the bite to prompt your cat to release you. Pulling away from the bite stimulates your cat to bite even more. Additionally, you should treat your clothing as an extension of your skin and make it off-limits, or your cat won't learn the difference between clawing your jeans and nailing your bare legs. Most people only experience a localised reaction to bee stings. This area around the skin is red and painful. About 3% of people stung by bees and wasps have an allergic reaction to the sting, and up to 0.8% of bee sting victims experience the severe and life-threatening allergic reaction known as anaphylaxis – this requires urgent medical intervention as detailed above. What to do: Everyone has suffered from those incredibly itchy bites and stings that keep you awake at night. Although some people may seem more susceptible to bites, others may have spectacular and occasionally life-threatening reactions.Loose clothing, fluffy slippers and dressing gown ties can be irresistible to some puppies, especially when they move around as you walk around the house. Until your puppy has learnt how much fun he can have with toys and less of a desire to play and tug on absolutely everything, you might want to take these temptations away from them for a short time! Mouthing puppies and children We strongly advise that you attend a fully regulated Practical or Online First Aid course to understand what to do in a medical emergency.

Insect bites and stings are the scourge of the summer. No matter whether you’re in Scotland or St. Tropez, once the weather heats up, it pays to be prepared – or you risk getting bitten or stung. Not only are insect bites and stings uncomfortable, unsightly and itch like mad, but if you’re allergic or the area gets infected, they can have some potentially severe side effects. The most important thing to remember is that for the vast majority of puppies, mouthing or play biting is a phase that they will typically grow out of once they reach between three and five months of age.

The bites are not usually painful, and if you’ve not been bitten by bedbugs before, you may not have any symptoms. Bed bugs usually go away by themselves in a week or two, but there are things you can do at home to reduce irritation: Keep a variety of toys to hand so you can redirect play biting safely. If your puppy begins to mouth your hands, try not to move your hands away or squeal (this will excite your puppy and encourage more vigorous play!) Instead, gently transfer them onto a toy by animating it and allow them to play with that instead.

First Aid for Life is a multi-award-winning, fully regulated first aid training provider. Our trainers are highly experienced medical, health and emergency services professionals who will tailor the training to your needs. Courses for groups or individuals at our venue or yours. If the allergy is more severe it can involve other systems of the body, hence it’s called a ‘systemic’ reaction. If there are toxins involved – for example, in a sting – it can cause a variety of symptoms such as cardiac arrhythmias, kidney problems, neurological symptoms, and abdominal pain, says Dr Lee.

Why do puppies mouth and play bite?

Goldman BS, et al. (2022). Caterpillar and moth bites. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK539851/ Bee sting venom is predominantly formic acidic so they advise bicarbonate of soda to neutralise it. Puppy teeth are sharp and it’s not reasonable to expect children to deal with play biting on their own, in fact often their reactions are likely to encourage more mouthing! You’ll need to manage interactions carefully and actively supervise, and if you can’t then temporary separation within the home is a must – this is where stair gates are extremely useful. Why rest, regular meals and exercise will help Use an insect repellent containing 50 per cent diethyltoluamide (DEET) in the summer months. ‘Apply your sunscreen first, then apply the insect repellent,’ says Dr Lee. ‘Spray the insect repellent on your hands and apply with your hands to your face. Don’t apply insect repellent under your clothes – just on exposed areas. Use just enough to cover the required area.’ Take care not to apply it to broken or inflamed skin, and wash your hands after applying. ✔️ Protect yourself at dusk