Are Bed Bugs In Pulaski Dangerous For My Pets To Come In Contact With?

With dark, reddish-brown, oval-shaped bodies that don’t get any bigger than the seeds in your apple, bed bugs are one of the harder pests for homeowners to identify. However, these pests can be more common than you might think. One in five people have encountered bed bugs at some point in their life, whether that’s knowing someone with an infestation or having their own home infested.

Many people already know that the itchy red welts that bed bugs leave behind can be dangerous for people, but what about your pets? Does having a bed bug infestation put your dogs, cats, or other pets at risk? For Pulaski homeowners, here’s what you should know about whether bed bugs bite pets, how to tell if your animals have bed bugs, and what to do if you’re worried that bed bugs have come in contact with your pets.

Will Bed Bugs Bite Pets?

Although bed bugs drink blood like other parasites, like fleas, they don’t live on their hosts the same way. Once fleas have attached to an animal host, they stay on your pet for as long as they can – and may even try to lay their eggs in your pet’s fur.

Bed bugs, however, detach from a host once they’ve bitten. Bed bugs have a preference for human hosts since we don’t have fur, but your animals still emit the same things that bed bugs are attracted to - carbon dioxide and body heat.

But since bed bugs aren’t fans of fur, they’ll usually bite pets in areas where there’s less hair, like the belly, behind their limbs, or even on the ears. In some cases, bed bugs may also use your pets to make traveling easy. These bugs get around by traveling on clothing, luggage, and other personal belongings, and it’s not uncommon for them to hitch a ride on your pet’s fur if they have to.

How To Tell If Your Pet Has Bed Bugs

Since bed bugs can bite pets, how can you tell if you’re spotting them on your dog or cat? Here’s a quick guide to identifying bed bugs on your pet – and telling them apart from other tiny pests, like fleas or ticks.

• Look for bites. Like many pests, bed bugs leave noticeable bites behind, but it’s not always easy to tell if you’ve got a pet with long hair. If you’re worried that your animal has been bitten, look for tiny, red bumps on their skin – especially in areas like the belly, armpit, or ears. Bed bug bites may occur in a straight line, and in groups of two or three.

• Watch out for itching and scratching. Just like flea bites, bed bug bites can be itchy, and if your pet has been bitten, they’ll usually itch and scratch where the bite mark is. In some cases, too much scratching can lead to an inflamed rash. If you notice that your dog or cat is constantly itching the same spot on their body, you’ll want to check for bites.

• Pay attention to spotting on pet bedding. One thing that bed bugs do that you won’t find with other pests is spotting. If they’re hanging out near your animals or their bedding, you’ll usually find dark, tiny stains where bed bugs have defecated – or their bodies have been crushed when your pet rolls over in their bed.

• Look for live bed bugs near your pet. While fleas and ticks may spend days on their host, it’s unusual to find live bed bugs on your pet’s fur – but that doesn’t mean the infestation isn’t close by. Bed bugs don’t travel far, and if you think they’re feasting on your pet, you can check your furry friend’s bedding or other items for signs of the infestation.

How To Deal With Bed Bugs In Your Pulaski Home

If you do discover that bed bugs have been snacking on your family dog or cat, there are two things to do: wash your pet’s bedding and other personal belongings on the highest heat to kill the bugs, and then call us at All Pest Control & Solutions for our reliable bed bug control service.

Even if you think they’ve only targeted your pet, a bed bug infestation can be dangerous for the entire family – and extremely difficult to try and eliminate on your own. So, if you think you’ve got an infestation, contact us at All Pest Control & Solutions today for pest control in Pulaski.