Recent times have seen the rise of bed bugs. Homes, offices and public spaces are now getting their fair, share of infestations at an alarming rate. With each passing year, there seems to be an increase in infestation reports from homeowners. This leads to the question can your pet get bed bugs?
Bed bugs are serial hitchhikers, and that means is that they invade just about anywhere. Hotels, motels, schools, and public transports are just some of the few places you can pick up these scurry pests. Bedbugs depend on blood for survival, and that is why they feed on the blood of humans and furry pets. If your house is suffering from a bed bug infestation, your pets are not safe. Pets can quickly pick up bed bugs unbeknownst to them, and that can make life uncomfortable for them. Common signs of bed bugs on pets include excessive itching and scratching of their body.
We have created some Questions and Answers on how your dogs and pets can get bed bugs and what you can do to get rid of the bed bugs.
Questions and Answers
Question: I spotted some bed bugs on my bed, and my cat and dog sleep on the same bed with me. Do I need to be worried that they might have been bitten?
Answer: Bed bugs are always hunting for food, and quite frankly, they don’t care if it is humans or pets, they sink in their mouths and start sucking blood. So, it means bed bugs may have bitten your pets.
Question: What should I do if I find out that my pet has bed bugs
Answer: Immediately contact your veterinarian and ask which shampoo will be ideal, and sufficient to kill the bugs on your pet. Cat shampoo is harmful to dogs and vice versa. The furs of the pets make it difficult to spot the bite marks, so look for signs such as excessive scratching and itching on your pet.
Question: What should I do if I find bed bugs on my pets bedding?
Answer: Thoroughly wash any of the bedding, toys and other items of your pet in hot water. Look at for signs that indicate the presence of bed bugs such as blood stains, fecal stains and shed skins
Additional Questions and Answers
Question: What can kill bed bugs?
Answer: Extreme temperatures of cold and heat can kill bed bugs. Exposure to temperatures below 32oF for several days can kill bed bugs. Also, Exposure to heat of 120oF for half an hour will kill bed bugs. A dryer is a good source of heat if your clothing is infested. Using vacuuming along with freezing is also a method certain pest controllers utilize.
Question: Can other dogs transfer bed bugs to my dog?
Answer: Bed bugs are nocturnal pests; they mostly operate at night. It can be difficult to tell if a dog is infested by their appearance alone, although there are cases where bed bugs often hide in other dog’s fur and then fall onto your dog’s fur during play.
Question: I treat my pet with topical flea and tick treatments. Can this help my pets from getting bed bugs?
Answer: Sadly, any flea and tick application doesn’t work on bed bugs.
A good way to prevent Bedbugs from gaining access to your home is to launder all pet clothing and items as soon as you get home from your travels or the park. As you can see from the above question in regard to can your pet get bed bugs? The answer is yes but there are precautions and resolutions you can take!
