Can dogs and cats carry bedbugs? - Guide to Bed Bug Removal


With the uncontrolled increase of bed bugs, it is important to consider what role pets play in the distribution of bed bugs.


Can bedbugs bite your dog or cat? Can pets carry bed bugs from the yard? Are pet homes more prone to bed bug infestations and more resistant to treatment?

Bed bugs only want blood, and they prefer to bite humans hard because it is more difficult (but not impossible) for them to draw fluid through the skin of animals.

The bad news is that any warm-blooded animal in your home can act as a magnet to lure the bed bugs out of their hiding place and disperse them into areas that do not normally go.

Factors such as body heat and pheromones will guide bed bugs to areas where pets congregate and relax. The difference between the treatment of a room and the treatment of several rooms can be equal to spending a lot of money on fumigation.

Bedbugs can and do feed on animals if humans are unattainable due to factors such as pesticides and bed protection measures. Domestic animals that exhibit scabs or flea plaques and irritations with mites are more susceptible to bed bug bites.

The most vulnerable place in a dog's body is the belly, as it is not as hairy as other parts of the body and usually comes into contact with the ground.

eliminate bed bugsA bedbug can hook a walk from the backyard of your home with your dog's exposed skin as a vehicle, but this is a small concern, since bedbugs only stay in their hosts long enough to feed themselves.

Most pesticides designed to kill and repel bed bugs are not safe for use on or near animals. The great exception is cedar oil.

Cedar oil, when applied to human or domestic quarters, kills bedbugs in contact and creates a lasting barrier that repels a wide variety of insects, including fleas, ticks, lice and mites.

For these reasons, cedar oil is fast becoming the pesticide of choice for major hotels. Last year, one of the most important pest control companies in the United States ordered 5,000 gallons of the substance just to combat bed bugs in hotels.

The following guide was developed to address the special needs of pet owners who wish to stop the cycle of attraction. With due attention to detail, it is possible to save thousands of dollars in bedbug extermination costs:

- Be alert only because insects or bites are no longer visible. A well-fed bedbug can live up to six months, while a dormant bedbug can survive up to 18 months without feeding on blood.

- A female bug can lay 5 eggs per day and 500 eggs in a lifetime. An organized action plan is somewhat urgent for pet owners who want to contain the infestations before they are magnified exponentially.


What to do and not do to eradicate bed bugs at home:


eliminate bed bugs- Do not use pyrethrin aerosols, use pyrethrum or mattresses, pet beds or couches. According to an EPA survey toxicology centers, they cause incidents of insecticide poisoning plus pesticides than any other, except for organophosphates. Read the labels carefully before choosing any product.

- Limit areas where pets sleep. The presence of several unconscious bodies resting in the house is a formula for attracting bed bugs. Spray pet beds with cedar oil and refresh the treatment every few weeks. Discard old beds of animals that have been infested or wash them with water as hot as possible.

- Do not rely on traditional flea treatments to prevent bed bugs from hooking on animals. They are not effective against bed bugs, and can be very dangerous. According to a 2010 statement from the Environmental Protection Agency, products intended to treat cats and dogs for fleas kill hundreds of animals each year.

- Spray a uniform mist of cedar oil on the carpet under your bed. Refresh the treatment once a month to protect the pets that rest under the beds and thus stop the cycle of attracting bed bugs to their bedrooms.

- Become a detective, especially near areas where pets and humans sleep. Lift edges of carpets, remove moldings and study the seams on ceilings and walls.

- Spray both sides of your mattress with cedar oil. Do not forget to remove the mesh fine mesh web that covers the bottom of most mattress units. Spray this area liberally to kill insects, remember to hide inside the cavities of the bed.

- Use mattresses and zippered covers to prevent future infestation of bed bugs. Choose a durable and waterproof mattress cover with a sturdy zipper. Apply masking tape over the small holes of the opening and closing zippers.

Remember that bed bug nymphs are barely visible to the naked eye. Easily penetrate zip fasteners.

- Protect bed legs, bed frames and headrests. Since bedbugs can not jump or fly, chances are they will crawl to the furniture to get there. Spray the legs of the bed with cedar oil or cover them with double-sided tape. Refresh the tape when it appears dusty or no longer feels sticky.

Consider changing your wooden headboard over a smooth metal design with no cracks and crevices.

eliminate bed bugs- Do not allow pets in your newly protected bed. If your emotional bond is too strong to consider sleeping alone, apply cedar oil to your pets before allowing them to sleep with you.

- Do not start sleeping in other areas of the house! Bed bugs simply leave your room in search of a warm body. The infestation will quickly spread to other rooms.

- Do not forget to spray the sockets and curtain hems that touch the floor. This will keep bed bugs from crawling on the wall and ceiling where they can jump on the mattress.

- Wash the bed linen in the hottest water available. Store clean blankets and pajamas in giant Ziploc bags. Wear fresh, clean clothes every time you lie down on the bed. A bed bug can easily hook a ride from your bed to the couch in your favorite outfit like a vehicle.

- Spray on sofas and armchairs, paying special attention to cracks and cushion wells. If you are sure that the room is infested, remove the thin webbing netting at the bottom of your sofa to access areas that are not visible to the naked eye. Spray this area liberally to kill the bed bugs that are hidden inside the sofa cavity.

- Buy smaller blankets that do not "rest" on the sides of the bed on the floor. Bed bugs are known to adhere to the corners of blankets that touch the floor.

- Move the bed six inches away from the night wall.

- Spray interiors of drawers, especially those closest to your bed. Pay particular attention to crevices, seams and beveled edges to eliminate bed bugs.


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