do-bed-bugs-bite-dogs[/caption]2014 Update – While media hype has died down in recent months, bed bugs (and more importantly the impact of bed bugs on your pets) still appear to be a very common issue. One report from the National Pest Management Association found “99.6 percent of respondents encountered bed bug infestations in the past year and that infestations have increased in the majority of locations in which pest professionals typically treat for bed bugs.”
According to the report, private residential settings, hotels and motels continue to lead the way in bed bug infestations. The good news is that our advice and recommendations to keep your dogs and pets safe still hold true today. When staying in a pet friendly hotel double check the mattress, the box spring, and your bags and luggage for bed bugs. If you notice your pets scratching or you see bed bug bites, it is time for a massive cleaning and a long tumble in the clothes dryer. Twenty to thirty minutes should kill any bugs and the eggs they lay.
For more information, continue reading our Q and A on how your dogs can get bed bugs and how to get rid of those pesky parasites.
Recently we spent the weekend in New York City and learned about the serious concerns over bed bugs. So, last week when we read this post on TPPC.tv‘s blog we wanted to share it with you. Your pet’s welfare is your biggest concern, and we want to help you keep them safe. Thanks to Robin and Joseph for allowing us to re-blog the article here!
With major chains of clothing stores closing in NYC due to bed bug infestations, we started thinking about how and if bed bugs can affect pets. Here is a Q and A of the basics.
Q: I found bed bugs in my bed, and my dog and cat sleep on the bed. Do I need to be concerned that they could be bitten?
A: Bed bugs are looking for food, whether it’s you or your pets, it doesn’t matter to them. Humans are easy targets because they are not covered in fur, but pets can be bitten too – including dogs, cats, mice, birds, and rats.
Q: What do I need to do for my pet if I find bed bugs on him?
A: Contact your veterinarian to find out what shampoo you should use to kill the bed bugs on your pet. A dog shampoo for bed bugs may be harmful if used on a cat. Most likely, your pet will be bitten at night, and then the bed bugs will go and hide during the day while they digest the blood. So during the day, you may not clearly see the bugs, but you will see the bite marks and your pet will be scratching the bites.
Q: What else should I do if I find bed bugs on my pet or in his bedding?
A: Wash your pet’s bedding, toys and anything plush he comes in contact with. Look for tell tale signs of the bugs, such as fecal stains that will not flake off and will smear if wiped with a damp cloth, to determine if an area is infested.
Q: What kills bed bugs?
A: Bed bugs will die in heat of 120 degrees Fahrenheit if they are exposed for 10-20 minutes. The dryer is a good source of this heat. Items that can’t be laundered can be wrapped in clear plastic and placed outside all day on a hot, sunny day. Cold will also kill bed bugs, but a temperature below 32 degrees must be maintained for several days. Some pest control services use steam or freezing followed by immediate vacuuming, however if the bugs are hiding deep in crevasses they may be missed.
Q: Can my dog catch bed bugs from other dogs that are playing in the dog park?
A: Since bugs feed at night and hide during the day, you would likely not be able to tell if a dog is infested simply by looking at them. However, in rare cases, bed bugs could be hiding in a dog’s fur and fall onto another dog during play.
Q: I use topical flea and tick treatments such as Frontline on my pet. Does this help prevent my pet from getting bed bugs?
A: Unfortunately, no. Bed bugs are not affected by topical monthly flea and tick applications.
Laundering all people and pet clothing and bedding that has been used on a trip or is newly purchased prior to putting it away will decrease your chances of bringing unwanted critters into your home.
Here is some detailed information about bed bugs from the University of Kentucky. Warning … these pictures may give you the creepy-crawlies.
Pets and Bedbugs: How to Safely Get Rid of the Bedbugs
Once considered the bastion of shady motels in crowded cities, an indicator of poor housekeeping or dirt, bed bugs have quickly become a ubiquitous pest affecting even the most steadfast lodgings and homes. After a decrease in appearances after WWII, bed bugs have come back with a vengeance since the 1990s and are again considered a major public health pest. Cleanliness or the cost of the lodging are no deterrent to these bugs, which are found in all 50 states.
What Are Bed Bugs, Exactly?
Bed bugs, also known by their scientific name Cimex lectularius L., are parasitic creatures that use blood as their sole source of nutrition. They feed on warm-blooded animals. According to the California Department of Public Health, while bed bugs prefer humans, they will feed on dogs and cats as well. Adults are 5-7 mm long, about the length of an apple seed, and are flat—a shape that is ideal for hiding in bed frames, molding, and box springs. Most bed bug bites happen at night. A bed bug will attach to its host to feed for about five minutes and then detach, meaning it is very unlikely that you will find an actual bed bug on a person or pet.
Can a Bed Bug Make Me or My Pet Ill?
Fortunately for both people and pets, bed bugs are not known to transmit disease. Some people or animals develop red welts or itchy lesions, which are often mistaken for flea or mosquito bites. So while they can cause discomfort and significant mental distress, bed bugs won’t give you or your pets diseases, though in severe cases scratching can lead to secondary skin infections. Many times people don’t notice bites at all.
How Do You Get Bed Bugs?
Bed bugs are hardy hitchhikers. Many unsuspecting travelers pick one up on the road and bring it home in their luggage, unwittingly setting up an infestation. A fed female bed bug can lay between 2-5 eggs a day, meaning one single bug in your roller-bag, gym bag, or even in your pants cuff, can lead to an infestation at home. Once an infestation is established, their propensity to hide in nooks and crannies can make them very difficult to eradicate.
According to the 2015 Bugs Without Borders Survey, the top three places where bed bugs are found are apartments, single family homes, and hotels/motels, though they are also found in dorms, nursing homes, modes of public transport, and even hospitals. They can survive temperatures from freezing to 122°F and make it several months without eating, making them good survivors in a world that doesn’t want them around.
What Are the Signs of a Bed Bug Infestation?
While it is possible to find a live bed bug on yourself or your pet, most of the time people notice secondary signs of infestation before locating a live bug. In the house, you may notice any of the following: translucent shed exoskeletons, black spots of bug droppings, or red blood stains on your bed sheets. On people or pets, you may not notice bites at all, or you may see red welts, oftentimes in a line.
Live bugs range in color from rust to bright red depending on whether or not they have recently fed. They aggregate around wood features but can hide in bed frames, box springs, papers on the floor, curtain rods, even small wallpaper creases that have pulled away from the wall. In one instance, bed bugs were even located in a man’s prosthetic leg!
How Do You Get Rid of Bed Bugs?
Because it takes so few to create an infestation, and also because they are so well dispersed in hard-to-reach places, bed bugs are notoriously difficult to eradicate. Generally, the best outcomes happen when treatment is assisted by a pest-care professional. The first step is determining where the bed bugs are located. While the bedroom is most common, bed bugs also frequently found in living rooms. Infestations can begin in one room and move to others over time.
Seventy percent of infestations are located around beds, so much of the process focuses on treating those areas. Bedding is washed in hot water, mattresses are encased in bed bug-proof covers, and bed frames are treated with both vacuuming to remove the larger adults and nymphs, and chemical treatment to kill the eggs. If bed bugs are found in other areas, such as dressers, the same process is repeated there. If it sounds time consuming or difficult, that’s because, unfortunately, it is.
Many different products are labeled for use in eradicating bed bugs. In general, foggers are not effective as they do not penetrate the areas bed bugs like to hide. Sprays that are applied directly to affected areas have the advantage of striking exactly where they need to go. Because of the variety of products on the market, it is vital to read both the label and the safety data sheet for the product, which can be found online. None of the products should be applied directly to pets. Again, professional assistance can save you a lot of headaches in that regard.
We Have Bed Bugs! Will Treating Them Hurt My Pet?
I spoke to the professionals at Corky’s Pest Control, who have lots of experience in safely eradicating bed bugs in family homes. There are many options available, depending on the severity of the infestation and the needs of the owners, from heat treatments to fumigations to chemical applications. The suggested course of treatment can vary from household to household and from company to company.
For households with dogs and cats, Corky’s most commonly uses a chemical application to affected areas, which necessitates about 4-6 hours of keeping the pet away from the house. A severe case requiring fumigation would require the entire family to be out of the home for three days. They also stressed that certain pets, such as birds and reptiles, can have different sensitivities to environmental pesticides, so it’s vital to ensure the treatment you select is safe for your specific menagerie.
If you are dealing with bed bugs, take a deep breath; you’re not alone. With a little elbow grease, you can return your house to being in a bed bug-free state.
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