Do bed bugs bite pets?

Do bed bugs bite pets? If you start noticing strange bite marks on your pets’ skin, then you might begin to wonder if bed bugs or other insects cause them. The focus of this article is to find out if bed bugs bite pets.

Bed Bug Treatment

When you have furry members in your family, it’s important to care for their well-being. Chances are you have found your pets feeling irritable lately – scratching, and licking their furs at an uncontrollable pace. This might be a sign of some insect bites. Therefore, you might ask – do bed bugs bite pets?

Bed bugs and pets

Bed bugs prefer to feed on humans. However, they can and will bite pets if they cannot access the humans. Bed bugs will also feed on pets if we sleep with our pets on the same bed. When the infestation is higher, you might also find little pockets of bed bug hideouts around our pets’ bedding and in cracks and crevices next to them.

Are pets carriers of bed bugs?

Unlike other insects like fleas, mites, ticks, and lice, bed bugs do not live on pets. Bed bugs are naturally opportunistic and will seek hideouts near our pets. They will only come out to bite when the pets are sleeping. Therefore, bed bugs may not likely get into your home through your pet’s furs. In truth, bed bugs are renowned “hitchhikers.” They can be carried into your home through luggage, bedding, clothing, and furniture. They can also hang onto the furs, but this is an unlikely situation.

How to treat your pets for bed bugs?

When bed bugs bite pets, it is hard to stop them from scratching the affected areas with their sharp claws. This continuous scratching, in the long run, would cause them to bleed, causing severe infection.

So anytime you notice that your pets have been bitten by bed bugs (or any other insect), call a veterinary doctor. The Vet Doctor would most times prescribe a drug or ointment that would stop the itching and antibiotics that would restrict the spread of infections.

Ways to protect your pets from bed bugs

Besides bed bug bites, you need to look for other signs of the bugs around your home. Search for black fecal matter, which is bed bug excrement. You might also find bed bug skins that look like the bugs but are translucent and empty. You may also find bed bug eggs, but these are only easily seen using a magnifying lens. Bed bug eggs are opalescent white and very tiny.

Usually, you might find these signs of bed bugs around areas closer to your bed and those of your pets. Look for these signs in your mattress seams, pillows, baseboard, headboard, bed frames, and lots more. You may also find them in tiny cracks around your bed or the rest of your home.

Dealing with the bed bug infestation

When you confirm that you are dealing with bed bugs, it’s vital to deal with the infestation right away:

● Start by laundering all your bedding and entire room with soap and the hottest possible water temperature for those clothes. You might have to sort those clothes to figure out the right temperature. Also, dry the bedding at high heat. Do the same to the bedding for your pets. It would help to pack the freshly laundered clothes in tightly locked bags to prevent the bugs from going back in.

● For belongings that can’t be washed, please put them in the dryer and steam at a high setting for about 20 minutes.

● Next, vacuum your entire home. It’s essential to use a high-powered vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter to pick up all kinds of debris, including those in hard-to-reach areas. You can vacuum your home a few times to cut the infestation by half.

● Next, consider using bed bug pesticides around your home. Ensure the pesticide has been approved for indoor use and is labeled for bed bugs. Thoroughly treat your home with the pesticide according to the instructions. While treating your home, you might want to have your entire household move out for at least a day to prevent them from getting sick.

Concluding thoughts

Do bed bugs bite pets? They certainly do. Bed bugs would deliver bites to pets that keep them restless and cause severe problems for several days. If you don’t want to see those beautiful pets of yours suffer from the painful trauma that bed bug bites give, then deal with the infestation as soon as they occur. If these bugs have already bitten your pets, get them to the veterinary doctor as quickly as possible to get the best treatment.

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