When it comes to your pets well-being and safety, there’s no room to mess around. We’ve got the answers for you about what pest control means if you have a furry friend living in your home.
Caring for your pet goes beyond making sure they’re exercised, well-fed, and loved. As a pet owner, it is part of your responsibility to ensure the safety of your fluffy friend with regard to health risks, like pests. Pests can make your pets sick, and without proper prevention, can cause infestations.
Why you need pest control–especially with pets.
Pets are known for attracting pests–especially the ones that go outdoors. Below are a few common pests that are the most likely to cling to your pets.
What do all of these pests have in common? One, they’re all itch-inducing and two, they’re all fairly difficult to get rid of. Which is why it’s important to prevent pests in the first place.
Preventing pests from the get-go
1. Keep your pet’s food and water fresh
A good rule of thumb for keeping pests away from your pets is by making sure their food doesn’t sit out all day. It comes as no surprise that pests love food. Especially food that sits so close to the ground–like your dog’s food bowl. Pests are also attracted to sitting, dirty water. Be sure to switch out your pet’s food and water bowls twice a day, and clean them with detergent regularly.
2. Store food in airtight containers
In addition to switching out food bowls and keeping them clean, it’s also smart to store food in containers, rather than bags. Leaving food in bags can lead to a potential pest disaster. Creepy crawlies are great at sneaking into gaps, cracks, nooks, and crannies. Storing your pet’s food in airtight containers will not only keep the food fresh longer, but will prevent unwanted pests from making contact with your pets.
3. Maintain Your Yard
Maintaining your yard in general can do wonders for your pest control efforts. Things like trimming your shrubs, cutting your grass and trimming away trees or bushes from your yard can be enough to keep pests at bay. The more grass and shrubbery you have, the more bugs you’re likely to find latched onto your pets. As a bonus, consider fencing your yard. Fenced yards not only keep your pet in, but they also help keep pests out. It is important to maintain the fenced yard and properly treat to be most effective.
4. Keep your pets clean.
Being a pet owner, you know how dirty your pet can get. Whether you have a dog who likes to get into the garbage, a cat who likes to get into the food on your counter or a playful pup that loves the mud–pets love to get dirty. And while it’s not always easy keeping them clean, it’s essential for keeping pests away.
Groom your pets regularly and check for any irregular bumps on the skin, as they could be ticks or other pests. Trim and clean pet brushes often to avoid spreading any pests your brush finds.
The Age Old Question: Is Pest Control Harmful to Pets?
As a pet owner, the well-being and safety of your pet is at the top of your priority list–as it should be! Wanting to keep your pet safe from pests, but also wanting to make sure that you aren’t dangering your pet with harsh chemicals, may have you wondering…”What’s best for my animal?” While we use only the best products that will leave your home and pets unharmed, there are additional ways to make sure your home is protected from pests, without harming your pets in the process.
Here’s how to keep your pets extra safe during treatment:
Follow the instructions
This one is simple. Most treatments come with step-by-step instructions for safe application. By following these directions, you’ll be sure that your pet and your pests are no longer in the same space.
Air it out
Make sure all the windows and doors are opened when you apply your treatment. This will allow chemicals to dry faster and will also allow your home to air out.
Reduce contact between treatment areas and your pet.
If possible, try to place your pets somewhere away from the treatment during and after. After a few hours, the toxicity of the treatment will lessen, making it safer for your pets to roam freely
Bring in the professionals
Though spot treatments and DIY remedies can be effective in the short term, for long-lasting pest control sometimes it’s better to leave it to the professionals. Upon hiring your professional pest control services, it’s important to let them know that you have pets. This way they can prepare to treat your home in a way that’s safe for your furry friend.
As a pet owner, you want a happy and healthy life for your furbaby. It is critical to understand what you can do to prevent pests from making contact with you, your pet, or your home.
At Killingsworth, we aren’t just your average, everyday bug exterminator. We use environmentally safe chemicals in our pest control management strategy that are both environmentally friendly and safe for you and your animals! To learn more about our pest control services and insect control visit our pest removal page.
Schedule our expert pest control service today! No one knows pests like Killingsworth.
