Pet Pests: How These Top 4 Critters Harm Your Furry Friends
When you think of pest control, you usually focus on keeping pests out of your home and away from you. But there’s another side to pest control that you need to consider: your furry friends. If you have dogs, cats or other animals in your home, there’s a chance that bugs also bother them – especially if your pets go outside. There are some insects that cause more of a problem than others. Here are a few of the worst pests that are most attracted to pets.
Fleas and Ticks
Let’s go ahead and get the obvious out of the way first. Fleas and ticks top our list because these are the bugs that everyone thinks of when they think of pets. If you aren’t already treating your animals for these two pesky annoyances, then you should. Not only do they irritate your pets and make them itchy, they can also spread diseases to you and your animals.
Mosquitoes
Mosquitoes aren’t just annoying; they’re dangerous, too. We know that they can spread some diseases to people, but did you know they can also make your animals sick? There are many conditions a mosquito can carry from one animal to another. However, by far the most serious is heartworms. If you leave heartworms untreated, they can eventually kill your pet.
Ants
Some animals love to root around in the dirt, sniffing for scents and other goodies. Unfortunately, that nose can get them in a lot of trouble. If they stumble upon an ant hill (especially fire ants or other aggressive species), the results can be quite serious. Before you even know there’s a problem, the swarm of ants bites hundreds of times. This leads to serious medical complications.
Fireflies
You wouldn’t think of fireflies as dangerous bugs, but they are. It’s not because they’re aggressive. It’s because they are poisonous. In addition to their bioluminescent chemicals, many species of fireflies also contain lucibufagins. These are poisonous toxins that ward off predators. They can make bigger animals sick and have also killed smaller lizards and cats.
As you can see, the outside world can be a dangerous place for Fido or Fluffy. When you have a pest control plan, it’s important to keep your pets’ health and comfort in mind and do everything you can to keep them away from pests. To do this, it’s best to call in the professionals. Contact us at Termagon, Inc. today to speak to a professional.