Pets And Safe Pest Treatments In The Home

If you have pets in your home, and also have a pest issue, then you may be concerned about using pest control methods in case they are harmful to your pets. If this is a concern of yours, then you should hire a professional pest control service. There are also some other things you should do to keep your animals safe from harm. Keep reading to understand what these things are.

Make Sure Low Concentrations Are Used

If you have farms in your area or if you have neighbors that use insecticides aggressively to protect gardens, then you may have come across a situation where your dog or cat has become ill due to the chemicals. Heavy and aggressive use of certain insecticides is something that can cause seizures, vomiting, diarrhea, and heart palpitations in cats and dogs. In particular, this is a caused by a toxicity of carbamate or organophosphate pesticides. These products inhibit the function of essential enzymes in the body, and many people will not take proper care when applying them to gardens and lawns. 

Not only is little care taken with some of the products that cause toxicity issues, but higher concentrations of the chemicals are often utilized in an attempt to reduce applications.

Professional pest control individuals will not use heavy, aggressive, and high concentration products. Insects and smaller pests are so small that only a very small amount of the poison or pesticide is needed to eradicate the pests. Oftentimes, the concentration is actually below 1%. This is safe for pets and humans. What you do need to realize that multiple applications may be needed as the pesticides breakdown, or in the event that they are placed outside, rinse away. Using a higher concentration does very little to eliminate these issues and it only places you, your family, and your pets at a greater risk of becoming sick from the chemicals. 

Make sure to speak with your pest control specialist about chemical concentrations as well as the treatment schedule and plan for pest eradication. 

Secure Pets During The Initial Treatment 

While pesticides do pose a very little threat to your pets, there are a few things that you should do to eliminate any potential problems. You should remove food bowls, water bowls, and pet beds from the house. Also, you should take your canine or feline outside of the home for a period of time so the application can be completed. 

Basically, you want your animals to be away from the pesticide while it is still wet. The pesticide is sprayed or released in your home. The chemical does release into the air for a brief period of time, but the droplets are large enough that they drop from the air quickly and spread across flat surfaces like your tables, floors, and furniture. Once this happens, the chemicals will dry and the residue will be hazardous to only the pests being targeted. 

Make sure to speak to your pest control specialist so you know when it is safe to come back to the home. 

Ask About Organic Pesticides

Pesticides and insecticides are formulated to kill pests while creating a very small risk to humans and pets. However, some individuals do not want chemicals released into the home that have any sort of potential to cause harm. If this is a concern of yours, then speak to your professional about organic products. 

You should understand that an product that is able to kill a pest will still be a toxic one, so there are still risks associated with them. However, like man-made or inorganic pesticides, they have a generally low toxicity for pets, children, and adults. 

If you are still a bit concerned about toxicity, then organic baits, pesticide-free traps, certain types of acids, and even diatomaceous earth can be used on their own or as part of an overall pest control plan.