Worried About Your Pets Bringing in Pests? Here's What You Need to Know

While our four-legged, furry friends are a source of joy for many families, pets can also cause pest infestations in your home if you are not careful. To prevent your pets from contracting illness, and ensure that your home does not become infested with anything that they carry inside, you need to take preventative measures. If you are worried about your pets bringing pests into your home, Let IPM Pest &Termite of Lexington, Kentucky show you exactly what you need to know about preventing these potential infestations in your home.

Fleas

The most common insect that all pet owners are warned of preventing is fleas. Fleas are tiny, sesame seed sized, brown insects, which are found in every region of the country during all seasons of the year. More numerous in the summer than in the colder months, fleas will jump onto your pet without notice and then get transported into your home. The best way to prevent fleas from infesting your home is to use animal-specific flea treatment, which you give to your dog or cat either monthly or every few months, and by treating your lawn with a pet-safe insect treatment.

Ticks

Ticks are the trickiest insect to detect on your pet. Ticks are small, 8-legged, blood sucking bugs, that have a very hard outer shell and a mean bite. Ticks are found across the country and are more numerous in the summer months. Typically, ticks are more prevalent in shaded or wooded areas, and it is in these spots that your pets are more prone to these nasty little miscreants. To ensure that your pet does not carry ticks into your home, make sure that your shrubbery, trees, and vegetation are well kept, as this is where ticks will hide. In addition, veterinarian prescribed tick prevention medicine is essential. Not only does tick medicine help keep ticks out of your home, it will also help prevent your pet (and family members!) from contracting Lyme disease or Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

Mosquitos

Mosquitos may not seem like an animal that would infest your home, but if these potentially dangerous pests are not handled properly, they can become a real annoyance both in and outside your home, transmitting disease and causing major annoyance to you and your family. Attracted to anything that has blood, and most commonly found near standing water, mosquitos are a dangerous insect that can be carried inside your home by your pets. Known as a transmitter of hazardous viruses to humans, mosquitos are also the most common ways that dogs and cats contract heartworms. Transmitted by your pets ingesting infected mosquito larvae, heartworms are a deadly roundworm that will silently infect your pets’ blood vessels, eventually reaching the vessels of the heart and causing mechanical blockage and death. To prevent a mosquito infestation, and all the hazards that come with these insects, ensure that your yard is well maintained. Remove standing water and have your yard treated for mosquitos annually.

IPM Pest & Termite

At IPM Pest & Termite, we can help you prevent these potential pest infestations. Regular bug inspection and preventative treatments will decrease the risk of pests entering your home via your pets. At IPM Pest & Termite, serving Lexington, Kentucky and the surrounding areas, we specialize in ridding your home of a wide range of pest problems. As a member of Angie’s List with an A+ BBB rating, we can guarantee that our services will meet all of your standards. If you are ready to prevent your home’s potential pest problem, and keep your pets and family safe, contact IPM Pest & Termite today!