Many families wonder if pest control spray is safe for dogs. It’s a great question, but unfortunately, the answer is more nuanced than it is straightforward. While the short answer is “yes,” the minutiae are a bit different and lean more towards “no.”
Now, those aren’t great explanations, and won’t fully satisfy people who are protective of their pets. But it points toward something larger. And that is, when it comes to keeping both your property and pets safe, there’s a lot more to doing both. So, let’s take a few minutes to pull back the proverbial curtain and answer the question to find out if pest control spray is safe for dogs.
Key Pest Control Spray Safety Guidelines for Dogs
All right, pest control is a necessity for homeowners to help them protect their properties. Otherwise, residences can be exposed to termites, rats, cockroaches, ants, and more pests. Which means periodic applications, typically including pest-control sprays. Of course, these sprays contain dangerous chemicals designed to kill bugs and rodents, but they can harm mammals as well. This means pet parents need to take precautions to ensure their fur babies aren’t at risk after an application, which includes doing the following:
- First, remove pet items, including toys, bowls, and bedding, from any areas that will be treated.
- Second, be sure the areas that will be treated are well-ventilated, both before, during, and after the application.
- Third, tell the technician about your pets and their favorite places around the house and in the yard.
- Fourth, wait for the application to dry, which generally takes about two hours. Do not let pets wander through treated areas, whether indoors or outdoors, while the spray is still damp.
If your pets somehow get into treated areas before they are completely dry, watch for signs of exposure. Conventional pesticides, including pyrethroids, can cause symptoms like vomiting, drooling, tremors, or seizures if a dog is overexposed. If your dog shows signs of distress after a treatment, contact a veterinarian immediately.
In most cases, pets aren’t at risk if you take the necessary precautions. However, dogs, cats, and other domestic pets can accidentally come into contact with pest spray, so it’s wise to be prepared before the application.
Common Pests that are Harmful to Dogs
Several common pests are dangerous to dogs, with ticks, fleas, and mosquitoes being the most prevalent threats due to their ability to transmit diseases like Lyme disease, heartworm, and tapeworms. But these aren’t the only pests that pose risks to household pets. While ticks and fleas are the most obvious, they aren’t the only ones that can be harmful to dogs; there are more:
- Stinging insects, such as wasps, bees, and ants, aren’t only dangerous to humans; they are also dangerous to dogs because their stings and bites can cause allergic reactions, painful swelling, or anaphylaxis.
- Spiders are another risk, since their bites can also cause severe pain, swelling, and systemic illness.
- Then, there are rodents, including rats and mice. Rodents are known to carry diseases, toxins (from rodenticides), and internal parasites.
What will probably surprise pet parents is that caterpillars can also be dangerous to dogs, as the hair of certain caterpillars can cause skin irritation, vomiting, and diarrhea if ingested or touched.
How to Tell if a Pest Control Company is Pet-Friendly
Most pet-friendly pest control services will advertise themselves as such, but it’s a good idea to make a few inquiries when considering hiring a company to treat your home or business. Ask technicians which products they use and how they deal with pets during applications. Professional service providers can easily answer these and other questions, such as whether they offer secured stations that prevent pets from accessing poisonous baits in the yard or home.