I have a dog and she's so cute. One of the things that is less cute about her is when she gets fleas. Or ticks. Bug spray is one of the ways to keep your animals free of these gross critters. Here are some ideas on how to do that.
When you're looking for bug sprays - both repellents and pesticides - you have to consider the safety of your family members. This of course includes your pets. It's well-known that insect repellents and pesticides often have all sorts of synthetic and possibly harmful chemicals in them. So choosing the right bug sprays for your family is essential to their health and happiness.
This is especially a concern for pets. While the chemicals in bug sprays can be harmful to humans at times, the concentration of chemicals in the bug sprays can actually be more harmful to pets than to humans. That's not to say that every bug spray is harmful to humans or to pets, however, it does mean that you need to be picky when deciding which bug sprays to use for home pest control and for insect repellent.
Pets and Bug Sprays
So what is it that makes bug spray is so harmful to pets? You might think that it's the presence of synthetic chemicals, and in some cases that is true. However, not all synthetic chemicals are actually harmful to pets. Additionally, you might consider bug sprays with natural ingredients to be much safer for pets, but there are also natural bug sprays that can be harmful to your fur babies.
It really comes down to knowing which chemicals are and are not dangerous for pets. As far as synthetic chemicals go, things like DEET are particularly harmful to pets. Make sure you look for bug sprays that are DEET-free.
Some bug sprays use essential oils instead of synthetic chemicals because they are natural and, therefore, often considered safer to use. However, not all essential oils are safe for use around pets.
The best and most important thing you can do before purchasing any bug spray, whether it's a repellent or a pesticide, is to research it well. Find out what the active ingredients are and learn which chemicals or ingredients could be harmful to the pets you have in your home. This is important because pets like dogs and cats may be able to handle certain chemicals better than birds can. The kind of pet you have plays a huge role as to whether or not a bug spray will be harmful to it or not.
Repellant Sprays
When it comes to insect repellent sprays, it is generally better to go with sprays made with natural ingredients instead of sprays made with synthetic ingredients. This is because if you put insect repellent on a dog or a cat before it goes outside, at some point your cat or dog will likely lick itself. Synthetic chemicals that go into bug sprays are never intended to be ingested. So even if the chemical typically wouldn't be dangerous to a pet, that may not be true when the chemical is ingested.
The other problem with synthetic-based bug spray is that the chemicals can often cause irritation to your pet's skin. Pets may be more sensitive to such chemicals, so it's best to avoid putting them directly onto your pet’s body.
Natural ingredients tend to be a better insect repellent option for pets. Again, check that the natural ingredients used in the insect repellent are pet-friendly. If the ingredients and the amount of the ingredients are safe for pets, then it's likely a good option for a pet insect repellent. There are several good options on the market for pet insect repellents, however, you can also make your own if you use the correct ingredients. But if you are not sure how to safely make a pet insect repellent, you may be better off with purchasing a pet-friendly repellent.
You may wonder if it's worth it to look into pet-friendly insect repellents. But if your pet is outside a lot, there is a good chance that your pet will end up with ticks or some other small pest in its fur. These pests can be extremely harmful to your pets, and they can cause problems for you and your children as well. It may be frustrating to find the right insect repellent for your pet, but if the repellent can minimize the risk of pests that cause health problems for your pets and even for you, then it is well worth the effort.
Home Pest Control Sprays
Possibly a bigger problem than finding pet insect repellents is finding pet-friendly home pest control bug sprays. Home pest control sprays are designed to not only prevent but kill pests that could end up in your home. This means is that the pesticides are toxic. Whether or not the bug spray is synthetic or natural, if it is a pesticide, it is intended to be toxic to pests.
Now, just because a pesticide is toxic to pests does not mean it is toxic to you or your kids or even your pets. Again, much of this depends on the ingredient amounts within the spray. But there's always the possibility that a pesticide could be harmful to your pets.
There are more and more pesticides on the market that are pet-friendly, however, you do often have to be cautious with the sprays regardless of them being pet-friendly. Many pesticides that are pet-friendly are only pet-friendly once they've dried, so you need to make sure that your pet is not in the room until the pesticide has dried completely.
There are good pesticide options that are synthetic or natural. So, it's really a matter of deciding which option is the best for you and your family and your pets. Many pesticides that are pet-friendly are actually only pet-friendly to certain pets. Many of these pesticides are not bird-friendly. So if you have birds as pets, you may need to look a little harder for a good pesticide option.
If you really are concerned about finding a pet-friendly pesticide, your best option may be to hire professionals to do your home pest control. When you hire professionals to do your pest control, you do need to be out of the house along with your pets. But when you return to your house after the treatment, you shouldn't have to worry about any dangerous chemicals harming your pets. Additionally, you can rest assured that you have the strongest option for pest prevention in your home.