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Your four-legged friends are a curious species; they will poke their noses everywhere they can, even in toxic pesticides lying around the yard. Innocent as they are, they can’t distinguish whether the pile of rat poison or slug bait is dangerous or just something to nibble on.

Insecticides and pesticides are great for getting rid of pests but they can also seriously harm your dog or cat. Many pesticides contain toxic chemicals such as amitraz and acephate, which if ingested, can be potentially fatal.

Dogs are more at risk than cats of ingesting toxic pesticides. They might end up eating a chemically treated plant, or gulping down a water-soluble insecticide from the bird bath.

A study conducted determined through dog urine samples that dogs from 19 out of 25 households had toxic pesticide chemicals in their systems. Dealing with a poisoned pet can be a frightening ordeal, so it is paramount that you make sure poisonous pesticides aren’t harming your pets.

Pest control around pets can become a full-time job but here are some ways to make sure that your house is pest proofed and your pets stay safe.

Take Precautionary Measures

Before you start spraying insecticide around your yard or putting rat kills around your house, it is better to take some precautions first. Remove your pet from the area where you’re going to apply pesticide, and remove all their chew toys and beddings from that area as well. Keep your pets away from the treated area for at least 72 hours and until that place has been aired out.

Also, some pesticides may be quite palatable to your furry friends. Rat kills, along with mouse and slug baits often have ingredients that your pet might find tasty. Curious dogs can dig up buried baits as well. So make sure to place pesticides in places that are not reachable to your pets.

Look Out for Secondary Poisoning

Your pets might also be susceptible to secondary poisoning. Once your furry friends are allowed in to the great outdoors, the whole world is an adventure park. They’ll sniff anything, poke at anything, and even eat anything they want. That means they can even end up eating insects, rodents, and others pests that have ingested pesticides themselves. This will lead to secondary poisoning in your pets and the symptoms may take weeks to show.

Obviously you can’t be there with them outside vigilantly checking whatever they’re doing but be sure to keep an eye on what they are eating.

Use Safer Alternatives

Always check the label on pesticides to determine whether they’re pet-friendly or not. You can also use safer alternatives: insecticides that aren’t fatally poisonous. Below is a list of pesticides which are safe to use around pets.

• Acetamiprid
• Imidacloprid
• Lufenuron
• Nitenpyram
• Pyriproxyfen
• S-Methoprene
• Spinosad

It is always better to let professional pest control services exterminate pests than to do the job on your own. Here at Xterminator Pest Control we know what we’re doing. We get rid of rodents, insects, and ant infestations in an efficient manner and make sure that your pets stay safe meanwhile.

Contact us now at (614) 935-3973 to help you exterminate pests and not pets!