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Dogs as bed bug carriers?
(3 posts)-
thissucksnyc
newbite
Joined: Aug '10
Posts: 4offline
Posted 1 year ago
Mon Sep 12 2011 18:21:49
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Hello experts! Here's my deal: My ex and I share custody of our dog. When I picked up the dog today to stay with me for the next few weeks, my ex informed me that she has bed bugs in her apartment. She said an exterminator came three weeks ago, and they were waiting for the second visit. All the beds in her apartment had been surrounded with diatomaceous earth, which is part of why I'm worried, since the bed bugs might be more attracted to the dog now that getting to the human hosts on their beds is less easy and appealing than it used to be.
I gave the dog a quick shower (with some castille soap) as soon as I got her to my apartment. Do you think that will help if any eggs or bugs happened to be caught in her fur? I didn't have a ton of time so it had to be fast and I probably could have been more thorough, but I was just hoping the warm water would dislodge anything and wash it all down the drain.
Was that unrealistic? Does anyone have any thoughts/expertise to share on this? Should I try to give the dog a more intense bath? Or is it too late now (she's fast asleep on the carpet as I type this)? What else can I do to prevent getting these things?
Any help would be appreciated! I'm in NYC and it seems like everyone I know is getting them -- they're closing in! Hard not to feel like a paranoid maniac but, truth be told, I'm sleeping with a flashlight these days.
Thanks again.
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oldtimer
Joined: May '07
Posts: 1,969offline
Posted 1 year ago
Mon Sep 12 2011 19:25:15
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Bed bugs do not live on their hosts like fleas.
They feed on a host... then scurry back to their harborage.
Unlike fleas... bed bugs tend to avoid skin that is covered with fur... their foot pads are not suited for navigating through thick fur... like fleas.
Piles of DE are ineffective as a repellent & are unlikely to affect the feeding behavior... Improper applications of DE promote unhealthy levels of silica dust in the air.
DE should not be visible in open areas, if it is applied correctly in cracks and crevices according to the label... Think of DE as microscopic shards of silica glass that you do not want to inhale or get into your eyes.
It is rare to find bed bugs on a dog or cat... You can use a flea comb to check the fur and use a brush for physical removal.
You can mix 2-3 oz. of Best Yet cedar oil into a bottle of moisturizing dog shampoo to create a shampoo mix that will kill bed bugs on contact... per the Cedarcide website.
Best Yet is one of the only products that lists fleas, ticks & bed bugs on the label... and make a claim to be safe when sprayed directly on skin or fur... I think the product is overhyped in terms of some of their other claims... but it will kill bed bugs on contact... You can also spray the product onto skin and fur, if you cannot utilize it in a shampoo form.
We have over three hundred K9 teams in the field and do not have any reports of our handlers finding bed bugs on their dogs... Finding a bed bug on a pet is a rare event according to Usinger's Monograph (which is a comprehensive resource on bed bug behavior)... Clothing and backpacks that make contact with bed bugs are much more likely to transport hitchhiking bed bugs.
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nycyn
senior member
Joined: Sep '10
Posts: 701offline
Posted 1 year ago
Mon Sep 12 2011 20:32:37
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DE itself could be a dog irritant. I posted about my dog yesterday...
http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/bites-appearing-as-i-type
I'm waiting for the vet to call back because the antibiotic and the sulfur shampoo doesn't seem to be doing it.
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