Aside from being an unwelcome sight in homes and potentially causing property damage, household pests also pose risks to the health of your house pets, especially those that roam around your home (think cats and dogs).
Household pests may bite, sting, or poison house pets when disturbed, leading to potentially thousands of dollars in vet fees. For those worried about the well-being of their house pets, it can be helpful to spot which household pests can harm your pets and take the necessary steps to eradicate them. Below, we share three household pests to be wary of, for they can endanger your beloved pets!
Cockroaches
Cockroaches are one of the most commonly encountered pests in the home. As they are large, noticeable, and have a distinct smell, household pets such as dogs and cats sometimes chase, sniff, or eat these insects out of curiosity and instinct.
Unfortunately, pets that ingest cockroaches can become very sick. This is because cockroaches in residential areas often thrive, live in dirty, unhygienic places, and carry lots of bacteria. Their own body parts, like their shells and innards, also have many allergens. These can all affect your pet’s health negatively, as the chance of falling sick is significantly increased with all these dangerous irritants that cockroaches carry inside their bodies.
On top of this, cockroaches are also likely to carry parasites such as tapeworms. This can cause many hard-to-detect health problems in dogs, like anaemia and reduced puppy growth rates.
Geckos
More commonly addressed as ‘lizards’, house geckos are another pest that can seriously harm your pets’ health. An irresistible target for many pet cats due to their hunting instinct, house geckos may not bite or sting with much force but can cause major health problems when eaten partially or whole.
When ingested, lizards and other small reptiles are known to cause salmonella infections in both humans and other mammals. As it can be challenging to spot in the early stages, salmonella infection can spread unnoticed and go on to cause fevers, bloody stools, and breathing difficulties in your furry friends!
Rats
Less common in HDB blocks and more often seen on landed properties, rats are major carriers of many diseases that infect a large variety of species. Due to the tendency of cats and dogs to disturb and interact with rats, the risk of a pet falling sick or becoming injured by rats is very high.
Often carrying fleas, pollutants, and diseases in their fur and bodies, feral rats should be kept far away from any curious house pets, as even one short interaction may have your pets come away with a flea infestation or even deadly diseases such as Leptospirosis, which can fatally damage the kidneys and livers of your pets.
In addition, rats are not fully preying animals, and larger specimens may even fight back when attacked or disturbed. Due to their sharp, long teeth, rats have a very high possibility of wounding your pets and transmitting diseases through the wounds they cause.
Conclusion
Not only are pests often unsightly and unhygienic, but they can also harm your beloved furry friends by way of nasty, life-threatening diseases and infections that are often expensive to treat.
Consider eradicating pests with PestClinic for the welfare of you and your loved ones, including your pets. One of the best pest control services in Singapore, PestClinic assures quality work and satisfaction guaranteed when it comes to the likes of residential, industrial, and commercial pest control services and fumigation.
For those worried about the chemicals used in our pest control methods, PestClinic also has many experienced and skilled staff on hand to answer any queries to ensure the safety of your pets during the pest removal process – don’t hesitate to contact us today!
