Can Bed Bugs Kill Dogs?
WouterBedbugs do not live on a dog’s fur, so they can’t be transferred from dog to dog through the fur. However, they may be transferred in a dog’s collar parts. Dog owners should wash bedding in hot water and dry it thoroughly in a hot dryer. Besides washing, it is also important to keep your dog’s play area clean.
A bedbug’s habitat is in the mattress, box spring, or frame of a bed. But dog beds are also very attractive to these pests. Bedbugs live in plastic or fabric casings on dog beds. They lay eggs inside their casing and will hatch in seven days. Therefore, it is important to treat your dog’s bedding promptly and prevent your dog from contracting bedbugs.
Bedbugs prefer to feed at night. However, if they can’t find food during the night, they will turn to food sources during the day. After feeding, a bedbug will move underneath a bed and wait for the host to roll over. Although bedbugs prefer human hosts, they will turn to a dog’s fur if they don’t find a human host.
Although bedbugs aren’t known to carry disease, they can still cause discomfort for your dog. Their bites cause itchy lesions and red welts. Although they aren’t dangerous to your dog, they can cause secondary infections from excessive scratching.
