We love our pets, so it’s only natural that, when faced with a rodent infestation, along you’re your human occupants you’d have your animal’s health and safety at the top of your mind. Regarding rodent infestations and their danger to pets, the truth is it’s a bit of a mixed bag. On the bright side, most rodents pose no physical threat to your pets, especially dogs and cats. Unfortunately, there’s still the risk of picking up a disease, which is much more likely.
If you’re finding rodents around your home, be mindful of the following information. It might be the thing that keeps them from undue harm. And if worse comes to worst, we suggest you to reach out to an effective rodent control service, such as what Critter Control of Greater Tampa provides.
Can Rats and Mice Harm Pets?
Have you run into any wall-dwelling pests in your home lately? Unfortunately, rats and mice have a presence throughout most of the United States, so avoiding them entirely isn’t a valid option for most people. With this in mind, it’s worth knowing the details of how rodents may be able to harm your pets, especially the ones that your cats and dogs might hunt.
Physical Risks
Because of the size difference between cats, dogs, and most rodents, you generally don’t need to worry about your larger pets being physically harmed by rats or mice. It’s not impossible, of course, but cats and dogs have a natural instinct to pursue these types of rodents as prey, either for fun or food. Because of this, they are more than capable of hunting without sustaining any wounds, though younger cats and dogs that are still growing might run into trouble in this area.
What Diseases do Rodents Carry?
While it may seem like rodents aren’t dangerous to your pet, but you would be right to be concerned that your pet may catch a disease. All wild animals, rodents included, may carry pathogens which may lead to disease with too much exposure. Exposure for pets usually comes in the form of carrying the rodent around in their mouth or eating it.
Toxoplasmosis is a common disease picked up from consumption of infected rodents. In dogs, this may create a variety of complications, such as diarrhea, nervous system issues, and general pain. Cats don’t usually exhibit any symptoms of toxoplasmosis, but instead their digestive tract is infected with the parasite that leads to toxoplasmosis, which is then spread every time they use the litterbox. In doing so, they risk infecting not only other pets, but humans, as well.
Another frequently occurring internal problem pets might find themselves with are roundworms. Found in many birds and rodents, if your pet ingests anything infected with roundworms, they could develop a large number of symptoms. Roundworms can lead to skin conditions, diarrhea, distended bellies, and if they infect the lungs, violent coughing. Like the parasites related to toxoplasmosis, roundworms are easily spread to nearby humans, and can infect simply by making contact with the skin.
These are only two of many possible inflictions that your pets may suffer if they come in contact with a rodent.
Is Pest Control Safe for Pets?
Whenever deploying any sort of pest control, it’s important to ask about the effect it might have on your pets. Unfortunately, there are some pest control options that could harm your pets, though this isn’t true for all options and services across the board.
The Risks of DIY Pest Control for Pets
At best, do-it-yourself pest control is ineffective, and at worst, could actively harm your pets.
Killing on contact is a short-term solution, so utilizing store-bought sprays, fogs, and traps are not your best option to begin with. Even if you manage to remove the immediate threat, you’ll likely find yourself with more pests before long, probably in the same areas where you killed them the first time. In addition to this, these chemicals and traps may prove harmful (even lethal) to your animal companions.
Though some solutions were made with pets in mind, most conventionally available chemicals can cause a variety of symptoms if exposed to you or your pet, including inflammation on exposed skin, difficulty breathing the fumes, and even poisonous reactions if ingested (remember, these are chemicals designed to kill things). Traps are more self-explanatory, as any pet can trip a spring or get caught in a sticky trap. The latter of those might not be life-threatening, but it could cause the animal to panic and move erratically, increasing their odds of hurting themselves.
Pet Safe Rodent Control
Many of Critter Control of Tampa’s pest professionals either own or know a pet that they love. We understand the desire to protect the furry members of our families, both from diseases rodents carry, and from well-meaning attempts to solve pest problems yourself.
If you’ve found yourself with an infestation of rodents, your best course of action is to consult with professionals who have years of experience identifying what might be attracting them to your home, and coming up with plans to liberate you of their presence.
Tired of rats running your life, but worried about your pet? You don’t have to be with Critter Control. If you’re in the Tampa Bay area, give us a call or drop us a line today!
