It’s summer, and we all want to get outdoors. If you are a pet owner, then naturally, that means your pets will be outdoors more as well. Dogs especially like to be near their owners, having fun right along with them. And cats too, they just may be a little sneakier about it.

Just like us, our pets are prey to all of the pesky insects that we are. In fact, some dogs may go into anaphylactic shock after a bee or wasp sting in the same way that humans allergic to bee stings can. But unlike us, they can’t tell the difference between the ladybugs and butterflies we love in our gardens and the nasty ones like wasps and mosquitos. As pet owners, it is up to us to keep them safe from insect bites and stings.

Dogs and cats love to play with things that are moving, and you will often see them chasing and snapping at bees and butterflies. But bees and wasps have no preference in stinging other beings, so dogs and cats can get stung too. For obvious reasons, the sting usually occurs around the mouth and nose or muzzle area. Apply ice to the sting much as you would for yourself and watch for signs of an allergic reaction.

Fleas are the most common annoyance for pets simply because they multiply so rapidly. One female flea can have 25,000 offspring in just one month. Dogs and cats get fleas from being outside and around other animals. Fortunately, there are several effective flea prevention medicines available for them. Bathing your pets, keeping carpets vacuumed and washing pet bedding also helps control fleas.

Ticks are another common summer annoyance that can also cause the same diseases in pets that they do in humans. These diseases include Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis, anaplasmosis. Tick collars can help control ticks, and there are lawn sprays to control them as well. Ticks are plentiful in tall grass and the woods, so if you have taken your dog on a hike, inspect him when going back inside and carefully and remove the tick making sure not to leave the head of the tick embedded in the skin.

Mosquitos are another pest that can be potentially dangerous to pets. Of most concern are heartworms. Heartworms are parasitic worms spread from host to host by mosquito’s bites. Heartworms are so serious that it is highly advised to keep your pets on medication all year long to prevent them.

Don’t let pests endanger the lives of your pets! Protect them from deadly creatures that may be lurking in and around your home. To schedule a free pest assessment, call Preventive Pest Control.