Bed Bugs and Dogs

Although humans are the main targets of bed bugs, they also won’t deny biting warm-blooded animals. Sleeping mammals such as rodents, birds, cats and dogs all fall into this category. These insects are rather sneaky and they are not going to spend much time in the fur of these animals.

Once they are done sucking their blood, they are going to hide. Bed bugs prefer hiding in the bedding of pets or somewhere near that area. They can easily find the smallest of gaps, cracks, crevices or parts of your furniture that are hidden from sight.

Now obviously, bed bugs prefer to be in the bathroom area of your house. That is where they can get the most human blood while people there are at sleep. However, they will also bite your dog if the infestation gets out of hand.

Can Dogs Get Bed Bugs?

Bed bugs prefer to bite us, humans, yet they are not going to ignore dogs either. They are going to bite your dog if that is the easiest way for them to get food in the form of fresh blood at the moment. It is not uncommon for them to hide in the bedding of your pet or somewhere near it.

• Related: What do Bed Bugs Look Like?

It is very unlikely that these insects are going to spend much time in the fur coating of your pet. Just like people, dogs or other animals only become their target when they are at rest. This gives them the opportunity to quickly feed on their blood and leave.

Hitchhiking is also more likely via backpacks and suitcases than via any moving body.

Do Bed Bugs Bite Dogs?

Bed bugs are going to bite dogs especially when people are not around. Although their main goal is to get some fresh human blood, they are not going to deny the blood of sleeping mammals either. A bed bug infestation can establish its hotspot in your bedroom, although it can quickly get out of hand.

These insects can quickly spread and find hiding places in your house. In that case, it won’t take long for them to find out that you have a dog and bite him. It might be the case that the bed bug infestation starts around your dog’s bedding.

In that case, those little nuisances will surely find their way into your bedroom. If you notice that your dog is scratching a lot, check him for bed bug bites. In case there are, you need to do something about them as soon as possible.

Do Bed Bugs Bother Dogs?

If there is a bed bug problem in your house, they won’t bother your dog that much. These insects prefer to bite humans. Because of that, they focus on finding hiding places near your bed or other furniture you usually choose to rest on.

In fact, bed bugs don’t particularly bother anyone besides feeding on their blood when their target is at rest. After that, they quickly leave and go back to their initial hiding place. This is not to say that they can’t be a nuisance for dogs.

When a bed bug infestation gets out of hand, what happens is that they try to look for more potential feeding spots. One of these can be your dog’s bedding. Once your dog gets bitten, those itchy spots will be quite annoying for him.

Do Bed Bugs Lay Eggs on Dogs?

It is extremely rare for bed bugs to lay eggs on in dog fur. If they hop on a dog, they do so with the only goal to feed on its blood. They prefer to lay their eggs in places where the living conditions are decent and this is definitely not the case with the fur coating of a warm animal.

On the other hand, anything can happen when a bed bug infestation gets out of hand. When there are bed bugs in your house all around the place, your dog gets bitten more frequently and they might leave a couple of eggs there as well.

Bed bugs are usually hiding and waiting for your dog to lay down and get some sleep. Meanwhile, they have plenty of time to feed on its blood and maybe leave a couple of eggs here and there.

Can Dogs Carry Bed Bugs?

Bed bugs are unlikely to stay in the fur coating of your dog after they have done feeding on its blood. This also makes it unlikely that your dog carries bed bugs from one location to the other. Us, humans are more likely to arrive home with bed bugs than any of our pets.

• Related: How do You Get Bed Bugs?

After all, the main targets of these insects are people. Also, they are hitchhikers who are eager to hop into our purse, backpack or suitcase while we carry them home. The fur of a warm-blooded animal is suboptimal for bed bugs, mainly because of the temperature.

Therefore, your dog carrying bed bugs is extremely unlikely. These insects are rather going to hide in the bedding of your pet and come out occasionally to feed.

Can Dogs Carry Bed Bugs from One House to Another?

If we take a look at the habits of bed bugs, we can say that it is unlikely for them to hitchhike on pets with fur coating. First off, bed bugs hide most of the time and prefer to come out during the night when everyone is sleeping. This way, they can undisturbedly feed on the blood of pets or us, humans.

They do not live on animals at all because all that fur and body heat is too warm for them. Also, there is really nothing for them to do there once they are well-fed. During the day, dogs are pretty restless, which makes it even more unlikely that bed bugs will hop on.

Do Bed Bugs Feed on Dogs?

When bed bugs run into a dog and it is their only option, they are definitely going to feed on its blood. They are constantly on the lookout for people to feed on, although warm-blooded animals such as sleeping mammals are also acceptable.

Besides hiding in your bedroom in the hopes of catching you taking a nap or a good night’s sleep, they can also go near your dog’s bedding. They usually hide in the bedding but it is not uncommon for them to hide in cracks, gaps or crevices near the bedding either.

Once your dog lays down to take a rest, they are going to come out and bite him. The more bed bugs there are in your house, the more likely that this is going to happen.

Can Dogs Smell Bed Bugs?

We might not be able to sense the unpleasant smell of a bed bug, but dogs definitely are. It is actually easier for dogs to smell bed bugs than to see them. The reason why bed bugs have a particularly bad odor is because they emit pheromones.

Although your dog might not know that he is in a midst of a bed bug infestation, he can definitely pick up the smell.

How to Train a Dog to Detect Bed Bugs?

It is simple, you just need a few small containers for this task and some dog food. The first step is to put a few containers upside down, with only one of them containing food. If your dog finds the food, he gets it. Then, put live bed bugs in one smaller container and seal it with a mesh so that the odor can escape.

Put that under a larger container with some food. You need to put down a few other containers that contain food but no bed bugs. Only provide the food if your dog finds the container with the bed bugs. Repeat this a few times, then start mixing things up by adding other strong scented things that you can find at home to different containers.

Then, only reward your dog with food if he finds the one that contains bed bugs and food. The last step is to set up a challenge with no food under the containers, only samples with different scents. If your dog finds the one with the bed bugs, provide food from your hand.

Now you only need to expand the environment so that your dog gets used to scan larger areas.

How to Treat Bed Bugs on Dogs?

If there are any bed bugs in your household, then they are eventually going to find their way to your dog. As long as they are there, you can’t really stop this on the long term. Bed bugs are very good at hiding and positioning themselves near your dog’s bedding.

The best way to stop bed bugs from biting your dog is to completely eliminate them from the house. Exterminating these insects in your bedroom is not enough because they can quickly spread to other rooms. As a first step, you need to thoroughly wash your dog’s bedding and put it in a drying machine.

• Related: How to Kill Bed Bugs?

Dry it on a high temperature and all the bed bugs are going to die off. Then, clean the whole area where the bedding initially was, preferably with a steam cleaner. Continue by gradually cleaning the whole house. This will include washing and drying clothes and cleaning furniture with steam cleaner.

We also recommend you to buy box spring and mattress encasements, which makes it hard for bed bugs to spread in your bedroom. By following these two tips, you can get rid of most bed bugs in your house.