How to use fly spray safely with pets at home!

The warmer months means there’s no shortage of bugs in the home. Ants, cockroaches, spiders, and who knows what else are lurking about! So control of these pests are necessary, it’s especially important to consider the safety of your pets when using chemicals.

Most regular fly or insect sprays (the kind you buy at the supermarket) are pyrethrin based and have a very low concentration of the active ingredient (<1%, a side note: this is often less than is in cat and dog flea medications). Although cats in particular are sensitive to concentrated pyrethroids, levels less than 1% are very unlikely to cause a problem. After all, it’s the dose that makes the poison.

So yes, you can spray at those bugs, even with a kitty or pooch in the house, as long as you follow product instructions and these basic rules:

• there’s no access to the wet product (must be fully dried)
• there’s no access to the room until it has been well ventilated (i.e. no smell).

Potential complications from these spray’s include upset tummy, signs like drooling and vomiting when it’s ingested or respiratory irritation, when it’s inhaled.

If you need a more intense treatment for the home, it’s important to advise the pest control company of your pets, as this may affect what products can be used, and how they should be used. Some cases will require your pets to be completely removed from your property until the product has dried and it’s been aired.

Lastly, if you have any questions regarding the use of a specific product around your pets, you can contact one of our helpful vets online 24/7.