# RAID safe for dogs?



## boon4376 (May 18, 2009)

Is there an alternative to RAID that is safe for dogs? I cant deal with having little insects running around my house but i dont want to lay down poison everywhere cause my dog licks the floor a lot...

Anyone have a suggestion?


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## BandPipe (Feb 19, 2009)

We use the poison in the rooms where our dogs are not allowed to go. We crate our dogs so we know they can't get into anything when we are not with them. I put poison in the closets and bathroom. 

Sorry, I don't know of any natural alternatives.


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## boon4376 (May 18, 2009)

Well i found something, I went to three pet stores, and then finally found something at walmart. Everything at the pet store was only for fleas.. nothing to kill ants / spiders / etc...

But at walmart i found "Bio Block".. Its soy based & orgainc and made my whole house smell like throw up (but it says its pet safe), we'll see if it works. I sprayed an ant directly and it just walked off.. With raid they'd shrivel up and die on the spot.... But it could still work...

I also found stuff that allows me to spray the perimeter of the house as well, so hopefully both of these combined will yield favorable results.


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## StellaLucyDesi (Jun 19, 2008)

Every Spring we have a problem with ants in our kitchen (yuk, I know!). I've finally found something that I can use on them that is fine to use (even around food stuffs). Nature's Guardian spray. You can buy it at Wal-Mart, Petsmart, etc. It costs about 8.00 - 10.00 a spray can. Kinda smells like mint/herbs, IDK...not too bad, tho'. Good luck!


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## Cobalt (Jul 27, 2007)

I used to work for an insecticide company and we told people that once the spray was dry, it was safe. I know that is what Raid told me about a spray. There is an 800# that you can call on most products made by Raid. 

For ants you need to use a bait that the ants take back to the hive. You don't want to kill the ants you see, you want to get them to do the work for you. The best thing for this is Tarro. It goes on a bit of cardboard high on a counter if you have seen ants there or put it out when the dog isn't around.

I do know that the Raid Ant Baits were safe even if a dog ate one because it's mostly bait with a tiny bit of poison for tiny ants. But, I don't think they work as well as Tarro does.


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## KaseyT (May 7, 2008)

If ants are a problem:

The best solution is to put out baited traps that contain a low dose of boric acid. The ants take the bait back to the nest, where the slow acting poison—very toxic to some insects, almost non-toxic to us mammals—can kill the entire colony. Here’s a detailed description of a pet-safe, ant-deadly trap design from the BIRC:

1. Mix together: 3 cups water; 1 cup sugar; and four teaspoons of boric acid. DO NOT USE MORE BORIC ACID THAN THIS! A higher dose would kill the ants immediately; and you need them to live long enough to get the bait back to the main colony. If you see a lot of dead ants around your traps, you used too much!
2. Get six jars with tight fitting screw-cap lids; punch some holes in the lids with a Phillips head screwdriver. Loosely pack the jars about half full with cotton balls or batting, then saturate the cotton with your boric acid sugar water.
3. Screw the lids on tight and draw ‘skull and crossbones’ on the jar, just to be safe. 
4. Leave the jars out where you see ants (d’uh!). Most importantly, do NOT kill any ants from here on in—you have to let them travel to and from the jars safely so they can take the bait back to the colony. 
5. Not all ants are sugar-suckers; some species prefer protein. If your ants aren’t attracted to the sugary bait, make a new batch using cat or dog food. If you have carpenter ants, use wet, rotting wood. Experiment with the boric acid levels until you get the dose right.


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## Binkalette (Dec 16, 2008)

I'll second the Tarro suggestion.. it works VERY well. Just make sure the dogs can't get to it. We used to set it up in the window sills, in between the screen door and the front door or inside of closets/cabinets. After about a day there will be a whole pile of ants sitting dead in the poison, and the rest will be dead back at the ant hill. 


....Kinda sad actually O_O;


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