Can having a pet make me or my children sick?
The answer to that question is “yes” and “no”.
There is always the possibility and there are also ways to prevent problems.
The best way to ensure that germs and/or bacteria are not spread is to practice good hygiene. Cleanliness seems to be the best prevention of common illnesses.
However, one important thing is to take into account everyone’s current state of health. People with weak immune systems, people with serious illnesses, people with HIV/AIDS, people with organ transplants, people undergoing cancer treatment, and infants and young children are at increased risk of contracting a disease of an animal than most. other people.
With few exceptions, careless handling of a pet and not washing hands after cleaning up pet waste are the leading causes of pet-related illness.
What are some of the possible diseases that can be associated with animals? The most feared thing in my mind is rage.
What is rage? It is a disease caused by the rabies virus and is transmitted through the bite of an animal carrying the virus. Today, most pets are vaccinated against the rabies virus as required by law in most states.
However, a bite from an unknown animal, domestic or wild, until the animal is known to have been vaccinated, should treat the recipient of the bite as if the animal had the virus.
It can take one to three months for a person to show signs of the virus and by then it is too late for any treatment to work.
It is very important that your pet, even if it is an indoor pet, is vaccinated against the rabies virus.
Teaching children to avoid trying to pet strange dogs or cats unless supervised, as well as avoiding the temptation to catch a wild animal, is one of the best lessons you can teach your child.
There are many germs/viruses that can be picked up from dogs other than rabies, most of which come from contact with a dog’s feces. This is why cleanliness seems so important. To clean up after your dog has relieved himself, use plastic gloves, a pooper scoop, or a plastic bag to avoid touching the feces.
A dog can carry many types of germs, bacteria and/or viruses and not be sick, but you can catch it and suffer. Most illnesses caused by pets include diarrhea, vomiting, a low-grade fever, and muscle aches. As with any illness, consult your medical provider.
Cats can also transmit a disease or two to their humans, but in general you most likely won’t get sick from touching or owning a cat.
Cat scratch fever can come from a scratch or bite, but using normal precautions like washing the wound and putting an anesthetic on it can usually prevent any illness. Symptoms of cat scratch disease can include infection at the site of the injury, swollen lymph glands, low-grade fever, and loss of appetite.
Another disease associated with cats is toxoplasmosis, however, people are more likely to get it from eating raw meat or gardening.
What is toxoplasmosis? It is a disease caused by a parasite, about 60 million people are infected by this bug and do not know it. It can be contracted by swallowing cat feces.
Yuk, you say why would someone do that? Actually just by touching your mouth, eyes or nose you can transmit it to yourself. The symptoms are similar to those of the flu. It is particularly dangerous for pregnant women as it can be transmitted to the fetus.
When cleaning the litter box, always be careful and avoid touching the feces. Keep pets away from the litter box, along with children. For some strange reason, dogs seem to enjoy looking for treats in the litter box.
What other diseases can be transmitted to humans from pets?
Salmonellosis, which is a bacterial disease caused by Salmonella bacteria. Most of the time people get it from infected chickens, eggs, or other contaminated food. Symptoms can include severe diarrhea, fever, and stomach pain.
The salmonellosis virus can also be spread to humans by handling pets such as reptiles (lizards, snakes, and turtles), chicks, ducklings, and occasionally a cat or dog.
Again, it’s about touching animal feces and not washing your hands after doing so. Some animals may have it on their bodies, having picked it up from the ground.
Water can also be a point of contamination, where animals have access to it, and because of runoff, feces and urine can flow into the water, humans need to be careful.
Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease that affects humans and animals.
How can you get it?
By exposure to many things, as the bacteria is secreted through the urine of infected animals. It can be found in water (ponds and streams), food, or soil that contains urine from infected animals. Swallowing water (swimming in a pond or stream), contaminated food, or by hands that have been in contact with a source and rubbed into the eyes, nose, or mouth, or through a cut in the skin.
Symptoms include high fever, severe headache, muscle aches, vomiting, diarrhea, or rash. Seek medical treatment as soon as possible, especially if you have been swimming in the “old swimming hole”.
Leptospirosis is found throughout the world, but mainly in temperate and tropical climates. Pets can get it by drinking from a contaminated birdbath.
Ticks carry disease and ticks bite dogs, so the rule of thumb here is when removing ticks from your pet, be very careful. Your chances of getting Lyme disease or Rocky Mountain spotted fever are slim to none, unless you’re wandering through areas of the country where those ticks are prevalent and you’re not wearing protective clothing.
Fleas can cause tapeworms in household pets. Animals get it by swallowing a flea that has been infected.
You can get tapeworm, certainly, but only if you swallow an infected flea. Keeping your pet and home free of fleas will prevent either of you from becoming infected. Last but not least on this list of things is ringworm, this is a disease of the skin and scalp that can be contracted not only from animals, but also from people.
How can you get ringworm?
Ringworm is a contagious fungus that can be spread from person to person, pet to person, or pet to pet.
It has nothing to do with worms, but it is a fungus that lives on humans, pets, and rarely in soil. Ringworm appears as a flat, round patch on the skin and then adjusts to a ring-shaped patch. It can be treated with a fungus-killing medication that is usually taken by mouth in tablet form or with an ointment applied to the affected area.
The important thing here is not to share personal items with an infected person, not to touch infected areas, keep children away from infected pets, and thoroughly wash all items handled by the infected pet or person.
Now that I made you wonder if I would ever have a pet, the answer is of course.
Common sense hygiene is the answer to most illnesses from pets to people. I have never heard of a person dying from a disease contracted from a cat or dog. With the possible exception of someone being bitten by a rabid animal and not seeking treatment.
Keeping children’s play areas free from being your pet’s bathroom area and cleaning up feces is the safest thing you can do.
Teach your kids to wash their hands often after playing with your pet and you’ll be on your way to a long and happy life.