Mrs. Washington’s little girl Emily came home from preschool one day complaining that her head itched terribly.  When her mom looked at her a little more closely, she noticed little white specks attached to Emily’s hair, near her scalp, and then she saw one of the “specks” move.  That’s when she called us.  I told her that it could be lice, but I’d have to see one to confirm it.  Her immediate reaction was to blame her dog Bowzer, at which point I informed her that head lice is not passed from animals.  “Really?” she said.  “I always thought they came from pets!”

There are many different parasites that people can contract, but many of them don’t usually come from pets.  Parasites that seem to be on the rise, according to Dr. Bernard Cohen of Johns Hopkins Children’s Center, include lice, bedbugs, scabies, pinworms, and fungi such as ringworm.  Of these, only scabies and ringworm can be from pets.  The others are contagious from person-to-person contact, or more often child-to-child contact, especially during the winter months when kids and adults spend more time indoors and have prolonged contact with one another.

Scabies, which is a mite that burrows under the skin, is more often seen in dogs with weakened immune systems, but they can transfer to people with skin-to-hair contact (such as petting!).  These bugs not only burrow, but they feed on you, lay eggs on you, and leave their waste on you (are you itchy yet?!).  This causes an intense allergic reaction, but fortunately there are some very effective creams to use.  As for ringworm, this disease is actually a misnomer.  It is really a fungus, and grows on the surface of the skin like a microscopic plant.  It forms scaly, red circles, or rings, on the skin.  They can be present on wrestling or gym mats, on goggles or bathing caps, and is spread by skin-to-skin contact.  But it is also often spread from pets, especially puppies or kittens.  Their long hair can hide the lesions on their body, and as with scabies, people can pick up this disease just by touching their pet.

Well, Mrs. Washington thanked me for my time, as well as my advice to use “RID” shampoo and to go through Emily’s hair literally with a “fine-toothed comb”.  I hope you have a parasite-free house, but if you or your pet do come into contact with one of these pests, don’t be too surprised.  They’ve been around forever, and they aren’t going away anytime soon.

Till next time,          Dr. Steve,  www. Ashburnanimals.com

p.s. There are many intestinal parasites that are zoonotic, or contagious, from pets to people, including roundworms, hookworms and giardia.  Wash your hands after picking up after your pet or playing in the dirt!

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