“Can My Pet Make Me Sick?”

For pet owners, caring means sharing.  We share our lives and homes with our pets, as well as our emotions, and that’s the way it should be.  But when it comes to diseases, sharing is definitely not caring.  The good news is that with some due diligence and common sense, you, your family, and your pets can prevent contagious (or “zoonotic”) diseases from becoming a problem.

Some people may have a distorted view of what may be transmittable from a pet to people.  Some think that they have nothing to worry about, while others feel that they are at risk of catching everything imaginable.  For instance, while contracting Strep throat from a dog is possible (though exceedingly rare), there are no reports of any cat ever having or passing Strep throat to a human.  Another example is toxoplasmosis.  This disease is the reason that pregnant women are told to avoid cleaning litter boxes.  And while I don’t want to deter your significant other from doing the cleaning for you, you are actually more likely to be exposed to this disease from contaminated soil while gardening.  In this case, wearing gloves and washing your hands is the best advice for prevention.  Some other diseases of note are :

-Rabies.  This deadly disease has been reduced to being mostly seen in foxes, skunks, and raccoons, but it is still a potential threat.  In fact, a Virginia woman died years ago after being bitten by a rabid cat.  The easy fix is to have your veterinarian vaccinate your pet, which is required by law.

-Bartonellosis.  Otherwise known as “cat scratch fever”, this disease is passed by a flea-infested cat scratching or biting someone and thereby passing along the bacteria found in flea feces.  Solution – use topical flea preventives on your feline friend.

-Intestinal parasites (roundworms, hookworms) – these are fairly common in pets, especially when young, so make sure you deworm your pet even if you don’t see the worms themselves.  They like to stay in the intestines, passing only their microscopic eggs.

Salmonella.  This bacteria seems to make headlines now and then when there is an outbreak of contaminated meat (or peanut butter!), but this can be found in some raw meat or improperly made pet food, not to mention from the feces of reptiles.  Answer – wash your hands after feeding your pets, or after handling your snake/iguana/turtle.

Preventing disease in your pet with regular veterinary care is the bet wasy to avoid disease transmission from Fluffy, Fido, or Lizzy.  Beyond that, good hygiene and diligent hand washing will allow you and your best friend to continue to share everything except diseases – just as it should be.

Till next time,       Dr. Steve                                                                www.ashburnanimals.com 703.729.0700

p.s. Even people with compromised immune systems can have pets.  Studies show the benefits of increased endorphins and lower stress levels outweigh the risks, provided that person washes their hands and avoids handling any stool.

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