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Friday February 9, 2007

Keeping your pet healthy and happy is good for your health

by diana rossetti
copley news service

Unquestionably, our pets are often our best friends. But do you know what “friends” they may bring home with them after a romp outdoors?

“Pets are great but they can carry infections that can be transmitted to people of any age,” advised Dr. James D. Johns, chairman of family practice at Mercy Medical Center and a clinical instructor at Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine. “If you follow the guidance of a veterinarian and immunize them appropriately, that’s the most important step. Then, the very best way to stay healthy with pets is to wash your hands and scrub under your fingernails with warm soapy water after petting them.”

Wash your hands after a tussle with Toby or Tabby?

If you think that advice a bit extreme, consider Johns’ reasoning, which coincides with advice given by veterinarian Heidi R. Watters, owner of Lake Cable Animal Hospital in Jackson Township, Ohio.

Pregnant women, immuno-suppressed individuals and the elderly should be especially vigilant about contact with pets, their own as well as others’. People in those categories are the most vulnerable to the diseases that can be transferred from pet to person, Johns said.

Ringworm, for example, easily can transfer from pet to person, Watters said.

“If you have a cat or a dog that goes outside and rubs against a tree, they could bring it back. If you have an open wound or you happen to scratch your skin, you literally can rub the fungus into your skin,” she explained. “Long-haired cats can carry it in their hair.”

Cats that leap onto kitchen counters can track roundworm contamination from the litter box.

“It’s fecal-oral contamination,” Watters continued. ”If kids are outside and running around in their bare feet and the yard is contaminated, they can get hookworms. Ask me if my kids go barefoot in the yard.”

During the summer months, people worry about contracting Lyme disease from infected ticks. However, the tick you remove from your pet will not threaten you.

The term cat-scratch fever is a misnomer, Watters said.

“It’s a bacteria in the cat that does not bother them but bothers some people. Some people never have a problem, while others will start to get infections. It’s really not from a scratch but from the cat’s saliva. Obviously, you never let a cat lick your wound,” she said.

And don’t rule out reptiles.

Johns recounted an incident years back when an office nurse’s 2-year-old daughter played with a friend’s pet snake and developed salmonella, a potentially life-threatening infection arising from bacteria present on the skin of reptiles.

“The rule of thumb is that children 5 years old or under should not play with reptiles — lizards, snakes and turtles. And the younger, the worse, because they are more likely to put their fingers in their mouths,” Johns warned.

Finally, let wild animals live as they were destined.

“Some animals just shouldn’t be pets,” Johns concluded. “They may be cute but to take a wild animal as a pet may be infecting your family with a disease.”

Also, while you can’t give your pet your cold and he can’t give you feline AIDS, there are some diseases that can pass between you. To avoid sharing diseases, be scrupulous about good hygiene, vets warn. Don’t allow children to share their food with a pet. Do not feed pets raw meat, and prevent them from eating dead animals.

Be on guard against the following contagions, which can pass from pet to human:

• Intestinal parasites such as roundworms, hookworms and whipworms can be picked up by humans through contact with pet stool in the yard. To avoid infection, collect pet droppings daily and wash your hands just as you would after changing a litter box or handling your pet. Have a veterinarian check a stool sample annually to screen for these parasites.

• Ringworm is a fungal infection that can spread between you and your pet through direct contact. Look for a scaly, red itch ring. To be sure, a fungal culture is necessary.

• Sarcoptic mange is a mite that is spread through direct contact. Any lesions from this mite that appear on human skin usually heal within 12 to 14 days.

Source: Lake Cable Animal Hospital

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