Q: I deal with my canine as if she’s a part of the household; she sleeps in my mattress, licks my face, even shares my ice cream now and again. Should I be frightened about getting sick?
Dogs can enrich our lives in some ways. They could ease anxietycut back lonelinessmake us extra physically active and doubtlessly even lower our risk of cardiovascular disease, lengthening our livessome analysis suggests.
But sure. They can even make us sick.
“Germs from dogs can cause a variety of illnesses, from minor skin infections to serious illnesses,” mentioned Dr. Casey Barton Behravesh, a veterinarian with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Many individuals turn out to be contaminated after by chance ingesting — sure, ingesting — canine feces, however infections will also be transmitted through canine bites, scratches and even licks on the face.
The excellent news is that canine lovers can take easy steps to vastly cut back their danger of being sickened by their furry greatest mates.
Dog Diseases
There is not any scarcity of germs that dogs can transmit to individuals. They embody micro organism comparable to salmonella, E. coli and campylobacter, which may trigger gastrointestinal woes; parasites comparable to giardia, cryptosporidium, hookworm and roundworm, which may additionally trigger belly points like diarrhea and abdomen ache; and fungi that may result in infections like ringworm, which may trigger itchy, ring-shaped rashes.
It’s onerous to gauge what number of of those infections every year are transmitted by canines. That’s as a result of it’s onerous to hint sicknesses again to particular animals and accumulate that type of knowledge, mentioned Dr. Jason Stull, an assistant professor on the Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine.
Through bites, dogs can even transmit germs that trigger critical illnesses, comparable to rabies, a virus that assaults the nervous system, and capnocytophaga, a micro organism that may trigger critical sicknesses, together with sepsis. Both sicknesses could be deadly — however fortunately, they’re fairly uncommon, with rabies inflicting solely one to three reported human infections per yr within the United States and capnocytophaga infecting an estimated 150 to 250.
Some individuals are extra prone to get sick from dogs than others, together with those that are pregnant, immunocompromised, over 65 or underneath 5, Dr. Stull mentioned.
Puppies underneath 6 months of age are the largest culprits in spreading disease-causing germs, he added, partly as a result of their immune methods usually are not absolutely developed.
Staying Safe
If you personal a canine, you possibly can cut back your danger of sickness by ensuring it’s absolutely vaccinated and that it receives common care from a veterinarian, mentioned Dr. Dennis Horter, a veterinarian and chief working officer of CityVet in Dallas.
Vets can even prescribe drugs that cut back the possibility that your canine will harbor parasites, in addition to ticks and fleas, all of which could be transferred from dogs to individuals and trigger sicknesses, added Dr. Rebecca Greenstein, a veterinarian at Kleinburg Veterinary Hospital in Ontario. Always see your vet straight away in case your canine has diarrhea, she added.
“Keeping your dog healthy helps to keep you and your family healthy,” Dr. Barton Behravesh mentioned. Doing so is particularly necessary in case you or another individuals in your family are at excessive danger for growing sicknesses.
Experts warning in opposition to feeding uncooked meat to dogs, as a result of it may be contaminated with micro organism that may then unfold to individuals. Research suggests there are no clear benefits of the weight loss program for pets, and research “only underscore the risks,” Dr. Greenstein mentioned, which embody the unfold of salmonella, E. coli and campylobacter.
Wash your fingers after petting or caring on your canine, Dr. Barton Behravesh mentioned. And keep away from kissing them anyplace — sure, this is perhaps onerous for some canine lovers — or letting them lick you in your face or on any scratches or open wounds, Dr. Stull suggested. Some individuals assume that their canine’s mouths are clear. “They’re not,” he mentioned. “It’s very easy for infectious organisms — bacteria, et cetera — to move from the animal’s saliva into our bodies.”
If you get bitten, he mentioned, clear the wound with cleaning soap and water and get in touch with a health care provider.
Clean up after your pup, too. “I can’t emphasize this enough: Pick up your dog’s poop already,” Dr. Greenstein mentioned. “Fecal contamination of grassy parks, sandboxes, schoolyards and so forth can pose a serious health risk, especially to children and those with weakened immune systems.”
But once more, be sure you wash your fingers afterward, Dr. Stull mentioned — as a result of many individuals don’t. “We go out, we collect the poop off the ground, we throw it in the trash, we don’t wash our hands,” he mentioned. “We then go and have lunch.”
