Diseases You Can Get From Your Pet

There are diseases you can catch from your pet and you need to be cautious. These are called zoonotic diseases, which are animal diseases that can be transmitted to humans. Dogs and cats can assault your health with various bacteria, viruses,  several different types of worms, a fungus or two, or even a menagerie of biting and crawling insects. There are a large number of zoonotic diseases that can potentially affect people, caused by a wide variety of bacteria, parasites, viruses and fungal organisms. Transmission of these zoonotic infections occurs via bites, scratches or touch; exposure to saliva, urine or feces; inhalation of particles or infectious aerosols; contact with a transport or intermediate host (e.g. ticks, fleas); or exposure to contaminated water, soil or vegetation. Ingestion of undercooked food products and skin contact with infectious agents (e.g. ringworm, fleas, mites) are all potential modes of zoonotic transmission.

One should be aware of several common zoonotic diseases that can be transmitted by the pet. Most common are:

• Cat scratch disease – a bacterial disease caused by bacteria carried in cat saliva. The bacteria can be passed from a cat to a human through biting or scratching.
• Psittacosis – a bacterial disease you can get by inhaling dust from dried bird droppings.
• Rabies – a viral infection caused by a virus found in the saliva of infected animals and is transmitted to pets and humans by bites. Infected bats, raccoons, foxes, skunks, dogs or cats provide the greatest risk to humans.
• Toxoplasmosis – a parasitic disease you can acquire from soil or other contaminated surfaces by putting your hands to your mouth after gardening, cleaning a cat’s litter box, or by touching anything that has come into contact with cat feces.

• Ringworm – the most common zoonotic disease transferred from animals to humans. It is a contagious fungal infection that can affect the scalp, the body (particularly the groin), the feet and the nails. Despite its name, it has nothing to do with worms. The name comes from the characteristic red ring that can appear on an infected person's skin.

• Campylobacter infection - can cause protracted gastroenteritis with quite severe abdominal pain which can go on for some time.

• Salmonellosis - is another zoonotic disease that causes food poisoning in humans. It is more commonly contracted from birds and only rarely from other pets but it can occur.

• Cutaneous larva migrans – It is also known by its grizzly, descriptive nickname of 'creeping eruptions'. This is caused by the dog or cat hookworm larvae which burrow through the skin to enter the body of pets, and occasionally, of humans, too. In pets, they then travel through to the intestine where they develop into adult worms.

• Visceral larva migrans - This is caused by migration of roundworm larvae and is more serious than the 'creeping eruptions' of the hookworm. The roundworm eggs that are produced by infected puppies and kittens mature in the soil for a few days. When ingested, commonly by children playing in contaminated sandpits, the eggs hatch and the larvae migrate. Again they get lost, but this time they lodge in organs within the child's body. Children form one to four years old are mostly affected. The larvae can affect almost any organ, including the brain, kidneys and eyes. Signs of the condition include fever, cough, loss of appetite, and failure to gain weight. Muscle, joint and abdominal pains also occur and the more serious signs are neurological disturbances and even blindness. The larvae live for up to a year in humans and the symptoms of the disease can therefore persist for some time.

• Hydatidosis - Hydatid worm (Tapeworm) can cause the development of large, dangerous cysts inside a person's body in any part leading to pathological condition.

• Ringworm - Probably the most common zoonotic infection is the fungus known as ringworm. While it's more commonly spread from cats to humans, it can be spread by dogs as well. In humans it causes the development of a small, red itchy rash, which spreads outwards. The centre of the rash become scaly and then heals, while the rim continues to expand. In pets, it causes hairless patches to develop. In cats and long-haired dogs, the fungus is often difficult to detect. It is easily treated in humans with antifungal creams.

Animals with zoonotic diseases may exhibit a variety of clinical signs depending on the type of disease. The signs can vary from mild to severe. One should watch for any changes in behavior and appearance like anorexia, vomiting, diarrhea, skin lesions, itching, lethargy, depression, weight loss, coughing, bruising under the skin, joint swelling, lameness.  

A good knowledge of the most common zoonotic diseases and routine health care with good husbandry and sanitation practices will significantly decrease the likelihood of either you or your pet acquiring a zoonotic disease. Your veterinarian routinely provides yearly exams, preventative internal and external parasite control programs and vaccinations. These services dramatically reduce the zoonotic potential of disease. Additionally, veterinarians usually provide information and consultation on training and behavioral issues. This advice is extremely important, since the most common zoonotic diseases caused by small animals are bite and scratch wounds. 

Follow these simple rules and you and your family will be safe:

1. Wash you hands after playing with pets.
2. Don't let pets lick you, especially on the face and hands.
3. Cover sandpits when not in use and wear gloves when gardening.
4. If you have a dog, it's wise for children to wear shoes when in the garden.
5. Worm your pup every two weeks until it is 3 months old, then every month until it is 6 months old, and thereafter every three months. Use a monthly heartworm preventative that also kills intestinal worms but be aware that none of these will kill all intestinal worms, so a three monthly all-wormer is still important.
6. Remove all of your pet's deposits from the garden on a daily basis.
7. If your pet is unwell, especially if it has diarrhea or skin disease, consult your veterinarian.
8. Keep your pet free of fleas, as fleas transmit tapeworm.

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