o

Happiness
lSA
watm
r^r af
f/\,L
and who cantt
resist cuddlesand odayt pets have become treas-
ured family members and as
their statushas risen in house-

kissesfrom that holds acrossthe United Stated

so have their privileges.'With
the daily unconditional love
sweetball of fur, that they give us, we've
become more permissivewith Fido or Missy. \(e don't
give a secondthought when they sprawl acrossour
but will those laps while we lounge on the sofa and sharea lick or
two from a bowl of ice cream, or when they become

loveablelicks our bed companions. However, by allowing our dogs

or cats to shareour foods and beds are we also invit-
ing their unwanted germs or will they get sick from us

make you sick? when we're down and out with a cold or the flu?
According to the Center of DiseaseControl
(CDC) although both dogs and cats may passgerms
BYRrsEccn ScHrr-r-BR to people, the simple act of petting your beloved pet
will not make you sick. However to best protect your-
self from germs, and this is where common sense
always prevails, make it a habit to thoroughly wash
your hands with soap and water after contact with
dog or cat salivaor even their feces.
12 o The Pet Gazette
 Sometimesa good hand washing simply isnt home. Clean all accidentswith disinfectantssuch as a
enough and pet owners should be aware that our Clorox and water solution; wash hands after walking
canine and feline family members carry a variety of the dog, cleaning out the litter box, and before meals.
germs that can make us ill. A common example is Another zoonotic diseaseof concern is rabies,
which is transmitted by saliva through a bite wound.
Pet owners are required by law to vaccinate their pets
...to best protect againstthe virus. In a study conducted by the CDC
yourself from germs, from the years2000 to 2004, more cats than dogs
were reported rabid in the United States.Many of
and this is where common sense these caseswere associatedwith bites from raccoons in
the eastern part of the country. The infection in cats
always prevails, might also be attributed to fewer vaccination laws,
leashlaws, and their roaming habits. The New York
make it a habit to thoroughly State Department of Health RabiesLaboratory recent-
wash your hands with soap ly releasedits 2008 statisticalstudy reporting64T
dogs examined for the virus with only one incident of
and water after contact infection, and 1,383 cats that were examined of which
22 texed positive for the virus.
with dog or cat saliva or But can humans get sick from airborne germs or
is it solely by touch? According to O'Byrne there are
even their feces.
very few diseasesthat are airborne. Touch is usually
Campylobacter found in puppies'stoolswhich can the form that bacteria can be transferred in either
causediarrhea humans.On the raresideof the
in direction from animals to owners. Typically this isnt a
spectrum,dogs-not s215-in urbanor rural areas problem unlessthere'sa cut on the skin and bacteria
might be exposedto the bacterium that
causesLeptospirosis,which can be fatal to
both dogs and humans if not treated early.
These diseasesthat are transferablefrom ani-
mals to people are known as Zoonoses.
"One of the most common zoonotic
illnesseswe seein pets in New York Ciry is
Giardia," saysDr. Lucy O'Byrne, a veteri-
narian from the \WestVillage Veterinary
Hospital in New York Ciry. "Giardia is a
parasitethat causesvomiting and diarrhea-
sometimesit can be very severe."
Dogs can pick up the bacteria from
ciry streetsor from the locd dog run very
easily.Cats that come from a shelter and
then go outdoors can also get the bug. "The
good news is that giardia is easilytreated
and managed," saysO'Byrne. "Ve have a
specific test that allows us to diagnose it
quickly right at the hospital and start medication right gets in, causing an infection. Dog lovers who might
away." be worried about getting the much reported "dog flu"
To prevent the spreadof giradia, leptospirosis, will be relieved to learn that to date there has been no
and other diseasesfound in urine and feces,veterinari- evidenceof canine influenza transmissionfrom dogs
ans tell their clients to practice vigilante hygiene at to humans.
The Pet Gazette o 13
 However, if your dog does come down the with complicatedby other viral diseases." To determine
the flu, Dr. Melinda J. Grove tells her patientsthat why your pooch is coughing, a culture will be taken
the virus is treated mostly with supportive care, and to determine the bacterium and from there the proper
antibiotics are used if there are any bacterial infec- antibiotic treatmentswill be prescribed.
tions. She adds,"Peoplesometimesconfusethis with If your pet predilection is more towards cold-
kennel cough. Kennel cough is actuallycausedby the blooded creatureswho spend their days swimming
bacterium, BordetellaBronchiseptica,thatt sometimes and basking in a tank, be aware that some reptiles can
asymptomaticallycarry salmonella
bacterium saysBruce Lowder of
PetsCould CatchYour Bugs the New York Reptile Expo.
"Yearsago, there were many cases
Peoplecan get plenry of diseasesfrom animals. Now signs indicate due to the small turtles common-
that dogs and cats can catch a dangeroussuperbug from people. ly kept as pets in small unfiltered
At a large Philadelphia veterinary hospital, scientistsreport that dur- and unsanitarycontainers."
ing a three-yearperiod, 38 dogs, cats and other pets caught a drug-resist- To reduce salmonellaout-
ant staph infection. breaksin reptiles and possible
They think six of the animals caught the bug from hospital workers. transmissionto humans, Lowder
But it's likely that at leastsome of the other caseswere spreadto pets by recommendsfeedingthe animals
their owners, said ShelleyRankin, chief of clinical microbiology at Pennt in a different containerto avoid
School of Veterinary Medicine. contaminatingits living quarters
"I dont think it's necessarilythat you come home and pat Fluft on with rotting food. He adds,"ln
the head and then Fluffy gets sick," said Rankin, who presentedthe data general,simple hand washingwill
this week at a medical conferencein Atlanta. But given that an estimated eliminate virtually any risk of
one in every 100 people carry such bacteriain their noses,it could be passinggerms from reptiles to
transmitted by closer contact, she added. humans.Sincemany pet reptiles
"\7e pick them up, kiss them on the face.'Welet them lick us," she are also captive-bred,they're not
said. "Then they lick their skin." exposedto many microbes or
The animals were infected with methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus pathogens,further reducing the
aureus,a bacterial infection that is rypically hard to treat, although all the risk of carrying anything poten-
pets recovered. tially dangerousto people."
They included 26 dogs, eight cats, three parrots and one rabbit. The In some cases,hand wash-
dogs developedskin and ear infections. The cats got urinary tract infec- ing and cleaningwith disinfec-
tions; the parrots, skin infections; the rabbit, an ear infection. In people, tants is simply not enough. Some
the germ often appearsas a nasry skin infection but can also causeother people are more likely to get dis-
symPtoms. easesfrom pets. Peoplewith an
Last year, Penn'sveterinary and human medical schoolsbegan a undevelopedor weak immune
study of the health of pets and their owners. Researchers initially are look- systemhave a greaterchance of
ing at 25 owner-animal pairs but want to expand that number. For more getting ill from pets and these
than a decade,medical journals have carried occasionalreports of human- include infants, children younger
to-animal transmissionof such infections. Journals also have reported ani- than five yearsold, transplant
mal-to-human transmission. patients,peopleinfectedwith the
Georgia Veterinary Specialists-a large animal hospital in an Atlanta HIV/Aids virus and others who
suburb-saw only two methicillin-resistantstaph infections in the thou- are being treated for cancer.
sandsof animals it cared for in the past year. "Looking for such infections Finally to sleepor not to
in animals and their owners is a new endeavor",said Mark Dorfman, a sleepwith our pets, how safe is it?
'We
veterinarian and owner of the hospital. "It's still very much in its infancy," askedour expert veterinari-
he said. ans, and unfortunately, it's not an
easyanswer.There are two
14 o The Pet Gazette
schoolsof thought. On one hand, and your pet will
C are healthier and live longer."
appreciate this point of view, Dr. O'Byrne says,
"Good news! It's not unhealthy to allow pets to sleep
Peoplewith an undevelopedor
weak immune system have a
greater chanceof getting ill from
pets and these include infants,
children younger than five years
old, transplant patients,
peopleinfected with the
HIV/Aids virus and others who
are being treatedfor cancer.
on your bed. In fact,therearemany studiesshowing
peoplewho havepets-not necessarily in the bed-
However, if pets do climb onto the bed a nap or
a full eight hours, make sure your dog or cat is free of
fleas and ticla. If they go outside, both dogs and cats
should be on a preventative and if theyve enjoyed a
romping or stalking in the woods, check them thor-
oughly before it's time for a night time snuggle and
snooze.
On the other hand, Dr. Grove suggestsin pre-
venting the possibiliry of potential transmissionsof
any of the zoonoses,pets and humans are better off in
their respectivebeds. She also reminds us to keep our
pets' yearly visits, update their vaccinations, and give
them monthly supplements and preventatives to
reduce the risk of getting any type of internal parasite
and spreadingit to family members, human or other
pets.
The most important thing for all pet owners ro
know is that their veterinarians are there to answer all
their pet health questions and as Dr. Grove says,"'V?'e
help you keep your companion animal bond strong-
just not in your bed."
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The Pet Gazette o 15