PET BORNE ILLNESSES Care

You love your little doggie or pussy – cat. But sometimes they can make you sick.

Pet give love and companionship and occasionally more. There are about 30 varieties of pet borne illness and each year pets pass along infectious disease to thousands. Most disease passed from animal s to humans are easy to avoid and treatable. Cats and dogs are responsible for the majority of these diseases, but birds, fish and turtle are also common culprits.

• Infections due to bites:

1. Dogs are responsible for 80 to 90 per cent of bites.
2. Cat’s bites cause more infections as they are more likely to carry a virulent organism in their mouths.
3. Fewer than 5 per cent of dog bites become infected, up to 50 per cent of cat bites do.
4. Promptly and thoroughly wash any bite with soap and water. More serious bites may require a tetanus shot.

• Dog roundworm and hookworm. The immature form of these parasitic worms can infect humans. You can get roundworm infection by unsuspectingly ingesting the eggs from stool- contaminated soil, hands or objects.
• Make sure your dogs and cats are regularly dewormed.
• Wash your hands after handling a pet or working with soil.
• Cat – scratch disease. This results from a break in your skin, caused either by a cat’s claws or teeth.