On Saturday, I wrote about One Health Day. I hadn’t heard of it before, but it’s a global campaign that recognizes the close connection between the health of people, animals, and the environment and the role this connection plays in the spread of diseases.
Several times, I’ve written that people shouldn’t allow pets to sleep in bed with them. I read a study that said fecal matter from pets had been found on the pillows of people who sleep with pets. I was concerned about the transmission of diseases from parasites such as ringworm and mites.
In reading through the One Health Day information, I found recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on how to prevent the spread of diseases from pets to humans.
Below are some of the agency’s tips:
Pick the right pet
Do research about the needs of the animal. Ask:
- How long will the animal live?
- What does it eat?
- How much exercise does the pet need?
- How large will it become?
- How much will veterinary care cost?
- Do I have enough time to care for and clean up after the pet?
- What type of habitat does the pet need to be healthy?
- What type of exercise does it need?
- Are pets allowed in my house, apartment, or condominium?
Find out which people are at higher risk for diseases animals can carry
Children younger than 5 years old, people with weakened immune systems, and people 65 years of age and older are more likely to get diseases spread between animals and people. People who are pregnant are also at a higher risk for certain animal-related diseases.
Before getting a new pet, consider the following:
- Households with children younger than 5 years old shouldn’t have pet reptiles (turtles, lizards, or snakes), amphibians (frogs or toads), or backyard poultry because of the risk of serious illness from harmful germs spread between these animals and young children.
- People with weakened immune systems should take extra precautions when choosing and handling pets. Talk to a veterinarian for help picking the best pet.
- People who are pregnant should avoid adopting a new cat or handling stray cats, especially kittens. Cats can carry a parasite that causes toxoplasmosis – a disease that can cause birth defects. If you’re pregnant, you don’t need to give up your cat, but you should avoid handling cat litter.
- People who are pregnant should avoid contact with pet rodents to prevent exposure to lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus, which can cause birth defects. If you’re pregnant and have a pet rodent, avoid direct contact and have someone else clean its habitat.
Wash your hands to stay healthy around pets
Always wash hands:
- After touching or playing with your pet.
- After feeding your pet or handling pet food.
- After handling pet habitats or equipment – cages, tanks, toys, and food and water dishes.
- After cleaning up after pets.
- After leaving areas where animals live – coops, barns, and stalls – even if you didn’t touch an animal.
- Before eating and drinking.
- Before preparing food or drinks.
- After removing soiled clothes or shoes.
Running water and soap are best for hand washing, but you can use hand sanitizer until running water and soap are available. Adults should always assist young children with hand washing.
Keep your pet healthy
Whether you have a dog, cat, horse, parakeet, gerbil, bearded dragon, or other pet, providing regular, life-long veterinary care is important for keeping your pet and family healthy. Regular veterinary visits are essential to good pet health.
Provide your pet with a good diet, fresh water, clean bedding, and plenty of exercise. Keep up with your pet’s vaccines, deworming, and flea and tick control. Some pets can carry ticks that can spread serious diseases such as Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever to people. In areas with plague – including some rural areas in the western U.S. – fleas can be a risk to animals and their owners.
Contact a veterinarian if you have any questions about your pet’s health or if you think your pet may be sick.
Practice good pet hygiene
In addition to hand washing, practicing good pet hygiene can help prevent the spread of germs between pets and people.
Keep pets and their supplies out of the kitchen, and disinfect pet habitats and supplies outside the house when possible. Never clean supplies in the kitchen sink, food preparation areas, or the bathroom sink. Pets can contaminate surfaces in your home with germs – you don’t have touch pets to get sick from their germs.
Always remove your dog’s feces – poop – from your yard and public places by using a bag, and dispose of it in proper areas. Dog and cat poop can contain parasites and germs that can be harmful to people.
Keep children away from areas that might contain dog or cat poop to prevent them from getting roundworms and hookworms. Cover sand boxes so cats don’t use them as a litter box.
Clean the cat’s litter box daily to lower the chances of exposure to harmful parasites.
Teach children how to interact with animals
Pets can teach children compassion and responsibility. However, children younger than 5 years old should be supervised while interacting with animals to ensure the safety of the child and the pet.
Teach children to wash their hands right after playing with animals or anything in the animals’ environment such as cages, beds, or food or water dishes. Don’t let children kiss pets or put their hands or other objects in their mouths after handling animals.
Adults should supervise and be extra cautious when children younger than 5 years old have direct contact with farm animals, including animals at petting zoos and fairs.
Keep wildlife wild
Although they may look cute and cuddly, avoid touching wild animals to reduce the risk of illness and injury.
Don’t encourage wild animals such as raccoons, prairie dogs, or wild rodents to come into your home by feeding them.
You might find a young animal that appears to be abandoned and want to rescue it, but often its parent is close by. If you are concerned about the safety of a wild animal, contact a local wildlife rehabilitation facility.
Learn about pet food safety
Just like human food, pet food and treats can sometimes be contaminated with germs that can make pets and people sick.
Take these steps to keep your pets and family healthy:
- Make sure to buy safe pet foods have been cooked or heated to a high enough temperature to kill germs.
- Choose pet foods that provide the right amount of nutrients. When buying food for your dog or cat’s main diet, look for the words “complete and balanced” on the product label.
- Talk to your veterinarian or a veterinary nutritionist to make sure you’re providing a complete and balanced diet for your pet if homemade pet foods are your pet’s main diet.
- Stay up to date on food recalls and outbreaks.
- Clean pet food and water bowls, food scoops, treat toys, feeding mats, and placemats frequently.
- Follow storage instructions on pet food labels
- Wash your hands with soap and water before and after handling pet food or treats. Make sure children wash their hands properly.
- Don’t let your pet lick your open wounds or areas with broken skin, and try not to let your pet lick your mouth or face immediately after they eat.
- Don’t feed your pet raw pet food and treats.
- Feed your reptile safely by using frozen rodents when possible, using tongs, and avoiding wild rodents.
Keep people and pets safe during travel
Some diseases pets may be at risk for while traveling include rabies, leptospirosis, campylobacteriosis, and diseases spread by mosquitoes, fleas, and ticks such as Lyme disease and West Nile virus. Some of these diseases can spread between people and animals. These tips can help you protect pets from getting sick or injured while traveling:
- Always supervise pets while traveling and on adventures.
- Keep your pet in a carrier or on a leash.
- Don’t allow pets to interact with other animals, especially street dogs, stray animals, or wild animals.
- Don’t let pets swim in, play in, or drink stagnant water or water that looks discolored, smells bad, has foam, scum, algal mats, or paint-like streaks on the surface, or has dead fish or other animals washed up on its shore or beach. Some bodies of water contain harmful algal blooms that can make people and pets sick.
- Check pets for ticks after outdoor outings and talk to your veterinarian about use of a regular preventive treatment for fleas, ticks, and parasites.
Keep yourself and pets healthy during a disaster
- Keep your pet in a carrier or on a leash.
- Report any bite wounds to medical personnel immediately.
- Properly clean and disinfect cages and litter boxes. Wash your pet’s bedding regularly.
- Avoid stagnant water, especially after flooding occurring after natural disasters.
- Don’t allow pets to play in or drink contaminated water.
- Don’t attempt to hug an injured pet, and always keep your face away from its mouth.
Although the bond between people and their pets can increase fitness, lower stress, and bring happiness to their owners, pets sometimes carry germs that can make people sick. Following the above tips can help you and your family prevent pet to human transmission of illnesses.
