Common Illnesses You can Acquire from Your Pets

If you are not careful, pets can definitely make you sick. It is comforting to have a pet to cuddle with that you do not necessarily think about what they have been doing and where. Our pets can easily harbor fungal, bacterial, and viral infections after being exposed to them by simply walking at the park or playing with other animals and sometimes, rooting through garbage or feces.

The best solution to prevent illness from your pet is to practice good hygiene not just for you, but for your pet as well. Wash and groom them regularly. Bring them in for regular vet appointments and trim their nails too. Despite all these precautions, it is still possible to acquire an illness. Here are the most common:

Worms

A case of worms is called larval migrans. These are eliminated through feces since they are found in the intestinal tract . Picking up feces for cleanup or touching soil contaminated by feces can cause skin infection. You can accidentally ingest worm eggs if you don't wash your hands regularly, particularly after gardening, cleaning feces, or even touching your pet. These worm eggs migrate throughout the body causing different symptoms. Damage to the eyes, brain, lungs and other internal organs are caused by serious unchecked cases of worms in humans.

Preventing the contraction of worms is very easy. Just ensure your pet is regularly dewormed at vet visits and administer maintenance medications as needed to avoid worm problems in your pet. And most especially, practice proper hand washing often, especially after cleaning up your pet's feces or even touching your pet.

Cat scratch disease

 

Bacteria can also harbor in your pet's claws. If they scratch you, the bacteria can possibly be transmitted to you through broken, or scratched skin. This could result to infection, causing fever, swollen lymph nodes, redness and inflammation. Since kittens are more playful and adventurous, they tend to harbor more bacteria than mature cats. It is vital to keep hello kitty's claws trimmed to prevent the bacteria from hiding underneath. Some herbal creams made from Goldenseal can help scratches heal faster due to its antimicrobial properties.