The first part of this page contains my quick summaries and comments about the more common zoonotic diseases. More detailed articles, information, and links will follow soon.
Zoonotic Diseases: Diseases Humans can get from Pets:
Luckily this is not a big problem in the United States, partly because of rigorous elimination and vaccination programs over the last century, especially in our food animals, and partly because of our temperate climate which means a limited number of parasites and insect transmitters. Also take a moment to appreciate what we so often take for granted; clean water and good control of our wastes.
There are three other reasons that the spread of disease from pets to humans is minimal in prosperous countries like the U.S. : We vaccinate our pets. We minimize the parasites on our pets through regular deworming and control of fleas and ticks. And we feed our pets high quality diets as opposed to some countries where pets have to scavenge through dumps, garbage, and animal corpses for their daily meals.
I mention this partly to stimulate you to do your part; go to the effort and expense to keep your pet well vaccinated , dewormed, and parasite free. Help minimize the stray pet problem by neutering and spaying all pets that you don't want to breed on purpose. And please donate money to your local shelters so they can keep their programs operating.
One more comment before listing and describing some of the diseases that you could conceivably get from pets. It's natural when reading such lists to think "Oh my God, I'm never touching a pet again!" Remember that these problems are rare, are easily prevented in most cases, and to say something nice about our government for a change, most of the diseases we need to worry about are well controlled and in many cases nearly eliminated by our vigilant government agencies; many of which are staffed with veterinarians.
Another way to put this in perspective is to imagine that I listed and described all the terrible things that might happen to you from having sex, or kissing, or eating in a public place. Would you think "Oh my God, I'm never kissing, eating or having sex in a public place again?" Ha. Please don't read too much into my analogy or accuse me of encouraging sex, God Forbid, I'm just trying to lighten things up a little.
Here are some of the diseases that are occasional problems:
Intestinal Worms: Both dogs and cats are born with lots of worms that go dormant in their muscle tissue and emerge throughout the pet's life during periods of stress (especially pregnancy) or sickness. That's why even pets without exposure to other pets can turn up positive for worms after previously being tested as negative on a fecal exam. Isn't that interesting? In addition, they continuously pick up microscopic worm eggs in the environment. The worms go through their life cycle in the dog or cat, causing various degrees of trouble to the pet and end up spreading more worm eggs via the stool around the yard etc.
People can also pick up these worm eggs, remember they are microscopic, and transmit them accidentally to their mouth. Luckily, most of us have a healthy immune system and the worms in dogs and cats are usually successfully killed soon after entering our bodies...but not always right away. This may be one of the causes of unexplained fevers, aches and pains that people suffer from for a couple of days and we often call "a touch of flu". Sometimes worms can cause much more serious trouble in humans, especially to a developing fetus or children. A more serious way that people get worm diseases from pets is from eggs in the yard or sandbox that hatch into larvae that can bore into skin and travel around in your blood, lymph, or neural system causing anything from mild rashes to blindness and other terrible disease. This is a problem with barefoot children, especially if the ground is damp which favors larval hatching. This disease is known as larval migrans .
This problem is controlled by keeping pet stool picked up and mostly from regularly deworming your pets. Get your worm control products from a vet...many products sold elsewhere don't work very well. This is due to resistance from the worms and for legal reasons...for more information about the resistance problem in parasites; click here or go to our section on controlling parasites.
The worms carried by raccoons can also cause serious larval diseases in humans so don't encourage these animals into your yard. Remember that raccoons are a major reservoir of rabies too. (Don't feed them or leave garbage out where they can get in it)
Tape Worms: Tapeworms are intestinal worms too, but I listed them separately for a practical reason. Tapeworms are not well controlled by the deworming medicines most vets use for other worms. They have become very resistant to the products that work well on other worms.
Tapeworms have to go through a flea or rodent as part of their life cycle before infesting you or your pet, so we control them by using high quality flea products. For cats and those dogs that are regular mousers we monitor their stool for presence of the worms (they're fairly easy to see). It's not common for people to pick up these worms, but when we do, they can cause terrible damage including brain diseases which just might explain a few people I know.
If you see rice size worms in your pet's stool, tell your vet; they're easy to get rid of IF you use the right medicine. The two medicines that are working well are both prescription drugs so don't expect to do a good job with over the counter dewormers. And take advantage of the new flea products (also prescription) that are working so well.
Rabies: Everyone knows, of course, that rabies is a deadly disease that you get from being bitten by any warm blooded animal carrying the disease. What you need to know is pretty basic: Keep your pets vaccinated; the vaccines are very successful and are legally required. The only question here is how often to do it. I still recommend this extremely inexpensive vaccine yearly.
Some states (including South Carolina) feel that the new improved vaccines give adequate protection for 3 years, but this assumes a good immune system.
Another thing to know is that if you are bitten by a pet; first wash out the bite wound well (the rabies virus is killed by most antiseptics) , and if you're not sure if the animal that bit you has a current rabies vaccination, call a physician. And most of all, be careful in handling wild animals...the biggest carriers of rabies are foxes, coons, skunks, woodchucks, squirrels, feral cats, and bats. This advice is especially important to all of you kind hearted people that rescue injured and sick wild animals and try to catch wild cats. Be Careful Out There.
Tuberculosis: More information coming soon, but apparently, tuberculosis which used to be a major disease before we nearly eradicated it with testing of our food animals is making a small come back in the form of a strain carried by Guinea Pigs and Prairie Dogs. I apologize, but I'm not sure of how accurate this information is...I'll try to find out soon. If you are considering a Prairie Dog as a pet, another reason we are discouraging it is that the fleas on prairie dogs can carry Plague and several cases in the Western United States in people have been reported. If any zoonotic disease vets or people out there who have better information about this subject suitable for pet owners, please e Mail me at foxnest@metacrawler.com. Thanks.
Brucellosis: Brucellosis, like tubercolosis used to be a terrible disease spread to people through our food animals but is now well controlled in this country. Dogs, however, carry a strain of brucella that causes abortions in dogs and possibly could be transmitted to susceptible people. I think this is a very rare problem. We have a test for dogs that we encourage dog breeders to use prior to breeding to prevent the spread of this disease among dogs.
Tick Borne Diseases: Dogs and cats and other pets can carry ticks into your life that might be carrying one of the several tick borne diseases; Lymes, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, other rickettsial diseases, and tick paralysis. These diseases are often successfully fought off by our immune systems but may be another reason why we sometimes get unexplained fevers, aches and pains for a couple of days. And, of course, some of these diseases can cause terrible illness in both you and your pets.
The main thing is to prevent your pet from being infested with ticks; avoid keeping your pet in tick infested areas, groom your pets, remove ticks as needed, and take advantage of the better tick control products. (Frontline, Revolution, and Preventic Tick Collars all work fairly well; but nothing works perfectly). We now have a good vaccine for preventing lyme disease and I understand that there is now a vaccine for people too.
Toxoplasmosis from Cats: This disease gets a lot of attention in magazines for women since it can cause birth defects in the fetus if women are exposed to the disease during the second trimester of their pregnancy. This is a problem only if the woman isn't already immune to the disease from previous exposure (apparently, about a third of Americans already have immunity. This can be tested for by your physician if you're concerned.) One of the ways people can get exposed to this disease is by accidentally ingesting microscopic amounts of cat feces. That is why women gleefully inform their husbands that they should be the ones cleaning out the litter box. But don't get rid of your cat; it's more likely that you will get the disease from another source...the infective organism is in our meats and vegetables. Feral and other infected cats spread the germ in our gardens and pastures which is then eaten by humans or food animals. Prevention consists of avoiding rare meat (especially in the third world) and washing your hands and vegetables well. Also, prevent cross contamination from raw meat to your vegetables from using the same cutting board etc.
Heartworms: Heartworm and other rarer forms of microfilaria can infect humans. This is not common. The parasite is spread by mosquitoes and while most of us have immune systems that successfully fight off the disease, the disease is sometimes the winner. Immune suppressed people, especially aids and other cancer patients are most susceptible. The organism is apparently mutating and adapting to other species...we are finding the disease in cats and now in people. Keep your pets on heartworm preventive.
Ringworm: Ringworm is a funny name for a fungus and I don't know how this name came about, but ringworm is a skin problem in humans and many pets...especially long haired cats. The disease is usually a minor problem and easy to get rid of, but not always. The interesting thing is that most of us think we know what ringworm lesions look like...pink, raised, dry little patches. Often itch. Well, that's often true, but sometimes there aren't any obvious little lesions, just various forms of dermatitis. General itchiness, excessive shedding, dry skin etc.
It's pretty easy to diagnose this disease in both humans and pets with either a special type of black light (not always accurate) or by culture. Treatment is usually uncomplicated.
Plague from Prairie Dogs: The fleas on prairie dogs might carry the terrible disease known as plaque. If you insist on getting a prairie dog, make sure it's been given a good bath and is not carrying any fleas. To be sure, put on some revolution or frontline. This is the same disease that killed millions in historical outbreaks, but in those cases the culprits were the fleas on rats.
Fleas: Fleas themselves are not a disease, but pets bring fleas into your home and can then transmit blood borne diseases from one human to another. Hepatitis? Aids? Not likely, but possible...so keep fleas and ticks and mosquitoes under control as best as you can.
Lice and Mites: The lice and mites that pets get can sometimes cause a rash or allergic reaction on humans but rarely cause an infestation...most lice and mites affect only one species of animal. This is known as being species specific. But, for the comfort of your pet and just to be sure, keep your pet clean and groomed and if it's obvious something is wrong with your pet's skin, see your veterinarian. Hey, if your boyfriend claims he got crab lice from sleeping with your dog; don't believe him...he probably got it from a toilet seat. Ha.
Samonella and E-Coli from Turtles and Reptiles: The germs samonella and e-coli are found in the feces of many animals and humans too. These are two of the germs notorious for causing food poisoning involving transmission from one human to another and have nothing to do with turtles. However, it seems that turtles and reptiles can carry an especially bad strain of these two germs and could cause serious, maybe deadly, dysentery in people...especially children. It's one of the reasons most vets discourage pet turtles for children. The other reason is to prevent neglect and cruelty to these creatures.
Pasteurella from Rabbits: When rabbits get respiratory disease and/or eye infections (a disease known as "snuffles"), the germ involved is sometimes a strain of pasteurella that can cause significant disease in humans to include pneumonia and blindness. Wash your hands well after handling sickly rabbits and take such pets to your vet. for treatment.
Cat Scratch Fever: This disease is caused by a germ (Bartonella henselae) spread by either a cat bite or scratch. About half of the wild or feral cats in the SouthEastern part of the U.S. have been exposed to this germ and may be carriers. In other parts of the country the disease is not prevalent. Transmission from cat to cat is believed to be from fleas. The disease in humans is usually moderate but it can be long term and serious...especially in HIV patients. Symptoms include local swelling and swelling of the lymphatic system and flu like malaise. The very temporary swelling and irritation that most people experience for a day or two after a cat scratch is probably not true cat scratch fever but rather a simple inflammatory reaction. If scratched or bitten, first wash the wound out with any good antiseptic (I like to apply a little Bag Balm ointment on afterwards...it seems to work better than anything I've used. Bag Balm is sold to treat chapped and sore cow udders and is available in feed stores, pet and animal catalogs, and at many vet clinics including ours.) Don't encourage cats to play rough and don't allow children to tease and annoy cats. And keep fleas under control. And if you're sick enough to go to a physician, don't forget to tell him or her that you were bitten or scratched by a cat.
Encephalitis from horses: There are several types of encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) caused by different strains of a virus that affects horses (and other equine) and pheasants. Man, horses, and pheasants are accidental hosts...the true reservoir of this disease is wild fowl...both resident and migratory. The disease is spread by mosquito. The disease is often fatal, so while we can't eliminate this disease entirely we can and should be vaccinating all horses. For humans there is only being careful around mosquitoes. Our government disease control people and equine veterinarians keep a tight lid on this disease in the U.S. Dogs and cats are not part of the problem but I thought you should know about this disease and the importance of vaccinations if you have horses.
Cryptosporidium: This is a little protozoa that causes diarrhea in dogs and cats and is potentially contagious to humans. If this is true, the disease is usually mild and self limiting in humans. One expert lecturer indicated that he thought we humans might be exposed to this organism more than we realized...it's just hard to diagnose and the symptoms aren't usually bad enough to see a doctor about...we just feel lousy for a day or two. Accurate?
West Nile Disease (An article)
West Nile Infects Illinois Dog September 27, 2002 Written by: Erin Harty, Associate Editor at VetCentric.com
We all know by now that West Nile virus affects humans, birds, and horses. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the virus has sickened almost 2,000 people in 2002, and has caused 94 deaths to date.
Researchers had confirmed the nation's first documented, fatal cases of WNV in a domestic dog, a wolf, and three gray squirrels.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, over 6,000 horses have been infected with West Nile this year, and the mortality rate for infected horses is about 30 percent. Bird losses are not currently estimated, but are likely staggering.But on Sept. 17, an announcement from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign seemed to mark the extension of WNV's reach.
Researchers had confirmed the nation's first documented, fatal cases of WNV in a domestic dog, a wolf, and three gray squirrels. Experts caution, however, that this does not mean dog owners should shroud their furry friends in mosquito netting and douse them with Off!. Dogsand cats, for that matterare not immune to WNV. They can contract the disease; researchers already knew that much. But experts feel that most canines and felines are not very susceptible to the virus.
Birds, on the other hand, seem to be extremely susceptible; horses and humans also contract the virus with regularity.The dog that died was an 8-year-old Irish setter-golden retriever mix that lived in the Bloomington-Normal area of Illinois."This dog had a condition of the brain showing nervous symptoms," John Andrews, DVM, Ph.D., director of the University of Illinois' veterinary diagnostic laboratory, told the Chicago Tribune. "In that situation it could be a number of possibilities, including rabies, distemper, or encephalitis of other types. We eliminated all of those other possibilities and said, 'Well, what about West Nile?' The tests came up positive."Researchers at the University of Illinois also documented a fatal case of WNV in a 3-month-old wolf that lived in a small zoological collection in northern Illinois. The wolf showed no signs of other diseases; the dog and some of the squirrels, however, had indications of other potentially immune-compromising infections.Dr. Andrews told the Tribune that most dogs are resistant to the disease, but that elderly dogs or those with compromised immune systems could be at higher risk.
Other species are also cropping up as being able to contract WNV. The disease has been observed in cats, goats, bats, chipmunks, skunks, domestic rabbits, domestic birds, and a llama. But for pet owners, of course, the possibility of Rover coming down with West Nile is the one that's most disturbing. Authorities are cautioning pet owners that one documented case shouldn't be cause for worry. It's also important to note that there have been no documented cases of WNV transmission from animals to humans.
Experts believe that WNV is primarily transmitted by bites from infected mosquitoes.But there are a few simple precautions pet owners can take.The University of Illinois recommends that concerned pet owners simply keep pets indoors during peak mosquito hours; dawn, dusk, and early evening. They should eliminate sources of standing water around their homessuch areas are potential breeding grounds for mosquitoes. Pet owners can also consider using certain insect repellents that are safe for pets.
Pet owners should also keep their pets from coming into contact with dead birds or squirrels that may have died from the virus.
Links to Sites with a lot more information about different Zoonotic Diseases
provides data, information, and maps related to outbreaks of the West Nile
virus
first isolated in 1937 from the blood of a patient in the province of West Nile,
Uganda. ...
Description: Information about the disease and the efforts in Canada
to detect it.
On This Page:
Introduction, Comments and Information about the possible diseases you might get from a pet:
Other Diseases...coming soon
On Other Pages
The Pharmacy Page; about the medicines we use as well as information about alternative medicines
A Few Zen Thoughts For Those Who Take Life Too Seriously
A day without sunshine is like night.
On the other hand, you have different fingers
42.7 percent of all statistics are made up on the spot.
Honk if you love peace and quiet!
Remember, half the people you know are below average.
He who laughs last thinks slowest.
Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.
The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.
I drive way too fast to worry about cholesterol.
Support bacteria. They're the only culture some people have.
A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.
Change is inevitable, except from vending machines.
Plan to be spontaneous tomorrow.
Always try to be modest, and be proud of it!
If you think nobody cares, try missing a couple of payments.
How many of you believe in telekinesis? Raise my hand...
OK, so what's the speed of dark?
How do you tell when you're out of invisible ink?
If everything seems to be going well, you have obviously overlooked something.
When everything is coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.
Hard work pays off in the future. Laziness pays off now.
Everyone has a photographic memory. Some just don't have film.
If Barbie is so popular, why do you have to buy her friends?
What happens if you get scared half to death twice?
I used to have an open mind but my brains kept falling out.
I couldn't repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder.
Never raise your hands to your kids. It leaves your groin unprotected.
I'm not into working out. My philosophy is no pain is no pain.
Do you think illiterate people get the full affect of alphabet soup?
I've always wanted to be somebody, but I should have been more specific.
Ever notice when you blow in a dog's face he gets mad at you, but when
you take him in a car he sticks his head out the window?
Ever notice that anyone going slower than you is an idiot, but anyone
going faster than you is a maniac?
You have to stay in shape. My mother started walking 5 miles a day when
she was 60. Now she's 97 and we have no idea where she is.
I have six locks on my door, all in a row. When I go out, I lock every
other one. I figure no matter how long somebody stands there picking the locks, they are always locking three of them.
One out of every three Americans is suffering from some form of mental illness. Think of two of your best friends. If they are OK, then it must be you.
They show you how detergent takes out bloodstains. I think if you've got a tee shirt with bloodstains all over it, maybe your laundry isn't your biggest problem.
Ask people why they have deer heads on their walls and they tell you it's because they're such beautiful animals. I think my wife is beautiful, but I only have photographsof her on the walls.
Loving, responsible pet care means going to the vet when problems occur...and understanding that good veterinary care requires attention to detail, a good exam, the possible expense of additional lab work, and careful treatment, monitoring, and follow up until the problem is improved as best as possible.
Disclaimers and General Comments
Thanks for visiting this site. I am a general practioner in a busy, high-volume clinic. I have no post doctoral training and am not a specialist in any veterinary discipline. I mention this for three reasons...first; most everything I put on these pages will be fairly accurate and hopefully useful...but the art of medicine is full of controversial treatment practices, theories, and occasionally hum bug that we Doctors unintentionally pass on as fact. Please forgive me if on occassion I turn out to be wrong, "behind the times", or in disagreement with another veterinarian.
The second reason I mention my lack of formal expertise is that I tackle a lot of subjects on these pages in hopes of helping you understand what's going on with your pet...but I want to make sure you understand I am not an expert authority on many of these topics. For instance, I know quite a bit about the basics of diabetes, hyperthyroidism, and cardiac disease, but I don't have a lot of experience or detail knowledge about treating these major diseases past the basic level. Just like a human general practioner; I refer these complicated cases to specialists.
The third reason? I am hoping that this web site will successfully attract a lot of viewers interested in the health of their pets and therefore attract other veterinarians and veterianary experts in their fields to add to this site in our common goal of improving pet health care and pet owner responsibility through education. Please feel free to eMail me articles and comments at foxnest@metacrawler.com I will gladly give you credit for your articles and link to your site or organization.
Thanks very much, Roger Ross DVM Seneca, South Carolina
PS Please don't expect me to answer all the eMails I am getting asking me how to treat your pet or to make comments on the treatment your vet recommends. The information on these pages is general in nature and I hope very helpful to your understanding, but to give specific medical advice about a specific patient requires a careful exam, the collection of information and laboratory data, monitoring of the patient and modification of the treatment depending on results.
It's also legally dangerous for me to answer specific medical questions without taking the time and care to evaluate the patient...even assuming I had the time... Once a veterinarian gives out medical advice, he or she may be held legally responsible for the results if things go wrong. And things do go wrong. Life can be fragile. Because we are aware of all the possible things that might go wrong, we vets tend not to spout off until we take the time to be reasonably sure we know what the situation is and that we have it under control. So, If you want professional answers about an actual patient...you'll need to go to your veterinarian and pay their fee...usually well worth it!
About this subject of getting professional answers; be careful. You can have alot of confidence in almost all vets. It's a rare vet who can get through our rigorous training without being highly competent...and fewer still who survive in practice long being careless. On the other hand, you surely must realize that there's a lot of whacky and ineffective animal medical care advice out there given by groomers, trainers, breeders, old flower children, new agers, psychics, and self appointed guru's.
At any rate, I will probably be unable to take the time to answer eMails about specific medical questions, personal questions, or respond to some of the hate mail I'm getting about my opinions.
God Bless, Roger Ross DVM
And One More Time: This site was not intended to help you avoid veterinary visits and treat a major pet health problem at home; In fact, I started this site partly because I wanted to help people understand that for a lot of veterinary problems it's unrealistic to expect even your vet to diagnois your pet's problem without performing some lab tests and radiographs...things you might not expect to need if you hadn't read my site. Even with the help of lab tests, radiographs, and possible trial and error type treatments, there are many instances where the exact diagnoisis is a mystery, or at least inconclusive, or poorly responsive to treatment, or simply serious or complicated enough to require referral to specialists or large veterinary medical centers.
This site was indeed intended to simplify some treatment topics that seemed to confuse a lot of people, but at the same time, I hoped that by reading this site, it would dawn on people that you don't just take your pet into the vet, get a "shot" , pay your bill, and expect whatever pet problem you had to be solved.
Loving, responsible pet care means going to the vet when problems occur...and understanding that good veterinary care requires attention to detail, a good exam, the possible expense of additional lab work, and careful treatment, monitoring, and follow up until the problem is improved as best as possible.
Once again, God Bless, Roger Ross DVM
