Stream Valley Veterinary Hospital 2009 / Your Pets and their Pests

Your Pets and their Pests

by Shannon M. Pecora, M.A.
Stream Valley Veterinary Hospital

This summer, my husband and I discovered, and subsequently became addicted to, a new show on the Travel Channel: Bite Me with Dr. Mike. Virologist Dr. Mike Leahy treks through faraway and exotic locales to study and expose himself to the gross and the creepy—dangerous “bugs” such as giardia, salmonella, tapeworms, and roundworms. The parasites and bacteria—and their unpleasant effects—will make your skin crawl. Hence, I have vowed never to swim in the Amazon or set up camp in the Australian Outback.

However, I can’t vow to stop petting my dogs or playing with my mother’s Chinese Water Dragon. No, I don’t have a dingo, and my parents didn’t illegally smuggle in a reptile that they caught in a jungle. The fact is that our domestically-raised pets can carry some seemingly exotic diseases. The bacteria and parasites that Dr. Mike chases down all over the world can also be found in our own homes. And they are transmitted in the same ways: being bitten, getting scratched, or simply eating without washing your hands. Carry around your Leopard Gecko or touch your Golden Retriever’s fur where there may be (yikes!) fecal matter, and you’ve been exposed.

Okay, even I, an experienced veterinary medical professional, am grossed out enough to consider life in a plastic bubble, but hang on before you send all of your family pets packing. There are some very simple ways to cut your risk of illness. For example, keep litterboxes and backyards clean. Use a safe, yet effective, cleaning solution for cages and terrariums. Depending on what type of pet you have, you may be able to use soap, vinegar, or bleach solutions; just check with your vet. Every pet in your home should have a fecal exam at the vet’s office at least once a year to test for intestinal parasites. Perhaps most importantly, you should wash your hands thoroughly and often, particularly before you eat.

From Borneo to the Broadlands, people are at risk from illnesses spread through contact with animals. But that doesn’t mean that life must be pet-free. Just keep up the standard precautions, and you should be able to keep the creepy crawlies on your TV and out of your body.