Having pets can improve both your mental and physical health, but they can also transmit some dangerous diseases to you.
Top 13 Diseases Transmissible from Pets to Humans
Pets are companions to humans, and studies have shown that they contribute positively to the owner’s health, both emotionally and physically. Keeping a small pet at home can help reduce stress, improve blood pressure, and benefit cardiovascular health. Additionally, walking with pets like dogs can help you burn over 200 calories and tone your body.
However, pets can transmit several diseases to humans, including some that are particularly dangerous. But that shouldn’t be a reason to stop having pets. If you take proactive steps to prevent disease transmission, the risk of infection can be significantly minimized.
Flu
Certainly, this is a disease that cannot be overlooked when discussing infections transmitted by cats and dogs. Not only cats and dogs but also other domestic animals like poultry and livestock can harbor viruses and transmit diseases to you at any time if you are not careful. However, don’t worry because you can easily manage this by taking good care of your pets’ health and maintaining hygiene in your environment and personal hygiene after contact with pets.
Rabies
Rabies is primarily transmitted through bites, scratches, or licks from rabid dogs on damaged skin. The disease in humans can be prevented and treated with vaccines or rabies serum. Without treatment, rabies is nearly 100% fatal.
- Symptoms in pets: excessive drooling is the most common sign of rabies. Other symptoms include behavioral changes, fever, sensitivity to touch, light, and sound, hiding in dark places, staggering, loss of appetite, and seizures.
- Symptoms in humans: initial symptoms include fever and headache. As the disease progresses and infects the central nervous system, patients may experience insomnia, anxiety, hydrophobia, fear of drafts, seizures, hallucinations, and paralysis.
This is a bacterium that lives in the urine of infected animals. You should vaccinate your dog against the disease and avoid swimming in water suspected of being contaminated with animal urine.
The best way to prevent rabies in dogs is to vaccinate them. (Image: Prevention).
Hookworm
- Symptoms in pets: fever, vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite, depression, infertility…
- Symptoms in humans: high fever, headache, chills, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhea, rash, and in severe cases, signs of meningitis or kidney and liver failure.
Roundworm
Roundworms are parasites that live in dog feces. You should use gloves, plastic bags, or a scoop to clean up dog waste, and then wash your hands thoroughly with soap.
- Symptoms in pets: diarrhea, vomiting, bloody stools, worms visible in feces.
- Symptoms in humans: humans become infected with roundworms through fecal transmission. Infected individuals may experience difficulty breathing, hives, abdominal pain, and bloody stools.
Hookworm
This parasite attaches to the intestinal lining of dogs. Hookworm eggs in dog feces can be transmitted through the skin if you come into contact with it.
- Symptoms in pets: diarrhea, weight loss.
- Symptoms in humans: decreased appetite, anemia, cough, wheezing, or rash.
Tapeworm
Tapeworms are not only found in undercooked pork; you can also contract this disease from an infected dog. The best prevention is to wash your hands frequently and avoid eating infected dog meat.
- Symptoms in pets: diarrhea, loss of appetite, nausea, long worms found in vomit.
- Symptoms in humans: abdominal pain, diarrhea, fatigue, frequent feelings of hunger or loss of appetite.
Ringworm
This is a type of fungal infection that develops on hair follicles and is transmitted through direct contact. Regularly cleaning your dog’s sleeping area, washing your hands, vacuuming, and disinfecting are the best ways to prevent ringworm.
- Symptoms in pets: red sores, brittle skin, and patchy fur, which may be difficult to see under their coat.
- Symptoms in humans: the disease is often easily identifiable by a circular red and itchy rash.
Dermatitis
Dog bites can cause skin infections and severe cellulitis if not treated immediately. If you have sensitive skin, you should wash it thoroughly after being licked by a dog to avoid itching.
- Symptoms in pets: none.
- Symptoms in humans: bite marks and skin infections.
Tinea (Ringworm)
You can contract tinea from surfaces that infected pets have touched. (Image: ST).
This disease is caused by a fungal infection in the outer layer of the skin. It is highly contagious and can be transmitted between dogs, cats, horses, and other animals, as well as humans. You can also contract the disease from surfaces that infected pets or people have touched, especially if you sweat a lot or have minor abrasions on your skin.
Symptoms of tinea include itchy red rashes, circular shapes that may be dry and scaly or moist and crusty.
Salmonella Infection
Typically, humans contract this bacteria from eating contaminated food. However, pets can also transmit the disease to humans if we do not wash our hands thoroughly after handling their waste. Reptiles such as lizards, snakes, and turtles can be sources of this infection, as well as chicks and ducklings. Dogs, cats, birds, and horses can also carry the pathogen and transmit it to humans.
If you are infected with Salmonella, you might experience symptoms such as abdominal pain, diarrhea, and fever.
Toxoplasmosis
This is a disease caused by a parasite found in cats, and you can also contract it by eating undercooked meat or coming into contact with animal feces while gardening. Toxoplasmosis can cause flu-like symptoms in some people.
The risk of developing severe illness is very low in individuals with a healthy immune system. However, for pregnant women, toxoplasmosis can infect the fetus and lead to miscarriage or birth defects.
Cat Scratch Fever
Cat scratch fever, also known as cat scratch disease (CSD), is a bacterial infection. People can become infected from scratches by cats that carry the bacteria Bartonella henselae. Cats can become infected with the bacteria from fleas. Cat scratch fever can lead to serious complications such as encephalitis, neuropathy, osteomyelitis, and Parinaud’s oculoglandular syndrome.
Symptoms when infected with cat scratch fever include: swelling or blistering at the scratch or bite site, swollen lymph nodes near the scratch or bite, fatigue, headache, low-grade fever, and body aches. Additionally, symptoms can become more severe such as back pain, chills, abdominal pain, rash, prolonged fever, and joint pain.
Humans can suffer from cat scratch fever from scratches by cats infected with Bartonella. (Image: ST).
Lyme Disease
Lyme disease is typically transmitted through tick bites, but you can also contract it from pets since these ticks can latch onto pets and then attack humans. Symptoms of Lyme disease are often vague, with typical symptoms including a bull’s-eye rash at the tick bite site, fever, headache, muscle pain, or joint pain.
Lyme disease is rarely fatal, but about 5% to 15% of people treated successfully for Lyme may still experience prolonged fatigue, pain, or headaches.
Preventing Pet-Transmitted Diseases
Although pets can transmit some dangerous diseases to humans, we can take preventive measures such as:
- Wash your hands with soap and water after handling pets or cleaning up their waste.
- Avoid sharing food or letting pets lick your hands, especially for children – parents should encourage kids not to do this.
- Do not share items like bowls or plates with pets, and ensure they do not lick those items. Children’s toys should be kept tidy to prevent pets from playing with them.
- Pay attention to your pet’s health by ensuring vaccinations against rabies, deworming, and regular health check-ups. If your pet shows any unusual signs such as vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite, or lethargy, you should isolate them and seek veterinary care.
- If you are pregnant, wear gloves when cleaning up after your pet or ask for assistance from someone else.
- Do not allow pets to lick open wounds.
- If you are scratched or bitten by a pet, clean the wound thoroughly with soap and rinse it under running water for 15 minutes. Afterward, visit a hospital or vaccination center for advice on getting a rabies shot.
