How pets can be dangerous

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

Well, who among us has not been touched by a good-natured neighbor's Labrador? Who hasn't stroked a cat at least once and smiled at her answering purr? Fishes, parrots, turtles … In every second house there is probably some kind of living creature, except for children, cockroaches and mother-in-law.

However, behind all these mi-mi-mi there is a whole detachment of diseases potentially dangerous to humans, in addition to banal worms, which can not only cause discomfort, but even lead to death.

Cats

It has been scientifically proven that the low-frequency (in the range of 20-30 Hz) purring of these tailed beasts has an excellent therapeutic effect on humans, and it just lifts the mood after a hard day at work. But don't flatter yourself, these pussies are more dangerous than they seem, and it's not just ripped wallpaper or damaged shoes.

Felinosis, or, in everyday language, cat scratch fever is an acute infectious disease caused by the nasty bacterium Bartonella. She lives in saliva, urine and on the paws of cats. Toxoplasmosis is another parasitic nuisance that can be carried by cats and other mammals. To get this or that infection, you do not have to poke around in the animal's tray with your hands, a simple bite or scratch is enough for Bartonella or Toxoplasma to enter your body through the damaged skin.

Voila! At the site of penetration, a rash and suppuration appear, during the height of the disease, lymph nodes also increase, from which it may subsequently be necessary to remove pus. More serious symptoms are also on the list: fever, headaches, and decreased appetite. In some cases, the liver and spleen are enlarged. Complications include myocarditis, serous meningitis and encephalitis. When a pregnant woman becomes infected with toxoplasmosis, there is a great risk: abnormalities in the development of the fetus that are incompatible with life are possible.

Don't panic. As in most cases with such sores, the best prevention is hygiene. It is normal to wash your hands after contact with animals, even pets. Have washed the tray, wash your hands too. It is logical, in general. And if you are still scratched by a cat, ideally disinfect the wound.

Birds

An ordinary budgie - well, what could be dangerous in it? Sitting in a cage, chirping loudly, covered with a cap - asleep. Feed, drink, clean up the cage regularly and teach obscene words - that's all the worries. But just during the cleaning, a surprise awaits you: salmonellosis, tuberculosis, arizonosis and chlamydia. Not a bad set. All this usually "lives" in the bird droppings and can become a big problem both for the birds themselves and for humans.

We've barely noticed a change in your pet's condition - a reason to ring the bells! So diagnostics in the early stages will help at least save the life of the bird, and you will lose a whole bunch of troubles. Headache, chills and diarrhea, lymph node involvement … Keep in mind that avian tuberculosis, like any other type of tuberculosis, is considered a disease, so if you suspect a disease, you should report it to the appropriate authorities.

Dogs

Lovely companions, guides and guards … A dog is no longer just a friend or roommate for a person, as is the case with a cat, but also an assistant: bring slippers, scare a neighbor, please the kids … All these are our best friends. But if you don't really monitor your pet and don't get regular vaccinations ("He's at my home, what can he get infected with? Besides, in the city!"), Then this is a direct road to the risk group.

The main problem can be rabies or scientifically rabies, and the fact that you and your pet live in the city does not protect both from a fatal disease. The slightest contact with an infected animal (wild dog, rat - any warm-blooded animal-carrier) is enough, and that's it, the countdown begins. The animal begins to itch at the site of penetration of the virus (mucous membrane of the mouth, eyes or nose, open wound, bite), it becomes lethargic and avoids contact. Then the stage of aggression: the animal rushes at everyone and everything, foam begins to stand out from the mouth.

At this point, the animal releases a huge amount of the virus into the environment. And the final - a state of apathy, refusal to eat, convulsions. Death occurs as a result of brain damage and disruption of the cardiovascular system. The average incubation period for dogs is about 10 days.

In humans, the stages of the course of the disease are the same, but unlike animals, we can be saved if urgent measures are taken. If you know for sure that you have had contact with an infected dog, run to the emergency room. It is advisable to take that very dog with you to identify the symptoms of rabies. If the animal has escaped in an unknown direction, doctors will do all the necessary tests and immediately begin vaccination: a total of six injections with a different interval from 3 to 90 days. If tightened, the risk of death is 100%.

How do you like the prospect? Whatever this happens, it is enough to vaccinate a dog once a year (as well as a cat, if it periodically walks on the street with you or you often take it out, for example, to a summer cottage), and no rabies threatens the pets. In an amicable way, you would also get vaccinated, especially if you are a hunter, dog handler or breeder.

Fishes

Okay, with warm-blooded people everything is clear, there are a lot of options to pick up the infection. But the fish, they are in the aquarium! No wool, no saliva, no tray, but only a sealed box with water and pebbles from almost all sides. What could be wrong with these creatures !?

Aquarium fish suffer from one single disease that can be transmitted to humans. But how! Granuloma, or fish tuberculosis, is very widespread, and its bacteria are found in almost every aquarium.

Yes, these microbacteria cause real tuberculosis in fish, and no, they do not cause tuberculosis in humans. It's a good news. The bad thing is that this sore will spoil your nerves. Do you have wounds on your hand, albeit microscopic, but still, and you climbed to clean the aquarium without gloves? Congratulations! There is a 100/1 chance of getting the granuloma on your hands. Redness, rashes, ulcers of various sizes and crusts on the skin of the hands - all included.

Treat with antibiotics. Long and painful. And it is better to regularly carry out preventive maintenance of the aquarium. Some experts generally advise to regularly boil the aquarium itself (of course, without fish), because the bacterium that calls out granulomas (and other fish ailments) does not tolerate high temperatures. Plus our favorite hygiene: long veterinary gloves for immersion in the bowels of the aquarium and the obligatory hand washing after handling it.

Reptiles

Cute turtles and their slightly less cute cousins (monitor lizards and lizards) will not pounce on you in a fit of rabies, they will not leave lasting wounds on your hands, but they can also mess things up. How about salmonellosis? Yes, the one that has been associated with chicken eggs since ancient times. In the United States, in the mid-1970s, they even imposed a restriction on the sale of turtles less than a certain size, since it was these babies that were mainly bought as a gift to children, and it was they who caused the real epidemic of salmonellosis in the States.

It is for this reason that experts recommend not to have turtles and other exotic reptiles, but if you are unbearable, then it would be nice to first learn the simplest rules of caring for them.

And again our favorite: gi-gi-e-na! Do not kiss, do not caress, do not touch these cold-blooded people at all, but even if suddenly, then wash your hands thoroughly after tactile contact. Clean the terrarium regularly. Do not let the animal out of it and in no case do not allow turtles and the like to walk about on kitchen countertops and dining tables. And remember: the risk group is primarily children under 5 years of age, for whom salmonellosis is most dangerous.

As an epilogue, I would like to, firstly, once again repeat the most important rule: I touched the animal - I washed my hands. This will help to avoid the vast majority of sores transmitted from our smaller brothers to us. In general, keeping a house clean is not a bad habit, plus it will save you from other pets - cockroaches. And these guys carry on themselves so much infection that they cannot be described in three articles. And secondly, before buying this or that animal, carefully weigh the pros and cons and think, do you really need it?