Know your pets,laws too

Hygiene a top priority,rise in cases of cross-infection.

Pets could bring a positive change to ones life but doctors and vets say they could be more of a trouble if you are slack in maintaining hygiene. There have been an increase in cases of pets and human beings passing infection to each other and hygiene should be given top priority while keeping pets.

Pets are lovable but there are some rules and regulations that one must follow to avoid catching diseases from them, says Dr Sumathi Ramachandran,a veterinarian who has a clinic in Lullanagar. The viruses that cause cough,cold and flu in animals are different from those that cause such problems in humans and are not contagious,but there are other factors that might turn out to be a threat to people if one is slack about hygiene. Loving your pet does not mean that you should overlook hygiene and cleanliness. Kissing dogs and cats on the mouth and letting them sleep on your bed is a strict no-no, she says.

People who allow their pet to sleep on the same bed could be infected with tick fever,which is not easy to diagnose. People can get skin diseases if their pets suffer from fungal infections,but that happens very rarely, says Dr Deepti Deshpande,a vet in Deccan. The only way a pet lover can avoid getting infections from their pets is to take care of their pets and keep them clean. We recommend a proper cleanliness routine like a bath,disinfection and de-worming as well as regular check-ups with the local vet.

Doctors say there are also cases of pets being infected by their owners. Even if we have fever or cold,we need to keep the pet away. Also,I think it is a myth that pets cause asthma in us. I am an asthma patient but I am perfectly fine with my pet around, says Nita Chandrashekhar,a homemaker.

A dust particle can make you sneeze. My logic does not allow me to understand how dog or cat hair can reach your lung and cause asthma, says Dr Milind Mhatre of Complete Pet Care Clinic,Koregaon Park. Pets might,however,cause problems like tape worms and rabies,which can easily be taken care of by de-worming procedures and vaccinations.

He says cat owners should be careful,especially during pregnancy. Toxoplasmosis is the only serious condition that I have come across in my career. This causes a cat owner to have an abortion two or three months into her pregnancy.

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