New Study Suggests Some Pets May Put Kids at Risk for Disease

So junior has a pet turtle and you have just read the news article about exotic pets posing health risks for kids. What should you do? Junior loves little Terrence, yet you sure do not wish to see him get sick. Are exotic pets really that dangerous? Can a family have an exotic pet and protect themselves so as to not get sick? Let's look at both sides of the water bowl and find out.

The Problem

The news story in question stems from a report lead by Dr. Larry Pickering of Emory University Medical School in Atlanta, published in the October issue of Paediatrics. Pickering mentions salmonella as the main infectious disease. Salmonella can be spread through contact with turtles, lizards, baby chicks , and even hamsters. The spread comes as a young child kisses the animal, or places their fingers in their mouths after handling the animal. Salmonella can cause fever, severe diarrhea, and stomach cramps. The younger the child the more serious each of these symptoms may be. It is estimated that 11% of salmonella cases in children originate through contact with these animals.

Hedgehogs also are mentioned in the report. It states hedgehog quills can penetrate skin and spread a bacteria responsible for stomach pain, rashes, and fever.

In one of the worst cases, monkey-pox effected 20 people in the Midwest. It was spread by imported Gambian Pouched Rats.

There Is Hope Pet Owners

In response to the published report the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), has released a statement stressing ways to reduce the potential risk of disease. In a word, hygiene. By practicing good hygiene habits for both themselves and their pets people can greatly reduce this risk.

Zoonotic diseases are those which can be spread from animals to humans. They include rabies, toxoplasmosis from cat litter boxes, dog roundworms, and salmonella. How do you stop or prevent these diseases?

First keep your pet healthy. Have it examined by a veterinarian. Make sure it shots are up to date. Rabies and worms for example can be prevented through vaccinations. Keep your pet from interacting with wild animals that are more likely to carry a disease. Clean up after Fido or Polly. Keep their litter box and yard clean of their stools. Never handle their stools or urine with your bare hands, wear disposable gloves and use a scoop. Immediately wash your hands after cleaning up, even if you did wear gloves. Teach your children how to properly wash after handling a pet, and to not let the pet lick them in the mouth. Finally they suggest keeping your family healthy as this will decrease the likely-hood of them getting infected.

The AMVA recommends you assess your families needs and discuss the acquiring of any new pet with a veterinarian before bring it into the home. Have the new pet examined thoroughly by a veterinarian and monitor it the first few weeks as many symptoms may be slow to appear. I know of case were a family brought home a dog which appeared healthy and passed the vets physical. After a week the dog started having terrible diarrhea. It was heavily infected with giardia which is a parasite that lives in the intestine and passed in the stool. It is easily spread to humans. Treatment after treatment failed because the animal would ingest it own stools thus continually reinfecting itself. The family returned the dog to it's seller. An expensive lesson learned, but thankfully no family members became infected.

Do your homework. If a certain type of pet is not ready for your family at the time find another. Take the necessary precautions and enjoy all that a pet can bring into your home.