The Risks of Having Pets Part 2

In the first article on this subject we learned some startling facts about the bacteria and viruses some animals carry. This article is another installment and will include many more potentially dangerous risks toward your health if you are a pet owner.

The Risks of Having Pets: Leptospirosis

This is a bacterial disease that is transmitted by urine. The animals that cause these risks are dogs and rats. When dogs urinate in the house and you clean it you could potentially be covered in this bacteria. The bacterium gets into broken skin and mucus membranes. This means that you need to be careful and not rub your eyes, nose and mouth when cleaning up the waste. Startlingly, nearly 75% of the cases are in males.

Symptoms include:

-Headaches
-Severe muscle pains
-Fever chills
-Meningitis will become present after the bacteria spreads to the spinal cord
-Jaundice
-Confusion/depression

If it goes untreated it will affect the liver and kidneys (this is what causes jaundice) and internal bleeding may occur.

The Risks of Having Pets: the Plague

We have all heard of the Bubonic Plague, some refer to it as the Black Death. It is hard to imagine that in today's era we still face the horrors of this problem. The plague bacteria usually are present in fleas. Once the flea has infected pets with this bacterium it is then re-given to the flea and its offspring. Fleas will then begin to attack other animals and even humans.

People do not get the plague from rats anymore but they do get it from infected fleas that have once bitten rodents. You can also get this horrible disease if you have a scratch or open wound and it touches the animal's body and or fluids. Some types of the plague can also be spread through the air. The only plague that is spread from person to person is pneumonic.

The symptoms are extreme and are as follows:

Horribly painful swollen lymph nodes (called bubo) appear near the area of the flea bite. This will occur in the groin or underarm areas, so if you were to get bit in the arm, the lymph node under your arm would become inflamed.
-Severe weakness
-Fever
-Headache

If you have dogs or cats that have shown signs of fleas you should tell your doctor immediately if you being to experience these symptoms. Almost all of the deaths resulted from incorrect diagnosis and delay of treatment. The good news is there is an antibiotic called streptomycin for adults and children take kanamycin.

The Risks of Having Pets: Rabies

We all know that this is a horrible painful disease and is spread when bitten by a rabid animal. It makes sense that rabies means rage and fury in Latin. This virus invades your body and attacks your nervous system which will make you act crazy and out of control before it kills you. Rabies is on the rise especially in the United States, among the wild. When you get bit, the infected saliva enters your blood stream and travels to your spinal cord and brain. When it multiplies it travels back to the nervous system and saliva to spread again. It can be caught if your dog has this disease and licks an open wound you have on your body. You will become rabid.

Some preventative measures to reduce the risk against rabies is as follows:

Vaccinate your pets, as once they are bitten they must be killed immediately because there is no way to cure them.
There are vaccinations for humans for both pre and post exposure aspects.
The Risks of Having Pets: Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever

This is a serious disease that is spread by ticks. When an infected tick bites you and is attached for 4-6 hours you will be infected. Also, you can become infected if a crushed tick or tick feces accidentally get into broken skin on your body. This particular problem is common among children between the ages of 5 and 9 years.

Between two weeks and three days after the tick bites you, you will come down with a fever. Accompanying this fever are severe muscle pains, headaches, chills and blood shot eyes. Soon after these symptoms, a rash will appear on the wrists ankles, palms, forearms and eventually to the rest of your body. Because a bite form a tick often goes unnoticed you should check your children immediately after exposure to heavily wooded areas.

The Risks of Having Pets: A Few More to Look For

There are a few other illnesses that you could read up on if you have pets in your home. These are a precautionary measure that should be taken to insure the safety and reduce the risks to you and your family.

-Giardia
-Lyme disease
-Malaria
-Pasteurella
-Que fever
-Ringworm
-Round worm
-Salmonella
-Toxoplasmosis

The Risks of Having Pets: Conclusion

The purpose of this article is not to frighten pet owners; it is merely meant to educate them. The best ways to prevent diseases, such as these are to understand your risks, what pets cause them and the warning signs to watch for.