Living in harmony with house pets

Does your cat sleep with you or the children? Does your dog meticulously lick your youngest after meals? Should this worry you at all?

Diseases transmitted from animal to man are called zoonotic diseases. Even if these diseases are often the subject of numerous myths, they do exist. Here’s a quick overview of frequently asked questions and of some that are not asked often enough.

Let’s start with parasites. Should you have your pet treated when your child comes home from school with lice? The answer is no. Lice are species-specific, and under no circumstances are they transmitted from human to animal. Mange, a skin condition caused by certain mites, will not spare any mammal. When entering your home through the house pet, it can be treated easily. But mange on humans often comes from public places, and the anthropomorphic species (the ones that like humans most) are not so easy to get rid of.

And those little white worms that kids often catch are from improperly washed fruits, not from your cat’s imprudent straying. Even though some worms from animals can cause serious infections in young children, the reported cases are always from wild animals rather than household pets. For example, raccoon can leave feces in the sandbox where your children play, therefore representing a real threat.

What about toxoplasmosis? This disease has generated an incredible amount of horror stories to scare future mothers. All mammals can catch toxoplasmosis once, and only once in their lifetime, but only cats can transmit the disease trough their feces. But for the feline to represent a risk to a pregnant woman, an unlikely set of circumstances has to be present: first, the mother-to-be and the house cat have to be negative for toxoplasmosis. Second, the cat has to eat an infected mouse. Third, the cat will pass eggs of toxoplasma in his stools for 10 days only. Fourth, the feces have to be left at proper room temperature and humidity for at least 72 hours, and then picked up by the mother, if basic sanitary precautions are not met. The more likely source of human infection with toxoplasmosis is from gardening, especially if the soil has been contaminated by cat stools, or from eating under-cooked meat. So, if you live on the 20th floor of a building, you need not give your cat a dirty look every time he comes out of his litter box…

As for infectious diseases, let’s begin with the one that nobody ever talks about - rabies. My clients are often surprised to know it is still around even in Quebec, and that people still die from it. Rabies is now less than 100km away from Montreal bridges, and on the island we have all the potential carriers of the virus: raccoons, bats, and foxes. While the disease has not yet reached the metropolis, it is important to remember that when you bring your pet to the cottage, you may be putting him or her at risk, and therefore, your whole family as well.

Another infectious zoonotic disease that is being talked about more frequently is leptospirosis. A serious and potentially fatal disease, it is caused by bacteria found in water puddles. Since it is transmitted by the urine and secretions of animals like skunks, raccoons, foxes and deer, all it takes to get infected is for your dog to drink from the wrong puddle, and he will thereon become a source of potential infection in your own home. Another cause would be if you eat an unwashed wild berry.

So what should we do? Get into a panic? We can imprison the cat at home. We can prohibit our children from petting their favorite pet. We can teach Fido good manners so that he doesn’t drink from uncontrolled sources of water. We can even get rid of the dog…or the cottage! But risk management can be achieved by understanding those risks and through proper vaccination, de-worming, and external parasites control schedule. These precautionary measures can be tailored to your lifestyle, thereby allowing the whole family to live together in harmony. And mothers will be happy to know that, from now on, they can worry about something else!