Letting sleeping pets lie — but not with you

BUM Interactif
Crédit:
And now, a recent paper Emerging Infectious Diseases has issued a controversial warning: sleeping with your pets can make you sick. Published in a U.S. Centers for Disease Control journal, the scientific study reveals the risks of pathogens passed by animals on to humans.
 
The extensive study by Bruno Chomel and Ben Sun, chief veterinarians with the California Department of Public Health, examined health reports from around the world that involved diseases transmitted from animals to humans, known as zoonoses. They include ringworm, tapeworms, hookworms, and a host of infections that are transmitted from fleas and ticks.
 
Are pets healthy bed companions?
 
Most zoonotic diseases pose minimal threat. However, those who have a vulnerable immune system (young children, elderly, sick individuals) are more susceptible to zoonotic infections than others.
 
Sleeping with your pets isn’t unusual; we’ve been sharing our beds with pets for years. According to a recent survey of pet owners by the American Pet Products Association, more than 60 percent of American households have a pet. And the research shows that 14 to 62 percent of them let their dogs and cats sleep with them. The benefits of having a pet, whether or not you sleep with it, far outweigh the rare negatives. Several medical studies show pets may lower blood pressure, reduce cholesterol levels and even decrease feelings of loneliness for their owners.
 
Despite the benefits, there are common-sense hygiene precautions that you should take.
  • Keep the pet out of the bed when you or the animal has an active infection of any kind.
  • If you’re going to sleep with your pet, make them sleep on top of the covers.
  • Wash hands before eating and after handling pets.
  • Schedule annual checkups and exams.
  • Keep rabies vaccinations current.
  • Maintain appropriate flea and tick control.
  • Avoid letting your pets lick your face, food utensils, or plate.
  • Seek medical attention for cat bites.
  • Scoop litter boxes to remove fecal material daily.
  • Periodically clean litter boxes with scalding water and detergent.
  • Cover children’s sandboxes when not in use.
  • Keep your pets well groomed.
Good pet care will keep you, your family, and pets free from zoonotic diseases. Will Casey be banned from the bed? Unlikely – unless he continues to hog the blankets.