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odaytpetshave become reas-uredfamilymembers and astheir statushas risen n house-holdsacross he United Statedsohaveheir privileges.'Withthe daily unconditionallovethat theygiveus, we'vebecome more permissivewith Fido or Missy. (edon'tgivea second hought when theysprawl acrossourlaps while we lounge on the sofa and sharealickortwofroma bowl oficecream, or when they becomeourbed companions.However,by allowing our dogsor cats o shareourfoodsand beds are we also nvit-ing their unwantedgermsor will theyget sickfromuswhen we'redownand out with a coldor theflu?According to the Center of DiseaseControl(CDC)although both dogs and cats may passgermsto people, he simple act of petting your belovedpetwill not make you sick. However to bestprotectyour-self fromgerms,and this is wherecommon sensealwaysprevails,make itahabitto thoroughly washyour hands with soap and water after contact withdog or cat salivaor even heir feces.
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BYRrsEccnScHrr-r-BR12oThe PetGazette
 
Sometimesagoodhand washing simply isntenough andpetowners should be aware hat ourcanine andfeline family memberscarry avarietyofgermsthat can make usill.A common examples
...tobestprotect
yourselffromgerms,
andthis iswhere commonsense
alwaysprevails,make it a habit to thoroughlywashyourhandswithsoap
and water after contactwithdog or cat saliva oreven theirfeces.
Campylobacteround npuppies' toolswhich cancause iarrhean humans.On theraresideof thespectrum, ogs-nots215-inurbanor rural areas
might be exposed o the bacterium thatcauseseptospirosis,which can be fataltoboth dogs and humansifnot treatedearly.These diseaseshat are transferable rom ani-mals to people are known as Zoonoses."Oneof themostcommonzoonoticillnesseswe seenpetsn New YorkCiryisGiardia," saysDr. Lucy O'Byrne, a veteri-narian fromthe\WestVillage VeterinaryHospital inNewYorkCiry."Giardiaisaparasite hat causesomitingand diarrhea-sometimest can be very severe."Dogs can pick up the bacteria fromciry streetsor from the locd dog run veryeasily.Cats that comefrom a shelterandthen go outdoors can also get the bug."Thegoodnews s thatgiardias easily reatedand managed," saysO'Byrne."Vehave aspecific test that allows us to diagnosetquicklyright at the hospital and start medication rightaway."To prevent the spreadofgiradia,eptospirosis,and other diseasesound inurine andfeces, eterinari-ans tell their clients to practicevigilante hygiene athome. Clean all accidentswithdisinfectantssuch as aCloroxand water solution; wash hands after walkingthedog,cleaningout thelitterbox, and beforemeals.Another zoonoticdisease f concern is rabies,whichistransmitted by saliva through a bite wound.Petowners arerequiredbylawtovaccinatetheir petsagainst he virus. In a study conductedby the CDCfrom the years2000 to 2004, morecats han dogswerereported rabid inthe United States.Manyofthese caseswere associatedwith bites from raccoons nthe eastern part of the country.Theinfectionincatsmight also be attributed tofewervaccinationlaws,leash aws,and theirroaming habits. The New YorkStateDepartmentofHealthRabiesLaboratory recent-ly releasedts 2008 statisticalstudy reporting64Tdogsexamined orthevirus with onlyoneincidentofinfection, and 1,383 cats hat wereexamined ofwhich22 texed positive for the virus.But can humansgetsick from airbornegermsoris it solely by touch?According to O'Byrne there arevery fewdiseaseshat are airborne.Touch isusuallytheformthat bacteria can be transferred in eitherdirectionfromanimals to owners.Typicallythisisntaproblem unlesshere'sa cut onthe skin and bacteriagetsn, causing an infection. Dog lovers who mightbeworried aboutgettingthe much reported"dogflu"will berelievedtolearnthat to date therehasbeennoevidenceofcanine nfluenzatransmissionromdogsto humans.ThePet Gazetteo13
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