Ringworm From Pet Puppies and Kittens
Young animals are more likely than older dogs and cats to transmit this disease to people. Ringworm is caused by a fungus and gives people a scaly, reddened circular rash on the skin or a bald patch on the scalp. Some adult pets, usually cats, often don’t even show any ringworm symptoms. But you can pick up ringworm easily by touching an infected pet or even a pet’s blanket or towel. It’s also present in garden soil where cats and dogs may have done their business. If you get ringworm, you can use a topical antifungal ointment — one that contains miconazole, for example. In certain more serious cases, your doctor may prescribe an oral antifungal drug.
Prevention Tip: “The best thing you can do to prevent a ringworm infection is to wash your hands as soon as you pet your animal,” says Greg Nelson, DVM, diplomate of the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners and a staff member of Central Veterinary Associates in Valley Stream, New York. Also, he advises, wear gloves when you garden.
Most puppies and kittens are born with roundworms, Dr. Nelson says, which is why they should routinely be tested and treated. The eggs can survive for up to a month in a moist environment like sand or soil where a pet did his business. If you handle infected sand and then eat without washing your hands, you can swallow the eggs. In rare cases, someone infected with roundworm eggs can experience eye, heart, lung, and even neurological symptoms, Nelson says. Visceral toxocariasis, the illness that can result from roundworms, can be treated with antiparasitic drugs like albendazole or mebendazole.
Hookworms in a pet, usually dogs and cats, can be caused by several parasites. A person can get infected if the hookworm larvae from contaminated soil penetrate the skin.“This is the logic behind not permitting dogs on the beach,” Nelson says. The infection usually resolves on its own, or you may be given an antiparasitic treatment.
Tapeworms can transmit from fleas when a pet self-grooms and swallows an infected flea. A pet can then infect a person, though the risk is low. “If your skin comes in contact with the tush end of your dog, they are transmitted to you,” Nelson says about tapeworms. “You may have gastrointestinal symptoms and weight loss.” You’ll likely be put on oral medication.
Prevention Tips: You can prevent hookworm infections by not walking barefoot or sitting on contaminated soil or sand.The best way to avoid tapeworms is to control fleas in your home. Make sure that your cat or dog is on a flea and tick preventive medication. And be sure to have a new pet examined by a vet and treated for worms, if necessary. Clean up after your pet, placing all waste into a plastic bag and disposing of it in the trash can.
Apartment dwellers who aren’t allowed to have dogs and cats often decide to get a lizard, snake, or other reptile instead. As a result, the disease known as salmonellosis, caused by the bacteria salmonella, is becoming more common, Nelson says. Besides snakes and lizards, turtles and iguanas also harbor this bacteria. It doesn’t cause symptoms in the animal but can make humans very sick with diarrhea, fever, and cramps lasting about a week. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warns against keeping a turtle at home if you have young children or elderly people in the household, because of the risk of salmonellosis.
Prevention Tips: Ask your vet to test your reptile once a year to make sure it doesn’t have salmonella. Wash your hands thoroughly every time you handle your pet or put something in their cage. Don’t clean out the reptile cage in the kitchen sink, where salmonella could come in contact with food and dishes, says Julio Lopez, DVM, of Studio City Animal Hospital in Los Angeles. And make sure the vegetables you buy to feed them are triple-washed. “If you feed your reptile broccoli, kale, or any other vegetable that is not thoroughly washed, it could have salmonella,” Nelson says. Also, if you take a child to a petting zoo, be sure she thoroughly washes her hands at the end of the visit.
It is recommended that you remove dog urine as soon as possible from your home, preferably using protection gloves and a potent enzyme based cleaning agent. Another idea for dogs that are prone to urinating indoors, is to start using dog diapers on them. Children are especially sensitive to the aforementioned stressors, so make sure you pay extra care if you’re a parent. Dog diapers can be changed and discarded without the mess of cleanup.
One of the dangers of dog urine is the presence of ammonia. Ammonia is a substance that can easily cause respiratory problems, even if inhaled in smaller quantities. In larger quantities, it can cause your airways and lungs to feel like they’re burning, and it can also become the source of some serious respiratory diseases. These may include bronchitis, pneumonia and even nasopharyngeal cancer or alveolar edema.
Another hazard associated with pet urine, and dog urine specifically, is Leptospirosis – a pretty common, but also quite dangerous bacterial disease that is commonly contracted and passed on by rats and dogs, as well as many species of wild animals. If humans are exposed to the bacteria, they may experience flu like symptoms for a while, but severe cases can also lead to live and kidney disease.
The presence of dog urine often becomes a lingering threat as soon as you get your first pet. Dogs need to be taken outside to pee, and it’s not uncommon for puppies or older dogs to lose control while still inside the house. However, aside from dog urine stains being unsightly and smelling bad, they can also be quite hazardous to humans.
Finally, it is important to consider the financial expense that animal urine can create. Your carpet padding likely sits directly on your subfloor, which is generally made of wood. Over time, the urine soaks through your carpet and the padding below, and into the subfloor. With repeated pet accidents, the wood becomes more and more saturated and may even begin to rot. As such, it may be necessary to completely remove your carpeting and replace sections of your subfloor in order to combat structural damage to your floors.
If you have ever had a puppy, then you understand that housebreaking can certainly take some time and work. Unfortunately, animals can and will have accidents on floors from time to time, but it is essential that you clean the urine from your carpets immediately in order to avoid some potentially serious effects on your health. Below, you can discover some of the potential damage that animal urine in carpets can cause.
Most of the bacteria that grows in old pet stains is not particularly dangerous to anyone who has a healthy immune system, but it can become quite bothersome. In otherwise healthy people, the bacteria and microorganisms found in old urine stains may cause sinusitis, watery eyes, allergies, and inflammation of the airways. However, in people who have compromised immune systems, such as very young children, the elderly, or people with immune systems weakened by illness or medication, these bacteria can cause significant health issues.
Although one or two accidents that are cleaned up quickly and efficiently are often not a reason for concern, repeated pet stains or urine that is not immediately and thoroughly cleaned can soak through your carpet into the padding below. The components of the urine attract moisture, and over time, several varieties of mold can begin to grow underneath your carpet. Some of these mold varieties, like penicillium, can cause respiratory symptoms, and a few, such as aspergillus, can cause long-term lung conditions with prolonged exposure.
The most noticeable effect of animal urine in carpets is the strong smell of ammonia. Although all urine contains some amount of ammonia, it is especially concentrated in cat urine. What’s more, once a pet urinates on the carpet, if it is not cleaned thoroughly – and immediately – the water in the urine evaporates, leaving behind even more concentrated ammonia. This can have a tremendous negative effect on people who have COPD, asthma, or emphysema, and it may even cause allergies.
Can I Get Sick From Smelling Cat Urine? – Your Worst Fears Confirmed
If you have ever had a puppy, then you understand that housebreaking can certainly take some time and work. Unfortunately, animals can and will have accidents on floors from time to time, but it is essential that you clean the urine from your carpets immediately in order to avoid some potentially serious effects on your health. Below, you can discover some of the potential damage that animal urine in carpets can cause.
The most noticeable effect of animal urine in carpets is the strong smell of ammonia. Although all urine contains some amount of ammonia, it is especially concentrated in cat urine. What’s more, once a pet urinates on the carpet, if it is not cleaned thoroughly – and immediately – the water in the urine evaporates, leaving behind even more concentrated ammonia. This can have a tremendous negative effect on people who have COPD, asthma, or emphysema, and it may even cause allergies.
Most of the bacteria that grows in old pet stains is not particularly dangerous to anyone who has a healthy immune system, but it can become quite bothersome. In otherwise healthy people, the bacteria and microorganisms found in old urine stains may cause sinusitis, watery eyes, allergies, and inflammation of the airways. However, in people who have compromised immune systems, such as very young children, the elderly, or people with immune systems weakened by illness or medication, these bacteria can cause significant health issues.
Although one or two accidents that are cleaned up quickly and efficiently are often not a reason for concern, repeated pet stains or urine that is not immediately and thoroughly cleaned can soak through your carpet into the padding below. The components of the urine attract moisture, and over time, several varieties of mold can begin to grow underneath your carpet. Some of these mold varieties, like penicillium, can cause respiratory symptoms, and a few, such as aspergillus, can cause long-term lung conditions with prolonged exposure.
Finally, it is important to consider the financial expense that animal urine can create. Your carpet padding likely sits directly on your subfloor, which is generally made of wood. Over time, the urine soaks through your carpet and the padding below, and into the subfloor. With repeated pet accidents, the wood becomes more and more saturated and may even begin to rot. As such, it may be necessary to completely remove your carpeting and replace sections of your subfloor in order to combat structural damage to your floors.
Although pets are an important part of millions of lives, cleaning up after them is a responsibility that should never be neglected. Over time, animal urine can cause allergy-like symptoms, strong odors, mold growth, and even structural damage to your home. Aside from immediately cleaning up after your pet, it is important to contact http://www.alpineclean.com at least twice per year to not only clean your carpets, but also evaluate your risks. You can also TEXT us at 206-339-5684 for more information on pet urine!