Zoonotic Diseases: How To Avoid Getting Infected By Your Dog
Zoonotic diseases are illnesses that people can get from animals and vice versa. For example, some fairly common canine illnesses can be transferred to their human family members, such as giardiasis, Lyme disease, and encephalitis. There are also a lot of other rare illnesses that may cause you and your family great harm if you were to be infected.
Once you know your pet is infected, you can seek treatment for them and greatly reduce the risk of getting infected yourself. However, there is always a window where you don't know your dog is sick, which is when you're most likely to get sick due to carelessness. To prevent infection, you have to stay diligent even when your dog is healthy. Following are three ways you can avoid getting infected by your dog.
Poop Patrol
Never allow feces to simply lie in your yard. Always clean up any messes immediately after they occur regardless of how small the mess is. Take care not to get fecal matter on your hands while doing so and wash your hands thoroughly afterwards. Never allow children to clean up messes or come into contact with feces.
Preventive Care
Many zoonotic diseases can be prevented if you follow your veterinarian's recommended care for your dog. Treatments, such as flea prevention, vaccinations, and worm removal medications, keep your dog well, which means you will likely stay well too. If your dog does have an illness or infestation, address it immediately. Also, be sure to treat for fleas and ticks at the first sign of trouble. Keep in mind that fleas and ticks feed on your dog and on your family, so they can easily transfer disease from one host to another.
Personal Hygiene
One of the best ways to prevent disease transference is to practice good personal hygiene and keep your pet clean as well. Always wash your hands thoroughly after having any contact with your pet's waste. Hand sanitizer is not enough. It may remove bacteria, but it doesn't remove all of the organic debris that can be left behind. Be sure to bathe your pet regularly too.
As you can see, there are several ways you can keep from getting sick from your dog. The key is to practice these habits all of the time, not just when you think your dog is sick. If you practice safe habits, you will be less likely to contract a disease. To learn more, contact an animal hospital like Stroudsburg Animal Hospital.