Your pet may be a carrier of one of the many infectious diseases that can spread from animals to humans. Animals such as dogs, cats, birds, and reptiles may all be carriers of infectious diseases. If not diagnosed early and treated correctly, these diseases can have serious consequences, so it’s crucial to monitor your pet’s health and take them to the vet if you notice a sign of illness or infection.
Infectious Diseases From Pets
Aside from the flu, you could catch a few other common diseases from your pet. People with weak immune systems should take extra precautions because they may be more vulnerable than healthy people. The following are the most common infectious diseases found in pets.
1. Rabies
Rabies is a fatal disease of the nervous system that is caused by a virus and spreads through bites. Fever or a headache could be early symptoms. This can quickly progress into agitation, sleepiness, or confusional symptoms. It is often too late to treat when those symptoms appear. Rabies can be transmitted from domesticated animals like dogs and cats, but wild animals present a greater threat.
Animals hide their pain and anguish until it becomes unbearable. Monitor your pet and bring them to a vet like Perry Animal Hospital if you notice any behavioral changes or other symptoms that seem out of the ordinary.
2. Ringworm
The underlying cause of this condition is not a worm but rather a fungal infection of the skin’s outermost layer. There is a high risk of transmission to humans from infected animals, including dogs, cats, horses, and other species. In addition, if you have been sweating or have a small cut on your skin, you are more likely to catch it from touching surfaces that an infected animal or person has touched. Rash symptoms include a red, ring-shaped appearance that can be dry, scaly, wet, or crusty. Ringworm is difficult to prevent but responds well to treatment.
3. Hookworms and Roundworms
These parasites are commonly found in puppies and kittens. The animal’s feces contain eggs or larvae. Hookworm can cause humans to develop painful, itchy skin infections. Some people with roundworms may not experience symptoms, but others, particularly young children who come into contact with pet feces, may experience eye damage.
4. Tapeworm
Tapeworms can be transmitted to dogs and cats when they ingest an infected flea. While most adults contract tapeworms from contaminated food, children can get them from swallowing fleas carrying tapeworm larvae. Tapeworm segments may appear in a human or animal’s stool or around the anal region. These pieces resemble rice grains.
5. Psittacosis (parrot fever)
This bacterial infection can be caught by inhaling dried feces or respiratory tract fluids from infected birds, such as parrots, parakeets, macaws, and cockatiels. This infection is difficult to prevent because it rarely causes symptoms in pet birds. Seek medical attention immediately or go to the nearest vet pharmacy if having a sick bird causes you to experience flu or respiratory symptoms.
6. Salmonella
Salmonella is typically contracted from eating contaminated food, but it can also be transmitted through the feces of infected animals. This infection is most likely spread from chicks and ducklings to humans or through reptiles like lizards, snakes, and turtles. It could also be carried by dogs, cats, birds, and even horses. Fever, diarrhea, and stomach pain are possible symptoms. Click here to find out what to do in case this happens to your pet.
7. Lyme Disease
This is an infectious bacteria transmitted by ticks. Although your dog cannot directly transmit Lyme to you, if your outdoor cat or dog picks up a few ticks on their fur, it may be able to do so. Tick bites can cause a bull’s-eye rash, fever, headache, and muscle or joint pain. Although not everyone infected with Lyme will experience symptoms, the illness can progress into a chronic condition without treatment, causing inflammation of the nerves and heart, mental changes, and pain.
