I wouldnt call you paranoid for asking the question Can my pet get me sick? Maybe you have heard a story of somebodys pet causing sickness. Many of these stories are peppered with many myths and half truths. While there are legitimate concerns, the documented cases of true illness are rare. Many cases of illness are actually caused by allergic reactions to pet dander or a number of other allergies that can present themselves from human to pet contact.

One way to avoid such an adverse reaction is to keep in mind the practice of good sanitation. When purchasing your new pet, be aware of the condition of their enclosure. Dont buy an animal that is housed in a dirty cage, or with sick animals in the same cage. Also, dont let your own cage at home go for long periods without being cleaned. And after handling any small animal you should always wash your hands with an antibacterial soap. With the increasing popularity of small rodents kept as house pets, it is a good idea to familiarize yourself with the potential health risks of bringing these animals into your home.

Rabbits have been kept by humans for many years, and are quickly becoming very popular house pets. There have been very few reported cases of disease transmission from rabbits to humans, but it is not impossible. Pasteurella is a disease transmitted from bites that causes an infection similar to a staph infection. Ring worm is a very common fungal infection that is usually transmitted from cats; however, rabbits can be carriers also. Ring worm presents itself on humans as a round shaped scab that will grow in size. Ring worm is very easy to treat with anti fungal ointments, See your doctor if you think you or your children have ring worm. Guinea pigs are susceptible to salmonella infection and can become severely sick. Guinea pigs usually will not recover from salmonella, making it hard for them to transfer the disease on from generation to generation. Children should be watched carefully when handling pet guinea pigs and should always wash their hands. Yersiniosis is common among guinea pigs. Some carriers will look completely healthy; others may show weight loss and diarrhea as the only signs of infection. Children can be infected by fecal matter. Signs of the diseases in humans are severe abdominal pain, fever and vomiting. This infection will be treated with antibiotics, once it has been properly identified.

Rats probably have the worst reputation for spreading disease, mostly because it was found that fleas on rats were the vector for transmitting the plague. Most diseases that are spread from small rodents to humans come from wild caught specimens kept has household pets. For instance, there are no reported cases of rabies from domesticated rats, only from wild rats kept as pets. As is the case with many cases of people getting sick from pet rodents is usually caused from allergic reactions from pet dander. LCM virus is spread to humans through secretions usually from mice. Symptoms of this disease are very similar to the flu. However there have been no reported cases since the early 70s. Pasteurellosis is a disease transmitted through bite wounds in dogs but sometimes rodents can also carry the disease. The bite wound will become infected and begin to swell only a few hours after the bite occurs. Rat bite fever is another very rare disease caused by rats. After an incubation period of around four days, humans can experience fever, chills, headache, and vomiting. This disease is usually treated with penicillin. Rat bite fever is extremely rare in the United States. There have only been fourteen cases of rat bite fever since the 1960, and half of those originated from laboratory animlas. Ferrets are very popular pets in the United States, and they can also be carriers of disease. Some people may not know that their ferret needs to have a rabies shot on a schedule similar to dogs and cats. The flu is probably your most common worry with your pet ferret. Influenza can be spread from ferret to human, as well as human to ferret. Make sure your ferret drinks plenty of water, and pick up some ferret supplement paste from your local pet store to speed recovery.

This article is in no way meant to cover all the possible diseases that can be transmitted from your household pet. It is also not meant to cause panic, or turn people away from keeping these enjoyable animals. If you have any concerns that you or your children have become sick contact you doctor immediately. If you have any additional questions, you can contact me at nguthrie@zamzows.com.