How to Keep Your Pets Healthy
Pet ownership has many health benefits. Pets can help you exercise, socialize, and get outside. Walking with your pet or playing with them can lower blood pressure, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels. By providing companionship and support, pets can be a great way to manage loneliness or depression. In the United States, a majority of households have at least one pet.
Research has shown that pets and people have many health benefits.
Feelings of loneliness, anxiety and decreased blood pressure are all symptoms of PTSD.
Greater opportunities for outdoor and exercise; improved cognitive function in seniors; and more socializing opportunities
Even though pets may appear healthy, they can carry dangerous germs that can make you sick. Zoonotic (zoo-NOT-ic), diseases are diseases that can be contracted from animals. Here are some tips that will help you and your loved ones keep healthy while having pets.
Find out more about the different types of pets.
Certain people may be more at risk of contracting the diseases that animals can transmit
Children under 5 years old, those with weak immune systems, and seniors 65 and over are more susceptible to diseases that spread between animals or people. These diseases are also known as zoonotic diseases. Women who are pregnant are at higher risk of certain animal-related illnesses. Keep these things in mind before you get a pet.
Children under 5 years of age should not own reptiles, lizards, or snakes in their homes. They also shouldn’t have backyard chickens, amphibians (frogs and toads), frogs, or lizards. This is because they could contract serious illnesses from germs between the animals and children.
People with compromised immune systems should be extra cautious when selecting and handling pets. For help choosing the right pet, talk to your veterinarian.
Women who are pregnant should not adopt a cat or handle stray cats, particularly kittens, and should be cautious about doing so. Toxoplasmosis is a condition that can lead to birth defects. Cats can be infected with a parasite. You don’t have to surrender your cat if you are pregnant. However, you should not handle cat litter.
To avoid exposure to lymphocytic meningitis virus which can cause birth defects, pregnant women should not come in contact with rodents. Avoid direct contact with pet rodents if you are pregnant.
How to Keep Your Pets Healthy
Wash your hands when you’re caring for your pet. This will help to reduce the chance of your pet getting sick. Talk to your doctor if you are worried about your pet’s health.
Always wash your hands.
After you have touched or played with your pet,
After giving your pet food or handling it,
After you have handled pet habitats and equipment (cages or tanks, toys, food, water dishes, etc.),
You must leave areas where animals live (coops or barns, stalls, etc.). Even if you have never touched an animal,
Hand washing is best done with soap and running water. However, you can still use hand sanitizer if soap and running water are not available. Hand washing should be done by adults, even if it is for children under 5.
Take care of your pet’s health
You can keep your pet healthy by providing ongoing, comprehensive veterinary care, regardless of whether it is a cat, dog, horse, parakeet, or gerbil. Good pet health is dependent on regular veterinary visits. Talk to your veterinarian to learn how to keep your pet happy. Give your pet a healthy diet, plenty of exercises, fresh water, and clean bedding. Make sure your pet is up-to-date on their vaccinations, deworming, flea, and tick control, as well. Some ticks can be transmitted to humans by pets, such as Lyme disease or Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Fleas can pose a threat to pets and owners in areas that have the plague, including some rural areas of the western US.
You can help your pet and yourself stay healthy. If you have questions or think that your pet might be suffering from illness, please consult your veterinarian.
Do your best to maintain a healthy pet
Good pet hygiene, in addition to hand washing, can help reduce the spread of germs among pets and people. When possible, keep pets and all their belongings out of the kitchen. Do not clean the sinks in the kitchen, areas for food preparation, and the bathroom sink. You don’t have to touch your pets to spread germs on surfaces in your house.
Use a bag to remove the dog’s feces from your yard or public areas. Then, dispose of it in appropriate places. Parasites and germs can be dangerous to humans cats and dog poop. To prevent children from getting roundworms and hookworms, keep them away from areas that may contain cat or dog poop. Sandboxes should be covered so that cats won’t use them for litter. To reduce the risk of being infected by parasites, clean the litter box every day. Pregnant women should not change the cat’s litter box.
Teach children how to interact with animals
Children can learn compassion and responsibility from their pets. Children under 5 years old must be supervised when they interact with animals. This is to ensure the safety of both the child and the pet. Children should learn to wash their hands after touching animals, or any animal’s environment (cages or beds, food, or water dishes). Children shouldn’t touch animals or use their hands to make contact with them.
Children younger than five years old should be supervised and extra cautious around farm animals. This includes animals at fairs and petting zoos.
