Having a pet, especially a dog, is a pleasure. Faithful and a playful nature, your dog never misses an opportunity to show his affection and attachment. Besides, after a long day out, he hastens to give you an affectionate lick. Now this tender gesture and can be harmful to your health in danger. Here's why.
Having a pet is a big responsibility that must be assumed. To preserve the health of your dog and ensure a healthy and safe cohabitation with him, choose his diet carefully, ensure a correct hygiene routine, and regular veterinary examination. This will limit the risk of allergies and disease in humans which skirts.
But despite all this, we must know that dogs can easily but unintentionally, endanger the health of their master, because pathogenic bacteria on their tongue and they transmit by licking their faces.
The mouths of dogs, cleaner than the mouth of humans?
We all heard that phrase at one time or another, but this is wrong. Besides, Marty Becker, author of the book dedicated to dog lovers Chicken Soup For the Dog Owner's Soul, makes clear:
"Just see, look and feel to realize that this is not true! ". Just you remember his special way to greet his friend, consisting sniffing his ass, to convince you of the absurdity of this statement.
In addition, John Oxford, Professor of Virology and Bacteriology at Queen Mary University in London, says it is not only question of pathogenic bacteria in the saliva of your pet, but mostly everything in between contact with his snout. Just see the trash and dirt, especially feces of other dogs where dog sticks his snout to realize the amount of virus and pathogenic bacteria proliferate.
Some health problems caused by bacteria carried by dogs:
Ringworm
Ringworm is a highly contagious disease, transmitted to humans by direct contact with an infected or through contact of the skin with a tissue or animal couch. What then are filamentous fungi that appear, and ringworm occurs in animals by circular areas without hair, with a yellowish crust on the skin and itching.
In humans, it causes the appearance of inflamed round lesions with more or less severe itching on various body parts, including those that are often in direct contact with the animal, such as hands, arms, face or neck. Another symptom of localized losses and definite outline of hair on the scalp, arms or beard.
The treatment of ringworm is usually done by the local application of creams or ointments, but sometimes requires oral treatment. It is also recommended to disinfect the entire house because the microorganisms of ringworm are extremely resistant to the outside environment and can remain active up to 1 year.
MRSA -Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus
Staphylococcus aureus resistant to methicillin (or Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus) bacteria of the family staphylococcus aureus, also called staph, which is characterized by its resistance to antibiotics methicillin, usually used to eliminate this family of bacteria .
In cases of moderate infection, appear pimples or boils. In other more severe cases, contamination by these bacteria causes pneumonia and bacteremia, which results in a systemic inflammatory response due to the presence of living bacteria in the blood.
Treatment of this infection is quite long and expensive and not always effective.
The Capnocytophaga canimorsus
These bacteria transmitted to humans through the saliva of their dog, can cause localized skin lesions, with or without signs of inflammation. In more severe cases, they can cause septicemia (blood infection), which is accompanied by fever, chills, confusion, and headache. The danger of such contamination is related to the risk of evolution characterized by disseminated intravascular coagulation, and infections of internal organs that can lead to death in 30% of cases.
In Britain, several cases of contamination to the Capnocytophaga canimorsus have been reported, including a woman who could be saved only through a long antibiotic treatment and a two-week stay in intensive care.