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Safety with Pet Animals
What is “Safety”?
• “the condition of being safe from undergoing or causing hurt, injury, or loss” – Merriam-Webster
• Keeping oneself safe
• Keeping the animal safe
• Keeping other people safe
Physical Injury
• Cat scratch fever – caused by cat scratches and bites; can be treated with antibiotics
• Bites and scratches – can cause serious infection, tetanus, rabies, and even fatality
• Proper handling of animals is extremely important in preventing these injuries
• Proper cleansing of wounds is also important in preventing complications arising from these injuries
Parasites“Organisms that live on or within
another organism and derive nourishment from the host”
• Toxoplasmosis – especially harmful to pregnant women; spread through contact with cat litter
• Tapeworms – use animals as an intermediate host; can spread AHD
• Round worms – may be passed from dogs to people
Ticks
• Rocky Mountain spotted fever – transmitted by the dog tick
• Lyme disease – transmitted by the Deer tick, Black-legged tick, Western black-legged tick, American dog tick, and Lone star tick
• Ticks may be removed by grasping them as close to the head as possible and pulling them straight out
• Squeezing or twisting it may cause the head to break off, leaving the body to infect the host
Other Diseases
• Ringworm – caused by a fungus
• Psittacosis (parrot fever) – caused by contact with avian feces or fecal dust
• Salmonellosis – pet turtles are the most common cause
• Streptococcal bacteria – can be transmitted by dogs
Prevention
• Keep animal quarters clean• Immunize animals and keep
them free of parasites• Don’t expose yourself to
sick animals needlessly• Contact your doctor if you
become ill after animal contact
• Clean wounds immediately and thoroughly
An ounce of prevention
Is worth a pound of cure!
Be Safe!