NYDailyNews

You Can Give Your Pet Love (and Bugs)

CHICAGO Scientists who worry about the spread of nasty germs from animals to people have found the opposite can also happen: Cats and dogs catch bad things from their owners.

Canadian researchers documented 16 cases of dangerous, hard-to-treat staph infections in horses, cats and dogs.

They believe that all of them probably began with owners or veterinarians infecting the animals.

The germ is methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus — called MRSA for short — a microbe that until recently was seen only in hospitals, where it often spreads to elderly or especially ill people who have open wounds or tubes. Healthy people may carry it on their skin without getting sick.

Dr. Donald Low, chief microbiologist at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, presented the data yesterday at a meeting in Chicago of the American Society for Microbiology.

Low and colleagues found that the animals had resistant staph infections that were genetically similar to the ones that occur in people. In some cases, they showed that the animals got sick months after their owners caught identical germs.

-- Anonymous, December 17, 2001

Answers

After last night, I have to worry about catching something nasty from my dog.

I had let him out to go potty, and he took off for a good run. We tried to get him, but he was having a ball. About 3 hours later, when we sat down for dinner, he came and scratched on the door. He was soaked, and no longer black but mud red.

After we ate, we took him upstairs to the bathroom, and 35 minutes later of being in the shower, the muddy water was still coming off of him. We soaped him up as best as we could. Seems the clean water didn't want to get into his fur. We finally got him 'clean'. He must have gone swimming in the pond, then rolled around in some huge mud pit somewhere. I'm worried that the pond water contained something bad, as he wasn't feeling to well last night. Had an upset stomach, but I think that was because he swallowed some of the water.

Hope we don't catch something nasty from him.

-- Anonymous, December 17, 2001

Our cats/dogs gave us poison ivy and ticks.

We gave our dogs the measles (almost killed that one) and the flu (almost killed that one too, and she was pregnant, almost lost the litter). Viruses are particularly nasty and more likely to transmit between species. In both the above examples, a child was sick and Mom put the dog on the bed to keep the kid amused.

-- Anonymous, December 17, 2001

I wonder if you might want to give the pup antibiotics anyway? I think I'd check with the vet. If there's crypto or that other water- borne nasty in that pond, may be better to cut it off at the pass.

-- Anonymous, December 17, 2001

Regarding the muddy pet. It’s a good bet that if he was gone that long he also got into some garbage or ate some other thing that was not in his normal diet. A tummy ache wouldn’t be unusual if that were the case.

Lots of “bugs” are opportunistic and will go to any fertile environment. In general, however, I think you would find that animals have better immune systems. I know I’d a lot rather be kissed by my dogs than most people I’ve encountered. ;)

-- Anonymous, December 17, 2001

But, SO, even if I promise not to slobber on you??

-- Anonymous, December 17, 2001

I had read somewhere (several times, several somewheres) that an animals' mouth is usually cleaner than a human's and that human bites are the most prone to inject infection. We won't talk about cat or squirrel bites or Durham Animal Control and a certain poster here.

-- Anonymous, December 17, 2001