Sleeping with your pet can make you sick

[jus_the_facts]

Source: WWBT NBC12

Posted: Jan 24, 2011 9:03 PM CST
Updated: Jan 24, 2011 10:12 PM CST

RICHMOND, VA (WWBT) – Letting your dog or even your cat sleep next to you in bed might seem like a good idea, but it could make you sick. They're known as man's best friend, but for some people dogs are more like a family member. New research, though, shows that your four legged friend might be carrying more than just fleas.

"Parasites - many pets already have anyhow and as a rule of thumb, generally, they are species specific," said veterinarian Doctor Jeffrey Taylor. "But there are a few instances where they can transmit to other species like humans."

Doctor Taylor at the Fan Vet Clinic warns pet owners about getting too comfy with their pet. A Center for Disease Control study shows that dogs can carry ringworm, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Lyme disease, tapeworm and even the Bubonic plague. Despite that, some people can't imagine kicking their dog out of bed.



Read more: http://www.nbc12.com/Global/story.asp?S=13900444

---

I recall bubonic plague was caused by the LACK of cats in England and the fleas came from RATS?! :wtf:

[ZombieHorde]

1. Sleeping with your spouse can make you sick as well.

Recommended.

[tavalon]

13. Both of my spouses have their own room as do I

But once the standard poodle picks his spot, he sleeps like a log. I suspect I do more tossing and turning than he does.

And no, I'm not in the least worried about his germs.

[loudsue]

38. You have two spouses?

One's plenty for me. :evilgrin:

[tavalon]

39. Often and especially lately,

I wonder what I could have been thinking. But yeah, I do. And no, not legally. But we do live in the same house, handle the household duties, including child care together and yes, we do that too. But "that" and sleeping, since I've become older are things to be done in different places and times. Sleeping is sleeping and humping my leg is something you can summarily get kicked out of my room for. Even the dog, who, just for the record, has never in his life humped my leg. He's about the only one who gets to sleep in my room with any regularity. The other two snore and kick.

[loudsue]

61. LOL!

You must be a really good person. I can't stop chuckling at your answer. :rofl: My husband's brother lives with us, and it's a crazy household here, too, sometimes.

[tavalon]

62. You are the second person today to say I'm a good person

I'm well, actually, pretty average. I'm polyamorous and I know that's different from the mainstream but it doesn't make us better, just busier. LOL.

[roguevalley]

67. you are my new hero :-D got your priorities straight too I see ;)

[Missy Vixen]

77. Two spouses.

As the other poster said, I have enough of a challenge with one, but I'm glad it's working for you!

We kicked the cats out of our room about six months ago; we sleep better. We love them, but two twenty-pound Maine Coons do not make for restful sleep. The ninety-pound chocolate Lab sleeps in his crate.

[LisaL]

92. If I lock the door my cat will scratch at it all night.

And meow. So he can not be kicked out if there is any hope for sleep.

[sarcasmo]

71. One spouse is more than enough for me.

[tavalon]

75. Had I thought it through.......

Actually, I'm quite happy with my life. I just want them both to get girlfriends. Isn't that what middle aged men are supposed to do? See the great thing with that, is they are happy, I get to meet neat new people (my guys are pretty discerning) and as I get further into this awful thing called perimenopause (it ain't one but it ain't the other either), I find my interest in people humping my leg is doing a very fast swan dive. And because we're poly, finding a new girlfriend doesn't automatically mean the wife gets dumped.

But, yeah, it's a harder life than I was led to believe by the brochures. Damn brochures!

[Epiphany4z]

32. yes for

at least nine months...

[tclambert]

36. Sleeping with somebody else's spouse can also cause problems.

What are the most disturbing words you can hear while making love? "Honey, I'm home!"

[Mz Pip]

2. It's always something...

Be afraid, be very afraid.

[Born Free]

29. and next it will be....

we had a severe problem with warts, then one night I rolled on my pet toad ( killing it) and the warts went away...

[Warren DeMontague]

3. Not only that, but it can really complicate the relationship.

Sorry, just... sorry.

[Demit]

33. And it's so difficult to just go back to being friends.

:)

[Le Taz Hot]

64. LOL!!!!

Literally. Thanks for the laugh.

[tavalon]

40. Actually, that was what came up in my mind

At first, I was completely on board. Interspecies sexual relationships aren't mutually agreed to and the power dynamics and then I realized, they were not using the euphemistic "sleeping". I felt like Emily Littella. Oh, never mind.

[hlthe2b]

4. Yes.. and you COULD get Ebola from your spouse....

:eyes:

What absolute bullshit. Absolute.

[tavalon]

46. Yes

Yes, it is. And that is why we are mocking it. It's so rare that a fairly non-political fluff piece fails so utterly and yet gets noticed at DU. This is like, Fail Whale. We're playing with this one like a midnight troll. It's easy and fun. Not very substantial, of course, but we all need our breaks from time to time.

[hlthe2b]

51. Understand...

Unfortunately, this same nonsense circulated about a year ago and the press kept propagating it... Some veterinarian speaks to the issue from a purely academic "what if" POV and a reporter takes it at faith....Given how poorly our population is "schooled" in science, there is a sizable and very gullible public ready to swallow this hook, line and sinker.

I remember a few years ago when this happened and all kinds of media picked up as though it was some new and emerging breaking news. Knowing that I have worked my entire career researching, treating or otherwise addressing infectious disease, I can't tell you how many people (often elderly) would ask if it was safe for them to be near their dog. I even had calls from frantic retirement home residents who were being told by worried management that they had to get rid of their dog. So, that's why I don't immediately find it humorous.

[tavalon]

72. Well, I find it humorous because it's poorly written and stupid, mostly just stupid

Stupidly mockable. I mock and then my dog and I will retire to bed for the day (we are nocturnal).

[hlthe2b]

79. To your good health... Give your poochie a smoochie ;)

I had dogs with me (under supervision)from the cradle... My sister, my cousins, my aunts and uncles--all big dog people and anecdotally, no asthma in my immediate nor extended family. I mention this because there is some developing research that suggests the presence of dogs and exposure to potential allergens early in life may well have some protective effect.

Even oncologists have recognized that dogs (and even cats with a few more precautions) can be safely integrated into an immunosuppressed cancer patient's recovery with some practical steps, while a few decades ago, they believed quite differently.


Agree the piece is ridiculously written. I saw the subject matter and simply :banghead:

[tavalon]

98. But luckily, this isn't like another topic that gets brought up here

This one, we can all pile on together, like a puppy pile. So I join these discussions. When that other thing comes up, I don't even click because I know it will be stupid and I will be one of the few voices and usually, the pile on then happens - on me.

[Rex]

5. No problem, my kitties are all in level 7 hazmat suits

One of them built a space suit and ship, I can barely fit into the airlock. Smells like hairballs.

[jus_the_facts]

6. That's a DUzy!

:applause:

[Javaman]

60. "My god! It's full of kibbles!" nt

[silverweb]

7. Slow news day?

Like Americans aren't hypochondriac and germ phobic enough as it is, right? Somebody just needed to fill column inches, I guess.

I wake up every day with 5 of my 6 cats in bed with me, with the youngest very likely to awaken me by licking my face with her little sandpaper tongue.

Not a damn thing is going to change at my house.

[ngant17]

25. My mother is 90, she always goes to bed with her two dogs

jumping on the side and sleeping next to her. This has been a habit for many years. The psychological benefits of her two "best friends" next to her during the day and night, it far outweighs any remote chance of cross-contamination from pet germs.

These dogs will not stop licking you in the face. And if given the chance, they will keep a sore on the leg clean, too. Makes great dishwashers, too.

[silverweb]

89. That's great.

Companion animals -- cats, dogs, pigs, hamsters, whatever -- bring immeasurable joy and contentment, and any "risk" with healthy animals is so minimal in comparison that it doesn't even count.

I'm so glad your mother has her dogs. I'm sure they've contributed a great deal to her overall health.

[ngant17]

90. unfortunately, the human flu going around right now

has just caught up with her, I've just got thru it last week, our neighbor has just gotten it.

The pets don't get the flu from us, thank god.

[silverweb]

100. Sorry to hear that.

I hope your mom gets through it with no complications.

[roguevalley]

68. when I still had five dachsunds I slept with all of them. Most I ever

got was a krick in my back from laying in one shape all night. sleeping with dachsies is awesome. all that snoring.

[X_Digger]

69. Doxies are bed hogs..

They're furry hot water bottles who like to get right up next to you until you're sweating.. when you move away, they move right back in.

My wife and I have three doxies and a king sized bed. We often end up sleeping on the edges with a wide open space between us. LOL

[roguevalley]

81. Isn't that the truth? I had five on a single bed. Lucky me. :-D

[silverweb]

88. "...all that snoring."

Love it!

:rofl:

[napi21]

8. Dr. Taylor, you are a nut! In my experience dogs & cats that

carry parasites are rarely if ever the ones that sleep in bed with their owners. I know mine are not. My dogs set the vet more often than we do! I've had dogs in my bed for over 40 years, and we've never caught anythingfrom them. My biggest concern is that my dogs could catch something from US!

[skoalyman]

9. dogs bark,cats meow more at 11

:tv:

[snagglepuss]

10. Fleas easily jump from rats to cats.

I wonder if warnings about parasites applies to cats that stay inside.

[jus_the_facts]

14. no they don't they're not the same kind of fleas....

http://www.idph.state.il.us/envhealth/pcfleas.htm

The human flea prefers the blood of humans and pigs. Cat and dog fleas prefer cats and dogs, though children can become infested when pets sleep or rest on the same bed. Cat and dog fleas also will infest certain types of wild carnivores, including opossums and raccoons, but not squirrels, rats or mice. While these two species do not carry human diseases, they can carry tapeworms (Dipylidium caninum) that infect dogs.

[snagglepuss]

17. Live and learn. I know that cats are suscebtile to plague so I wrongly assumed

plague was transferred by fleas.

[jus_the_facts]

18. plague IS trasferred by fleas....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Death

[snagglepuss]

21. According to a book about infectious diseases in wild animals,

domestic cats can contract plague and owners should take care and treat cat for fleas in areas where there is plague.

I think one has to assume they get it via fleas.



http://books.google.ca/books?id=I62ZO_-4cjwC&pg=PA323&lpg=PA323&dq=cats+susceptible+to+plague&source=bl&ots=bHny33dSIK&sig=mi_dpT67Dp1LZYICTsNXjtcGBw0&hl=en#v=onepage&q=cats%20susceptible%20to%20plague&f=false

[muriel_volestrangler]

30. Cat fleas don't transmit the plague bacteria as 'efficiently' as rat fleas, but it still happens

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18541775

[tavalon]

11. The only thing I hate worse than puff pieces

are poorly written puff pieces.

[du_grad]

12. Plague is very rare in this country

http://www.cdc.gov/healthypets/diseases/plague.htm

It is endemic in certain areas in the Southwestern US. If plague is in your area, be careful if your cat hunts rodents or is otherwise an outdoor cat. Otherwise, I wouldn't get too excited about this.

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/plague/index.htm - map of areas here

"In the United States, the last urban plague epidemic occurred in Los Angeles in 1924-25. Since then, human plague in the United States has occurred as mostly scattered cases in rural areas (an average of 10 to 15 persons each year)..."

That being said: IF it is not promptly treated with antibiotics, it can still kill you.

(I am a microbiology technologist.)

[Warpy]

15. Bubonic plague has been transmitted here in NM

by both cats and dogs to their owners. The good news is that it's treatable if caught early enough. Ditto Rocky Mountan Spotted Fever and Lyme disease, the last transmitted by fleas that hitchhike indoors on the pet.

The best idea for cats is to keep them indoors, especially here in coyote country. It's easier on the songbird population, too.

Dog owners need to be vigilant about external parasites and make sure Fluffy is kept in a fenced yard without access to the local varmints that carry nasty things like bubonic plague.

Transmission doesn't rely 100% on sleeping arrangements. The diseases can be transmitted by playing with the pet and petting the pet, too.

This article is misleading.

(The only reason I'd avoid sleeping with Fido is because Fido thinks things like dead birds and fresh poo piles are perfume. No thanks)

[pansypoo53219]

16. i slept with 1 to 2 cats from 6yrs

inside cats tho. how did i make it?

[Fuddnik]

19. I've slept with dogs for 15 years.

And the worst I've gotten is a herniated disk and arthritis. Can't blame that on the dogs.

Well maybe this one.

[BrklynLiberal]

34. What a sweetie!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

[truthisfreedom]

20. I've slept with my 8 year old cat under the covers for years, no problem.

He started sleeping under the covers when he became an inside cat. I've always taken him to the vet for checkups, shots, and whatnot, and I seem to be doing okay so far.

[tavalon]

47. Don't worry

The only thing wrong with this puff piece is that someone took the five minutes to write it. It is basically without verifiable facts and has plenty of baseless fearmongering. In other words, a mockable article. And we are doing our part.

[osteenq]

22. Oh, well...

Guess I'm doomed then.

Doooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooomed... :hide:

[Brother Buzz]

23. This 'doctor' doesn't what he's talking about, so here's a bunny with a pancake on its head.

This dynamo warms my bed before I retire, she earned the spot.

[tavalon]

41. I really was expecting the stock photo

Is your dog's name bunny?

[Warren DeMontague]

24. Oh, come on, DU. Really, I'm a little disappointed.

I mean, the jokes practically write themselves.

[Swagman]

26. but my pussy stresses out if it can't sleep with me

:shrug:

[TreasonousBastard]

27. Laugh all you want, but I got Lyme from a tick brought in by my outdoor cat...

and it was two years of hell.

Then, she rolled around in some poison ivy and curled herself up on my arm, next to my face, while I was sleeping. Much fun then, including the COPD.

She is now an indoor cat.

[tavalon]

42. But, I suspect,

she still sleeps with you.

[TreasonousBastard]

74. No ticks, fleas, or poisons since she's been stuck inside, and...

I can't keep her out. She opens doors, picks locks, tunnels through walls, or lets out a Banshee howl if something somehow blocks her way to the bedroom.

(Just like all my other cats.)

[Prometheus Bound]

28. The Perils of Pet Intimacy

The Perils of Pet Intimacy

Nikki Moustaki knew something was wrong when she got strep throat for the sixth time in a year. Her doctor wanted to take out her tonsils. But Moustaki, an otherwise healthy 30-something, was determined to uncover the source of the infection.

"I saw a bunch of specialists, and one suggested my dog might be a carrier," said Moustaki, a New York City-based dog expert and trainer. "I had never thought of that. When you think of contagious diseases in dogs you think of rabies and ringworm, you don't think of strep."

After four walks a day on the streets of Hell's Kitchen, Moustaki's dogs -- a schnauzer called Pepper and Ozzie, a schnoodle -- would curl up beside her in bed.

Following her doctor's surprising suggestion, Moustaki started cleaning Pepper and Ozzie's paws with baby wipes after each walk. And she's been strep-free ever since.
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Wellness/pet-intimacy-boostd-infection-risk/story?id=12616995

[Hubert Flottz]

31. My pet elephant is okay unless she has a bad dream.

I wonder where Noah slept?

[BrklynLiberal]

35. Even if true...and I have grave doubts...it is worth it.

I have had dogs and/or cats sleeping on my bed with me for my entire life...

[tavalon]

43. Exactly,

What they bring to my bed in terms of affection and lowered blood pressure more than make up for the unlikely ringworm.

[phylny]

37. I had no choice but to kick my sweeties out of bed.

I had progressively worsening pain in my right shoulder and shoulder blade, to the point where my right arm was incredibly painful and I couldn't lift anything with my right hand without screaming in pain. The culprit was my 11-pound Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Abby, who isn't happy unless she is jammedupagainstmeonmyrightside. She caused me to move less and put more pressure on the shoulder blade and shoulder socket.

She and our shelter dog Jack now spend their nights unhappily, but quietly, in their crates. Except when Daddy is out of town and we have an occasional "sleepover" on the big bed :)

[LiberalEsto]

63. My half-Cavalier, half-American Eskimo Penny

loves to sleep really close too. I wonder if that is a Cavalier trait.
So far, the only side effect from her sleeping next to me is an excess of white dog hair all over the bed.

[ixion]

44. Humans have been sleeping with dogs for thousands of years

if it were really a problem, a) it wouldn't happen; and, b) it would affect the ability of humans to propagate. It hasn't.

Much ado about nothing, in my opinion.

[madrchsod]

45. i`m to old to give a shit....

[tavalon]

48. And likely to recognize fail in print form

This piece is a waste of pixels.

[bobburgster]

49. Was trying to think of a comment.....

until I read yours! My thoughts exactly.

[Lost Jaguar]

50. ditto.

I don't believe in Heaven, but if I did, I'd believe in that "Rainbow Bridge" as well. And all my dogs and cats would be waiting at its base for me to join them in the crossing, and they'd tell me, "There's a king-size over there with our name on it."

[Dappleganger]

52. Pretty much how I feel.

Even if I told the pets to leave the bed they'd look at me and laugh their fuzzy little asses off.

[LisaL]

66. Yep. It's not like they do what I tell them.

[tavalon]

73. ROTBLMLFAO

Rolling on the bed, laughing my little fuzzy ass off. I figure if we can have a many lettered acronym, so can they!

My Standard Poodle is hardly little and he will obey if I tell him to get off the bed, but being as he is a wonderful, non intrusive bed partner and butt warmer, I am disinclined to remove him.

[patricia92243]

57. Best answer so far :)

[a la izquierda]

53. Well, we're screwed in my house...

my husband and I share our bed with our three dogs. More correctly, the dogs share their queen size bed with us. We have a Vizsla (65 pounds), a Shiba Inu mix (15 pounds), and a Teacup Chihuahua (4 pounds). Add that to 270 pounds of people, and there's not a whole lot of room.

I've constantly requested that we crate the dogs, but my husband is a softie and thinks it's more trouble than it's worth.

[Vinca]

54. I don't sleep well at all unless there's a cat on the bed.

I've been under the weather for a few weeks and there is nothing more soothing than the purr of my newest kitty, Izzy, as he snuggles up against me. IMHO, one loving pet equals a million Paxil.

[Ian David]

55. Oh, noes!

[IrishEyes]

56. I never get sick.

I've had a cat sleeping in my bed for years. She sleeps on my lap while I work on the computer or watch TV. There is no stopping her.

[Hubert Flottz]

58. I wondered what in the hell was wrong with all them republicans...

I guess they caught the creeping dumbass from their sheep.

[paparush]

59. Sir. Sir! That is NOT a Labrador Retriever. That's a sheep.

[woo me with science]

65. Yeah, we should spray our sheets with Clorox, too.

:eyes:

[Safetykitten]

70. My Bullmastiff is quite the cuddlebug. I am not giving that up.

[slackmaster]

76. I feel better sleeping with a cat or two than without one

Stupid article is stupid.

[Seedersandleechers]

78. How could I not sleep with this?

[Safetykitten]

80. How cute! He's already waiting to snuggle.

[BrklynLiberal]

85. ahhhhhhhhh The sound of purring in one's ear during the night.....

That is one gorgeous kitty!!

[EnviroBat]

82. Fart Dawg pretty much sleeps where she wants to, and on top of whomever she wishes...

[BrklynLiberal]

86. Excellent!!!

[Brother Buzz]

87. Too funny, I read your subject line to my wife and she responded....

Is it a boxer? She knows dogs. ;)

[EnviroBat]

101. Nope, she's an English Bulldog. I think they must have

a similar digestive system though. Fart Dawg can clear a room for sure...

[Hatchling]

83. My purrfect day..

Raining outside, a cup of cocoa and a good book and a warm bed filled with purring cats. Mmmm, it's not raining but I think i'm going back to bed right now....

Sleeping with my cats prevents me from sleeping with stragers. Much healthier!

[Lorien]

94. +1.

[LibertyLover]

84. They'll get my whippet from my bed when they pry him out

from underneath the covers. And good luck with that one - have you ever seen whippet teeth? Those canines are huge and believe me, they know how to use them.

[totodeinhere]

91. Both my dog and my cat sleep on the same bed with me, and I am not sick.

My cat is 12 and my dog is nine months.

[Lorien]

93. More MSM fearmongering

Sleeping with my pets saved me New Year's morning when an intruder tried to force his way through my bedroom window. The three cats who where in bed with me all jumped up at once and woke me up. The guy ran away when I flipped on the light. Good kitties!

[LisaL]

95. Wow. It wouldn't be surprising if dogs saved the owner, but cats?

[Lorien]

96. Bed in the morning:

[and-justice-for-all]

97. My Cats can sleep where the hell they want...

and seeing that they do not sleep on me, but near me, I do not have an issue nor have I ever.

[totodeinhere]

99. That's a cat for you. I love their independence. But of course I also love my dog. n/t