| Dogs and puppies can pass germs, diseases and | | | | disease associated with dogs, cats and fleas. Fleas |
| worms on to people, but it does not occur often. | | | | carry the tapeworm and the dog must swallow |
| There are certain precautions that you can take | | | | the flea (which may easily happen during |
| to help prevent this from happening. First and | | | | grooming) to allow the tapeworms to hatch and |
| foremost, make sure that the dog or puppy you | | | | grown in the dog. For a person to become |
| are playing with looks healthy. Do not touch or | | | | infected with Dipylidium, or tapeworm, he or she |
| contact an obviously sick dog. Make sure that | | | | must accidentally swallow an infected flea. Most |
| your personal dog has regular check ups and is | | | | reported cases involve children. The risk of |
| checked for worms by your veterinarian. Look | | | | infection with this tapeworm in humans is low. |
| for obvious signs of disease such as spots missing | | | | Giardia Infection (giardiasis): A parasitic disease |
| fur on your dog. Hot spots or places that your | | | | associated with various animals, including dogs and |
| dog keeps chewing or biting at can be another | | | | their environment (including water). The Giardia |
| sign of infection. | | | | parasite lives in the intestine of infected humans |
| One of the best lines of defense from getting | | | | or animals. Millions of germs can be released in a |
| sick from contact with a dog is to wash your | | | | bowel movement from an infected human or |
| hands well, especially with anti-bacterial soap. After | | | | animal. Giardia is found in soil, food, water, or |
| dog or puppy contact, keep your hands away | | | | surfaces that have been contaminated with the |
| from your face, especially your mouth. Do not | | | | feces from infected humans or animals. |
| eat finger foods after dog contact until you can | | | | Hookworm Infection: A parasitic disease |
| wash. Do not let your dog lick you on your face. | | | | associated with dogs and cats and their |
| Try not to have contact with dog saliva, urine or | | | | environment. Puppies and kittens are especially |
| dog feces. | | | | likely to have hookworm infections. Animals that |
| Dogs and puppies can carry a fair variety of | | | | are infected pass hookworm eggs in their stools. |
| bacteria, parasites, fungus and worms. Some of | | | | The eggs can hatch into larvae, and both eggs |
| these are fairly common in dogs and others are | | | | and larvae may be found in dirt where animals |
| quite rare. Some people are more likely than | | | | have been. Eggs or larvae can get into your body |
| others to catch these diseases. Some of the | | | | when you accidentally eat or have direct contact |
| factors associated with catching the diseases | | | | with contaminated dirt. For example, this can |
| depend upon the persons age and status of their | | | | happen if a child is walking barefoot or playing in |
| health. People who are more likely to get diseases | | | | an area where dogs or cats have been. |
| from dogs include infants, children younger than 5 | | | | Leishmania Infection (leishaniasis): A parasitic |
| years old, organ transplant patients, people with | | | | disease associated with dogs and sand flies |
| HIV/AIDS, and people being treated for cancer. | | | | outside the United States. |
| The following diseases may be carried by dogs: | | | | Leptospira Infection (leptospirosis): A bacterial |
| Brucella canis Infection (brucellosis): A bacterial | | | | disease associated with wild and domestic animals, |
| disease rarely associated with dogs. | | | | including dogs. In people, the symptoms are often |
| Campylobacter Infection (campylobacteriosis): A | | | | like the flu, but sometimes leptospirosis can |
| bacterial disease associated with dogs, cats, and | | | | develop into a more severe, life-threatening illness |
| farm animals. If your dog has diarrhea, you may | | | | with infections in the kidney, liver, brain, lung, and |
| want to consult with your veterinarian, as this | | | | heart. |
| disease may be the culprit and it is passable to | | | | Lyme Disease: A bacterial disease that can affect |
| humans. If you develop symptoms, including | | | | dogs and ticks. People get Lyme disease when |
| diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, and/or | | | | they are bitten by ticks carrying B. burgdorferi, |
| nausea, contact your physician. Be sure to inform | | | | and this is in certain parts of the country. |
| him or her of your pet and if it is ill. | | | | Q Fever (Coxiella burnettii): A bacterial disease |
| Cryptosporidium (cryptosporidiosis): A parasitic | | | | occasionally associated with dogs, but more often |
| disease associated with dogs, especially puppies, | | | | associated with sheep, cattle and goats, especially |
| cats, and farm animals. Animals can carry this | | | | their birth products. |
| parasite in their feces and pass it to people. | | | | Rabies: A viral disease associated with various |
| Animals do not have to be ill to pass | | | | animals, including dogs. This is fairly rare in the US. |
| Cryptosporidium to humans, they may just carry | | | | Ringworm: A fungal disease associated with dogs. |
| the disease. This disease usually causes a mild to | | | | Ringworm is transmitted from direct contact with |
| severe infection of the gastrointestinal system, | | | | an infected animal's skin or hair. Dogs and cats, |
| including watery diarrhea, fever, abdominal | | | | especially kittens or puppies, can have ringworm |
| cramps, nausea, and vomiting. | | | | that can be passed to people. |
| Dipylidium Infection (tapeworm): A parasitic | | | | |