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H1N1, cats and keeping the entire family safe
By Gina Spadafori
November 5, 2009
With the news yesterday about a cat in Iowa who contracted the H1N1 virus from other family members, it’s certain there’s no more timely topic than the one our Dr. Marty Becker already had lined up for today’s “The Dr. Oz Show.” (Check for local times and listings.)
Although the H1N1/feline story broke after the segment was taped, the bottom line remains the same: Get rid of the risk and keep the pet.
Over on the PawNation site. Helena Sung wrote a good overview of the segment:
On Thursday’s episode of The Dr. Oz Show, Dr. Becker (of “Good Morning America” fame) talks about diseases you can catch from your dogs and cats. “Because we’re living more intimate lives with our pets – hugging and kissing our pets, and sleeping with them at night — we’re at more risk for catching certain zoonotic diseases from our dogs and cats,” Dr. Becker tells Paw Nation.
Foremost among those diseases come from MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), parasites and ringworm. The bacteria MRSA is resistant to many antibiotics. A study found that a full 50% of the houses that researchers inspected had MRSA lurking on kitchen and faucet handles, drains, and on high chairs and trash cans. The common denominator was pet cats. “Cat owners are eight times more likely to have MRSA in their homes,” says Dr. Becker. Moreover, the bacteria was “ping-ponging back and forth between humans and pets.”
Another alarming fact? “About 600 U.S. children lose their eyesight each year due to roundworm larvae,” says Dr. Becker, “which they contract from soil that has contaminated dog feces, which doesn’t have to be from your dog, but from any dog feces off the street.” With respect to parasites, Dr. Becker points out that our pets can bring deer ticks into the home, which can cause Lyme disease in humans.
Who is most at risk for contracting zoonotic diseases? “The very young, the very old, and those with weakened immune systems from HIV or chemotherapy, and pregnant women,” Dr. Becker says.
Before you banish your pet from the house or vow to keep them at arm’s length, Dr. Becker points out that the goal is to get rid of the risk, not the pet. “If you lose the intimacy, you lose the healing power of pets,” he says.
Read the rest, and check your local listings — you may still be able to catch today’s airing of “The Dr. Oz Show.” Our Dr. Becker also suggests a review of the petsandparasites.org site for information on how keeping pets healthier keeps people healthier.
Update: ABC News interviewed our (OK, and Purdue’s) Dr. Tony Johnson after he and Christie collaborated on the story for this blog. From the ABC News site:
This could be a thing that just fizzles out but it also has the potential for huge impact,” said Tony Johnson, a clinical assistant professor at the Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine. “We have these little fuzzy things living in our house that could be vectors for nasty diseases.”
Johnson isn’t so worried that cats will spread the flu to humans: “Most influenza viruses are not going to kill you,” he said.
Rather, he worries cat owners might abandon their animals at the first sign of a sniffle.
“I think that’s what’s going to wig people out,” Johnson said. “I don’t want to see the shelters filled with cats and dogs tomorrow.”
Neither do we, Dr. T. Neither do we.
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By the way … that is five days straight of national media attention for the PetConnection team. Not that we’re complaining, mind you: It’s nice to be popular!
Kudos to Dr. Becker, Christie, Kim and Dr. Johnson. I was interviewed today, but for a piece that’s going national Monday, I think.
Comment by Gina Spadafori — November 5, 2009 @ 11:31 am
Wow! We’ve got a bunch of celebrities around here! Are the paparazzi stalking you guys yet?
As far as H1N1 goes, I’ve already received emails warning me about my cats. Because you know, with a new baby due any day now, I should really consider getting rid of them. Ugh. I feel like I’ve spent the last 9 months defending my cats.
My reply to this nonsense has been that the cats are staying but we’ll be sure to limit the number of visitors so that we ALL stay healthy!
Comment by The Other Lori — November 5, 2009 @ 12:29 pm
OMG … we’re already getting spam comments for snake oil to “boost your pet’s immune system.” The one I just deep-sixed that was caught in Teh Spam Trap says it’s based on “real, actual research.”
You know, as opposed to the fairy dust kind.
FAIL.
Looks like all the scamsters that have been all over selling fraud for people have now just slapped new labels on for pets.
FDA warning page.
Comment by Gina Spadafori — November 5, 2009 @ 12:39 pm
The Other Lori,
Best wishes on the new addition in your family. It is very wise to limit visitors. They can wait awhile to see the baby. The cats are the least of your worries!
Comment by C.L.H. — November 5, 2009 @ 12:51 pm
Double babies! Dr. Becker’s granddaughter is due any day, too!
Congrats to all and how EXCITING!
Comment by Gina Spadafori — November 5, 2009 @ 1:05 pm
I sure hope that the media will not spin this in a crazy hype.
I have multiple house cats and did take one cat(who has IBD flare ups) with cough and sniffles to vet some weeks ago. After a bottle of good old Clavamox , cat is fine now. No test were run by vet, most customers would bark at the additional cost.
None of my other cats caught the sniffles/cough.
Since it is the consensus currently that infection is a one way street (human to cat). How about cat to cat. Suspect rare or none.
With an 18 year old son, always have a lot of traffic of sniffling/coughing teenagers in the house.
Comment by serijna — November 5, 2009 @ 2:12 pm
I would like to see a show on overvaccinating our pets. The negative side effects of this practice (allergies etc) Most people are not aware of the longer duration of these vaccines. And unfortunately alot of vets are not following new vaccine protocols. Most are still doing yearly vaccines.
Lori
Comment by Lori — November 6, 2009 @ 7:45 am