Preventing Infections from Pets

• You do not have to give up your pet.

• Although the risks are low, you can get an infection from pets or other animals.

• Several simple precautions are all you need to take with pets or other animals.

• HIV can not be spread by, or to, cats, dogs, birds, or other pets.

Should I keep my pets?

Yes. Most people with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) can and should keep their pets. Owning a pet can be rewarding. Pets can help you feel psychologically and even physically better. For many people, pets are more than just animals - they are like members of the family. However, you should know the health risks of owning a pet or caring for animals. Animals may carry infections that can be harmful to you. Your decision to own or care for pets should be based on knowing what you need to do to protect yourself from these infections.

What kinds of infections could I get from an animal?

Animals can have cryptosporidiosis ("crypto"), toxoplasmosis ("toxo"), Mycobacterium avium complex ("MAC"), and other diseases. These diseases can give you problems like severe diarrhea, brain infections, and skin lesions. You can learn more about many of these diseases and how to prevent them from other brochures in this series. These are listed at the end of this brochure.

What can I do to protect myself from infections spread by animals?

• Always wash your hands well with soap and water after playing with or caring for animals. This is especially important before eating or handling food.

• Be careful about what your pet eats and drinks. Feed your pet only pet food or cook all meat thoroughly before giving it to your pet. Don't give your pet raw or undercooked meat. Don't let your pets drink from toilet bowls or get into garbage. Don't let your pets hunt or eat another animal's stool (droppings).

• Don't handle animals that have diarrhea. If the pet's diarrhea lasts for more than 1or 2 days, have a friend or relative who does not have HIV take your pet to your veterinarian. Ask the veterinarian to check the pet for infections that may be the cause of diarrhea.

• Don't bring home an unhealthy pet. Don't get a pet that is younger than 6 months old - especially if it has diarrhea. If you are getting a pet from a pet store, animal breeder, or animal shelter (pound), check the sanitary conditions and license ofthese sources. If you are not sure about the animal's health, have it checked out by your veterinarian.

• Don't touch stray animals because you could get scratched or bitten. Stray animals can carry many infections.

• Don't ever touch the stool of any animal.

• Ask someone who is not infected with HIV and is not pregnant to change your cat's litter box daily. If you must clean the box yourself, wear vinyl or household cleaning gloves and immediately wash your hands well with soap and water right after changing the litter.

• Have your cat's nails clipped so it can't scratch you. Discuss other ways to prevent scratching with your veterinarian. If you do get scratched or bitten, immediately wash the wounds well with soap and water.

• Don't let your pet lick your mouth or any open cuts or wounds you may have.

• Don't kiss your pet.

• Keep fleas off your pet.

• Avoid reptiles such as snakes, lizards, and turtles. If you touch any reptile, immediately wash your hands well with soap and water.

• Wear vinyl or household cleaning gloves when you clean aquariums or animal cages and wash your hands well right after you finish.

• Avoid exotic pets such as monkeys, and ferrets, or wild animals such as raccoons, lions, bats, and skunks.

I have a job that involves working with animals. Should I quit?

Jobs working with animals (such as jobs in pet stores, animal clinics, farms, and slaughterhouses) carry a risk for infections. Talk with your doctor about whether you should work with animals. People who work with animals should take these extra precautions:

• Follow your worksite's rules to stay safe and reduce any risk of infection. Use or wear personal protective gear, such as coveralls, boots, and gloves.

• Don't clean chicken coops or dig in areas where birds roost if histoplasmosis [his-to-plaz-MO-sis] is found in the area.

• Don't touch young farm animals, especially if they have diarrhea.

Can someone with HIV give it to their pets?

No. HIV can not be spread to, from, or by cats, dogs, birds, or other pets. Many viruses cause diseases that are like AIDS, such as feline leukemia virus, or FeLV, in cats. These viruses cause illness only in a certain animal and cannot infect other animals or humans. For example, FeLV infects only cats. It does not infect humans or dogs.

Are there any tests a pet should have before I bring it home?

A pet should be in overall good health. You don't need special tests unless the animal has diarrhea or looks sick. If your pet looks sick, your veterinarian can help you choose the tests it needs.

What should I do when I visit friends or relatives who have animals?

When you visit anyone with pets, take the same precautions you would in your own home. Don't touch animals that may not be healthy. You may want to tell your friends and family about the need for these precautions before you plan any visits.

Should children with HIV handle pets?

The same precautions apply for children as for adults. However, children may want to snuggle more with their pets. Some pets, like cats, may bite or scratch to get away from children. Adults should be extra watchful and supervise an HIV-infected child's handwashing to prevent infections.

Protect pet from pests

Summer's here, and with it comes fun in the sun, camping and hiking trips to the lake -- and the usual summertime pests. Fleas, ticks and mosquitoes are visual reminders of the itchy woes we and our pets have to deal with, but there are also those sneaky unseen pests -- waterborne parasites and bacterial infections, to mention just two. While we don't want to get your head spinning with worry, we do want you to know what you and your pets are up against, and how to mitigate any ill effects. As G.I Joe would say, "Knowing is half the battle."

FLEAS

These pests are nearly impossible to avoid for an entire season. Even with shampoos, collars, powders and sprays, your pet may still end up with fleas. The flea life cycle includes the adult flea, eggs, larva and pupa. The adult fleas are responsible for the biting that leads to itching, but they can't survive long if they are not on the pet; once they lay their eggs, they fall off. Fleas also lay their eggs in shady areas outside and around the house.

Most owners first notice frequent and severe itching and scratching, hair lossand scabs on their pets. Often, the hind end is affected more than the front of the body or the head. Other effects include anemia, tapeworm infection(caused by a parasite that finds an intermediate host in the flea), pruritis(intense itching with inflamed skin) and hypersensitivity. There is also plagueand, in cats, the Rickettsia felis and Bartonella hensellae diseases. The best way to check for fleas is with a flea comb. Frequent bathing and combing are essential components of any flea treatment program.

TICKS

Lovely days out in the woods, communing with nature, breathing fresh air... these are the joys of summer. Unfortunately, ticks like these spots, too, and they don't mind waiting for warm-blooded travelers like you and your pet to hitch a ride on.

Ticks have hard back shields and can be felt as small bumps during regular petting. They are visible when the fur is parted. The effects from their bites include blood loss anemia, hypersensitivity, pruritis and damage to the lymphatic, immune and nervous systems. Some of the more serious diseases that ticks can transmit are Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis and babesiosis.

If you will be spending time in grassy or wooded areas with your pet, be sure to do a tick inspection daily so that you can remove the tick before it does damage. Removal technique is important: Make sure to become familiar with the proper procedure before doing it. You don't want to end up with a worse situation because of improper removal.

MOSQUITOES

Even your indoor pets are at risk for the miseries brought on by mosquitoes, since the bugs still get inside on occasion and can bite through screens on windows, where cats tend to rest. Of course, mosquitoes cause itchy bumps, and that is irritating enough -- but they also carry serious, life-threatening diseases. Heartworm, a roundworm that can infect both cats and dogs, is a silent killer that can be treated easily if caught in time. And two diseases that affect both humans and animals, like cats and dogs are Saint Louis Encephalitis (SLE), which attacks the brain, and West Nile Virus (WNV).

TAPEWORMS, AKA, CESTODIASIS

These little buggers cause itching in a most unfortunate spot, so if you notice that your dog or cat is dragging its hind end across the floor, or licking its anus more than usual, it may have a case oftapeworms. Tapeworm species include Taenia, Dipylidium Caninum, Echinococcus andMesocestoides. Pieces of the worm may or may not be visible in the feces, so if you suspect an infestation of this parasite, take your pet to the veterinarian for a fecal examination.

Treatment to destroy tapeworms is critical to avoid transmission to humans (typically children) and to avert damage to your pet's body. Tapeworms are usually picked up through fleas, when an animal ingests an infected flea, and when animals ingest smaller wild animals that are infected, such as rabbits, birds and rodents.

BOTFLY

Also called the Cuterebra, the botfly hangs out in grass, latching onto warm-blooded animals that pass by. Symptoms of botfly infection include seizures, aggression, blindness, and warbles, or lumps, in the skin where the botfly has taken up residence. In cats, the cuterebra larva typically travels to the brain.

SARCOPTES SCABIEI MITE

Most prevalent in the summer months, the condition caused by this mite -- known as scabies ormange -- is more of a nuisance than a danger. Of course, any condition that results in open wounds is dangerous because it opens the body to bacterial invasion. The most common risk of exposure comes from contact with other animals and outdoor activities. Treatment is the same as for fleas but more aggressive, with quarantining and thorough baths.

AQUATIC AND FUNGAL PARASITES

At some point in the summer, it gets too hot to do anything but find a body of water and jump in. While we would never dissuade you from doing that, we do want you to be an informed swimmer. One type of waterborne parasite, the Heterobilharzia americanum, a flatworm, uses water snails as their intermediate hosts until they are big enough to search for larger, warmer-blooded hosts. Symptoms and signs can range from relatively mild, such as diarrhea and itching, to severe organ and intestinal damage. This is most common in southern waters and is most likely to affect sporting dogs that fetch in wet and wooded areas, but it can infect anyone who swims in contaminated waters. Another type of parasitic bacteria picked up in wet, subtropical areas is theLeptospira interrogans, a corkscrew-shaped bacteria that burrows into the skin and spreads through the bloodstream.

Where the climate is drier, the Coccidioides immitis is the culprit for a host of nasty conditions. These fungal spores behave like parasites; they spread when the dirt they live in is disturbed by rain or digging, and the wind picks them up to disperse them. They are then inhaled or ingested. Diseases that result from this infection include San Joaquin Valley Fever, California Fever, cocci and desert fever. And last, but not even close to least, is the opportunistic Aspergillus mold, which grows in grass clippings and dust. Like the cocci fungus, it also enters through the nasal passages.

We wouldn't want you and your pets to stay cooped up for fear of what is out there. So arm yourself with knowledge and repellants, and get outside. With some vigilance and planning, you will find the end of summer coming much too soon again -- and we'll be here to see you into autumn.