Our pets bring us joy and happiness. They comfort us when we are sick or sad, and celebrate with us when we are happy. Because they show us such love and devotion, we want to make them comfortable and happy. Not only do you enjoy snuggling with your pet at night when you sleep, but your pet is happy to be snuggled in the bed with you as well. You need to understand the dangers of sleeping with your pet.
Lie Down with Dogs – Wake Up with Fleas
If your pet has fleas, and he or she sleeps in the bed with you, you will have fleas as well. Unfortunately, fleas aren’t the only kind of bug that you need to worry about. A public health journal published by Centers for Disease Control – Emerging Infectious Diseases – recently reported that when a pet sleeps with you, there is a huge risk of being subjected to all sorts of zoonotic pathogens. These pathogens can travel from your pet to you, and they can make you ill.
Before You Kick Your Pet Out of the Bed
This doesn’t mean that you have to kick your poor pet out of the bed. While there is a risk of getting bugs from your pet, getting ill from this transference is actually quite rare. If you have health problems that lower the strength of your immune system, pets shouldn’t be in your bed. It is also considered dangerous for pets to sleep in the bed with the elderly, and with children.
Additionally, if you have any type of wound or surgical incision, the pet needs to sleep elsewhere. Any type of wound – even a sutured wound – makes it easier for the transference of pathogens. There have been numerous instances where a pet owner gets meningitis because their pets slept with them while they had a wound.
Make it Safer to Sleep with Your Pet
If you keep your pet clean and free of fleas, and if your pet visits the veterinarian on a regular basis, you probably won’t catch any pathogens from your healthy pet. You also need to make sure that your pet receives all of his or her vaccinations, and that they are dewormed at least once a year, or as often as is recommended by your veterinarian.
It’s also vital that you understand that sleeping with the pet isn’t the only thing that opens you up to risks. Living with a pet that is not well taken care of, or kissing a pet that is well taken care of, both open you up to additional risks as well.
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