Zoonosis is defined as any infectious disease that can be transmitted from animal to human or human to animal. Dogs and cats can harbor parasites that could infect humans especially children, the elderly, or immune-compromised people.
Some examples of zoonotic diseases include:
- Scabies (mange mites that infect the skin)
- Ringworm (fungal skin infection)
- Hookworms (cutaneous larval migrans)
- Roundworms (visceral larval migrans)
- Staph infections (bacterial skin infections)
- Leptosporosis (bacterial infection of the kidneys)
- Giardia (an infection that causes gastrointestinal disease)
- Fleas (parasites that can transmit diseases like plague)
- Ticks (parasites that can transmit diseases like Lyme’s disease)
Many of these diseases can be controlled by administering monthly parasite preventions to your pets that control external parasites (fleas, ticks, etc.) and internal parasites (intestinal worms, heartworms, etc.). There are also vaccinations for some of these diseases like leptosporsis.
At Chisholm Trail Veterinary Clinic we recommend the guidelines provided by the Companion Animal Parasite Council, or CAPC.
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