I read a very good article in the February 5 Poughkeepsie Journal that was originally written for the Associated Press: http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2012302050034 . It's about preparing your pets for a new baby in the house and contains some very good suggestions from Dr. Sophia Yin, a well-respected veterinary behaviorist (a veterinarian who specializes in behavior problems). The article's great. The PHOTO, however, depicts a dog licking the mouth of a 3-month-old infant.
What's wrong with this picture? Well, for starters, what was that dog licking just before she put her tongue near the baby's mouth? If we're lucky it was just her food bowl or maybe the floor. If we're not so lucky, that dog just defecated, and we all know what dogs use for toilet paper...
It isn't just the "ewww" factor. Dogs can transmit the eggs of parasites called roundworms and hookworms through their feces, and when they lick their backsides after defecating, the feces end up on their tongues (and then on to your hands, your child's face, and so forth). Since these parasites don't normally live in the human body, when they start to develop, instead of going into the intestinal tract like they would in a dog, they get lost, and can end up in the skin (called cutaneous larva migrans) or even the eye (called ocular larva migrans). The Center for Disease Control (CDC) website has great information on these conditions http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/toxocariasis/epi.html. Don't enter those terms in a search engine unless you really want to see some icky pictures.
Parasite transmission is probably the biggest risk to that cute baby in the newspaper photo. She doesn't have a fully developed immune system and is constantly putting her hands in her mouth. We need to remember that dogs can transmit other types of infections to people as well, such as Salmonella and Campylobacter (if pet food or human food happens to be contaminated, and hey, dogs *never* go through the trash). Check out the CDC's excellent "Healthy Pets Healthy People" pages for more diseases, if you haven't heard enough already: http://www.cdc.gov/healthypets/animals/dogs.htm.
Grossed out yet? Then I've done my job :) Wash your hands before you eat. Don't let your pets lick your face and especially not your kid's faces. Don't share your plates, forks, or lollipops. Love your pets, but don't kiss them on the lips. We share our lives (and sometimes our beds) with our wonderful companion animals, but let's not share parasites, 'kay?
P.S. For those of you welcoming a new baby to the house, our own Putnam Hospital Center has a free Pets and the Newborn class coming up this weekend. Call PHC for more information
