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The list of the advantages of owning a dog is very long: opportunity for daily walks, lower risk of heart attack and greater resistance to stress. Unfortunately, man’s best friend can become an enemy of our health. Find out about the diseases that can be infected by your dog.
1. Echinococcosis
It is an extremely dangerous parasitic disease caused by the larval form of the tapeworm Echinococcus granulossus (single-chamber echinococcosis) or, less commonly, E. multilocularis (multi-chamber echinococcosis). The parasite’s reservoir and source of infection are domestic animals (dogs and cats) and wild animals shedding the parasite’s eggs in the faeces into the environment.
In humans, infection occurs through the ingestion by ingesting tapeworm eggs on a dog’s hair or contaminated food. In the human digestive tract, the swallowed eggs hatch larvae, which settle in internal organs, mainly in the liver and lungs, where they form multi-chamber blisters filled with fluid. Most cases of echinococcosis are asymptomatic and the disease takes a long time to develop. Fortunately, echinococcosis is a rare disease in Poland – about 40 cases are reported annually, mainly in adults.
2. Toxocarosis
This is another parasitic disease caused by the larvae of the canine roundworm (Toxocara canis) as well as the cat’s roundworm (Toxocara cati). Mature parasites live in the digestive tract of infected animals, mainly puppies and kittens, and the eggs excreted from their organisms with faeces after about 3 weeks spent in the external environment become invasive, i.e. they contain a larva at a stage capable of being infected. Importantly, eggs can survive in the environment and remain invasive for up to several years!
The source of toxocarosis infection are primarily: contaminated soil, consumed contaminated food, contacts with infected animals and their faeces. Due to the location of the larvae of the parasite in the human body, it stands out visceral, cerebral and ocular toxocarosis. On the so-called wandering visceral larvae syndrome most often affects small children who forget to wash their hands after returning home. The diagnosis of toxocariasis is difficult, and the only evidence of infection is the presence of specific antibodies in the blood serum.
- Also read: Diseases that can infect your dog or cat
3. Giardiasis
Giardiasis, formerly known as giardiasis, is a parasitic disease caused by the protozoan Giardia intesinalis. In Poland, approximately 2280–2400 cases of the disease are registered annually, most of which concern preschool children. We can become infected with Giardiasis through the consumption of contaminated food or water, as well as through dirty hands. Parasites are found in the digestive tract, bile ducts and pancreatic ducts.
Most infections are asymptomatic. Symptomatic infections, in turn, include:
- stomach pain,
- diarrhea,
- sometimes rashes
- bronchial asthma,
- anorexia, anemia.
Infection is rarely long-lasting and usually resolves spontaneously after a few weeks. When it comes to prophylaxis, the disease is prevented by following the basic rules of personal hygiene and thorough washing of vegetables and fruits consumed raw.
4. Leptospirosis
Leptospirosis is an infectious bacterial disease caused by the spirochetes of the genus Leptospira. Man most often gets sick after contact with the urine of infected animals. After entering the body, the spirochetes spread through the bloodstream and then into the organs, especially the liver and kidneys. The disease can be both mild and severe – jaundice with multi-organ failure.
The symptoms of leptospirosis usually resemble the flu. The main symptoms are headache, fever, chills, cough, sore throat, and muscle aches. They may also be associated with nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, diarrhea and rash skin lesions. Symptoms usually last for about a week and then go away on their own. In half of the patients, meningitis with headaches and neck stiffness may persist for 1-2 weeks. In mild disease, treatment is symptomatic. In turn, in the treatment of more severe leptospirosis, antibiotics are used in hospital conditions.
- Also read: Seven diseases that we can catch from cats
5. Rabies
Rabies is currently the most dangerous zoonotic disease, caused by many different strains of Lyssavirus. Human infection occurs as a result of being bitten by a rabid dog, less often through the animal’s saliva, which enters the mucous membranes or damaged skin. The first symptoms of the disease are usually agitation, headaches, fever, malaise, and sensory disturbances at the site of virus entry. Subsequently, symptoms of encephalitis appear, i.e. disturbances of consciousness such as: hallucinations, hyperactivity, disturbances in the rhythm of sleep and wakefulness. There may also be seizures, breathlessness and paralysis of the limbs.
It should be remembered that rabies remains a disease that is almost always fatal – individuals who have been vaccinated before the onset of symptoms or are infected by less virulent strains of the virus survive. However, rabies can be effectively prevented by immunization and specific immunoglobulin.
- Also read: Rabies still incurable and deadly – how to avoid it?
6. Canine scabies
Canine scabies is a parasite belonging to the order of mites (arachnids). Parasites most often attack homeless animals, and feed on skin cells and reproduce on its surface. In an infected dog, the disease manifests itself as skin lesions that are mainly located on the head, especially the ears and mouth, as well as the limbs. Initially, there is erythema, with time scabs and alopecia develop. Before the skin lesions appear, dogs may experience severe itching, which is why the disease is named after them.
Scabies can be transmitted from dogs to humans, not only through direct contact, but also indirectly through, for example, clothing. In humans, the main symptom of scabies is a severely itchy rash. A complication of the disease may also be mycosis. In young children or people with allergies, the symptoms of scabies are easily confused with allergies. The most important ways to avoid infection are observing the dog’s fur, frequent hand washing and high temperature washing of underwear or bedding.
7. Dipylidosis
It is a parasitic disease caused by a canine tapeworm. The infection occurs through the ingestion – by eating a flea, which contains the larval form of the tapeworm – cysticercoid. Humans become infected sporadically, usually through dirty hands. The infection most often occurs in children who, after playing with infected dogs, do not wash their hands, kiss animals or pick up contaminated objects collected from the ground.
The symptoms of infection are very similar to the symptoms of armed tapeworm infection, and the diagnosis of the disease is based on the examination of the stool. The presence of members that may be mobile and resemble fly larvae or microscopic parasite eggs is indicative of infection.
We encourage you to listen to the latest episode of the RESET podcast. This time we devote it to the problems of the perineum – a part of the body just like any other. And although it concerns all of us, it is still a taboo subject that we are often ashamed to talk about. What do hormonal changes and natural births change? How not to harm the pelvic floor muscles and how to care for them? How do we talk about perineal problems with our daughters? About this and many other aspects of the problem in a new episode of the podcast.
Find out more:
- Echinococcosis, toxoplasmosis, scabies. What else can we get infected from dogs and cats?
- Dogs and cats should maintain a social distance. Everything, because of the coronavirus
- Mosquito, wasp, tick, snake – what to do when we get bitten or bitten?
- It is a dangerous parasite. You get infected with it by eating fruit straight from the bush