Pets and Ebola

Living in the DFW metroplex I have seen nothing on TV except information on Ebola in the last few weeks.  I have had several clients ask me about the euthanasia of the dog in Spain and if it was necessary.  My answer is 'I don't know'...  The dog belonging to the Dallas nurse is currently being quarantined for 21 days, according to the Dallas Office of Emergency Management.  I want to pass on the website from the AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association) on animals and Ebola.  There are several links with further information on the page as well.  The information is limited but reliable.  The site from the AVMA is being constantly updated so check back for any new info.

AVMA on Ebola

Pregnant? Can your cat really give you Toxoplasmosis?

The answer is yes, your cat can give you Toxoplasma, but please read below to get all the information.  I have had several pregnant clients recently and wanted to pass along this information from one of my veterinary journals, Veterinary Team Brief.  I find that human doctors just tell you not to change the litter boxes if your pregnant but don't explain why.  And I'm sure there are pregnant ladies out there who don't have anyone who can or will change the litter boxes.  So here is some good solid info on Toxoplasma.   BUT, no matter what you read here you need to follow the advice of your medical doctor.  They after all know you and your pregnancy, not me writing on my blog!

Toxoplasmosis

A common misconception is that pregnant women must give up their cats because of the risk of Toxoplasma gondii infection. First-time infection of women in early pregnancy can have significant effects on the fetus, potentially leading to abortion, neonatal death, or congenital effects. Similarly, infection in immunocompromised individuals (particularly AIDS patients) can cause encephalitis and other very serious complications. Children may ingest infectious oocysts from soil during play, but infection is not known to cause significant issues as long as they are immunocompetent. Although cats are the definitive hosts of this parasite, keep these points in mind:

1. Almost all cats are infected with T gondii at some point, but very few are shedding Toxoplasma oocysts at any one time. Most cats shed significant numbers of oocysts only for a couple of weeks after initial infection, typically at an early age. The likelihood of a healthy mature cat shedding T gondiioocysts is generally low.¹
2. The oocysts shed in cat feces generally become infective at least 24 hours after they are passed. Cleaning the litter box daily will greatly reduce the client’s risk of infection.
3. Depending on a woman’s location and lifestyle, she may also be exposed toT gondii from eating certain undercooked meats, or from contact with contaminated soil (see Common Toxoplasma gondii Exposure Routes). The parasite must be swallowed to cause infection—contact alone is not enough, but contamination and poor hygiene of the hands can lead to oral transmission.

The bottom line: Pregnant women can keep their cats, but should take precautions to reduce the risk of T gondii exposure, including avoiding adopting a cat younger than 1 year, having someone else clean the litter box (ideally daily), cooking meat properly (visit foodsafety.gov/index.html for information about proper temperatures), and washing hands thoroughly after working in soil or handling cat litter.

Common Toxoplasma gondii Exposure Routes2,3

Eating unwashed fruits & vegetables Eating undercooked meat from infected animals (eg, livestock, game) Using contaminated knives, cutting boards, or other utensils to handle food Drinking untreated water from a contaminated source Poor hand hygiene after working with contaminated soil (eg, in the garden) Contact with feces from a cat that is actively shedding T gondii. Read All About It Worms & Germs Blog: Promoting Safe Pet Ownership. University of Guelph & Centre for Public Health and Zoonoses; http://www.wormsandgermsblog.com Zoonotic Diseases. Center for Food Security and Public Health;http://www.cfsph.iastate.edu/Zoonoses/index.php References: 1. Parasitic diseases. Weese JS, Peregrine AS, Anderson MEC, Fulford MB. In Weese JS, Fulford MB (eds): Companion Animal Zoonoses—Ames, Iowa: Wiley-Blackwell, 2011. 2. Transmission and epidemiology of zoonotic protozoal diseases of companion animals. Esch KJ, Petersen CA. Clin Microbiol Rev 26:58-85, 2013. 3. Canine echinococcosis: Global epidemiology and genotypic diversity. Carmena D, Cardona GA. Acta Trop 128:441–460, 2013.

Worms, worms and more worms!!!

 I wanted to yet again stress the importance of monthly heartworm prevention and intestinal parasite control. It is a very simple thing to prevent, and can safeguard your pets and your human family.  Many of these parasites we treat monthly are passed from pets to people!!! I know gross!!!  They can literally spread to the eyes of humans and cause blindness.  I encourage you to ask your eye doctor about this during you next visit!

Heartworms are not passed to people but they can cause death in dogs and cats.  In cats since they are not the natural host it is often causes a sudden death, unlike dogs who often have coughing as one of the first symptoms.  Heartworms are easy to prevent in cats and dogs(ask your vet about options).  Heartworms are not treatable in cats, just preventable.  Heartworms are successfully treated in dogs but treatment is much more expensive than prevention.  Most of the heartworm preventions available today also contain a dewormer for the "pets to people" parasites as well!!

Here are a few Parasite Maps from the Companion Animal Parasite Councils website.  Very eye opening!  This is a very interactive site that covers way more than the 2 maps below.  Click on the link above and check them all out.

First one is for Cats and Roundworms:  Roundworms are parasites that live in the intestines and are passed from pets to people.  Just a little interesting fact for all the indoor cat owners out there, "15% of all potting soil contains roundworm eggs"!!

http://www.capcvet.org/parasite-prevalence-maps/

This second map is for Dogs and Heartworms.  All I have to say is 1 in every 80 dogs tested ( I stress 'tested', what about non-tested dogs...) are positive for heartworms in the state of Texas!!! WOW!

http://www.capcvet.org/parasite-prevalence-maps/

Cats and Carriers, Friends not Foes

This is a wonderful video from the Catalyst Council about training your cat to be comfortable in it's carrier.  I find that there is a lot of cats that don't get the medical attention that they need because they are hard to get into their carriers or are extremely stressed while riding in the car.  This is a 5 step process to help a new cat or an already scared cat make the carrier a positive experience.
I will add that in this video the seat belt is wrapped around the covered carrier for car transport, but it is also helpful in an uncovered carrier to run the seat belt through the upper handle of the carrier to prevent sliding.  They also don't explain why a cat carrier should be in the back seat.  An airbag can be life threatening in pets. If any of you have been hit by an airbag, you know it hurts!  This forceful impact can easily break bones in an animal, soooo always the back seat for pets!!!