What Diseases Transfer Between Dogs & People?

Rabies

• You will most likely to come in contact into rabies when approaching wildlife. It infects any warm-blooded mammal, including humans, by a saliva-contaminated bite or saliva contamination of wounds or skin abrasions. Symptoms of rabies in dogs include aggressive behavior and excessive salivation. In some cases, the dog may appear overly friendly, but it actually carries rabies. Vaccinating your pets protects it against the disease. If you frequently work with wildlife, you may want to consider vaccinating yourselves against rabies.

Ringworm

• Contrary to popular belief, worms do not cause ringworm. The confusion stems from the misnomer of the term. A fungus causes ringworm, and it can spread to people. The spores of this fungus frequently contaminate brushes and cloth that you use on your dog. It can get into heating ducts, carpeting and furniture to further spread the disease. When ringworm infects humans, the affected areas on their skins often get itchy. The skin also appears red and scaly. You should seek treatment upon noticing the first signs of ringworm infection.

Roundworm

• Humans get infected when they accidentally consume roundworm eggs. This could happen if you do not practice good hygiene when handling dog stools. Children often get the disease due to their poor hygienic practices; for example, playing in a sandbox contaminated with roundworm-infested pet stool can infect the child. The eggs hatch once they reach the infected person's intestines. From there, the hatched larvae burrow into intestinal walls and migrate throughout the body. These migrating larvae can cause various diseases and in some cases, even blindness. Blindness occurs when the migrating larvae reach the eyes. Prevention methods include annual checking of pet's stool and monthly heartworm preventative pills.

Tapeworms

• Fleas and rodents usually carry tapeworms. If your dog has fleas, it usually means that your dog has tapeworms. This does not usually infect humans because it only happens when you swallow an infected flea. Tapeworms commonly infect children. Symptoms in infected humans are similar to those in dogs. When infected, you will often find segments of tapeworms that resemble grains of rice in the feces and sticking to the anus. Tapeworms come in many different types, and the most dangerous of these tapeworms can cause major problems to the infected human, including brain damage and damage to other body organs. Tapeworms have some resistance to regular worm medications.

Lyme Disease

• Lyme disease commonly infects dogs from tick bites. When these infected ticks bite humans, they get infected as well. The disease is a bacterial infection that can cause rash, pain and swollen joints. It can also cause fever and several other neurological signs. It may even cause arthritis and heart disease. Nowadays, various products sold on the market can protect your dog from this disease. Apart from that, vaccinating dogs will prevent this disease. Lyme disease is found in much higher frequency in northeastern US.