By WKRG Staff
Published: Tue, May 15, 2007 - 5:05 am
Meet 11 year old Maggie. She's a Cocker Spaniel puppy and the newest member of the Moreau family. 7 year old merit just can't get enough of her, but Merit's mother has her concerns.
Moreau says, "Having a child around and having her and the dog in her face, and playing with it after the dog's been outside, I did consider that."
Puppies are precious, but disease they can carry, like rabies and ringworm, can be dangerous. So a visit to the vet should be the first order of business for new pet owners.
Bonne Beaver is a veterinarian. Beaver says, "One of the things the veterinarians will check for would be for intestinal parasites. Dogs and cats can have intestinal parasites that people can get when they come in contact with the feces."
Furry felines can pass along toxoplasmosis. It can cause birth defects, so pregnant women should avoid cleaning the litter box. Most people link salmonella with chickens, but horses can carry the bacteria, too.
Beaver says, "The horse picks it up and the person then handles horse feces, whether from grooming the animal, from cleaning out a stall and then they ingest that and develop salmonella. Most of the things horses get really do not transfer to humans, so they're a relatively safe pet."
For now, the Moreaus are making the most of their time with Maggie and playing it safe with regular vet visits.
The good news is experts say simple hand washing can prevent most potentially dangerous pet diseases.
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