Dogs and Cats

Seven out of every 10 American households are dwellings for people and pets alike. Here’s a look at some of the health benefits and risks of sharing our homes with dogs and cats.

There are several health benefits to owning pets.

Let’s start with the good news. Bonnie Beaver, professor of veterinary medicine at Texas A&M University and a past president of the American Veterinary Medical Association, describes some of the scientifically proven benefits.

“We know that petting a dog or cat can lower blood pressure,” she says, acknowledging other studies where moments of relaxation have yielded the same effect. “People who are highly stressed frequently relax after coming home and hugging their dog or cat for a while. We also know, based on reports given at the international human-animal bond meetings, that the presence of a cat can have psychological benefits for widows, especially in their first widowed year.”

Dr. Beaver also touts the benefits of exercise when walking a dog and the increased social interaction evident when people are approached by strangers about their pet.

Dog saliva is far from sanitary.

A favorite refrain of dog owners, often heard right after Rex licks your face, is, “Dog saliva is cleaner than human saliva.” Some have even posited that a dog’s saliva may have antiseptic properties. But the claim is false. Anyone with sincere doubts should consider what goes into a dog’s mouth, not to mention the minty fresh breath. Most bad smells (rotting food, decaying flesh) are a primal signal to humans that harmful bacteria is present and should be avoided. Anything that smells that bad just can’t be that good.

Pet owners can have pet allergies.

The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology estimates that 10 million pet owners are allergic to their own animals. Allergic reactions range from a tickled nose to a respiratory emergency, and are frequently caused by a response to a pet’s dander, saliva or urine. Saliva, for example, is easily airborne once it dries on an animal’s hair coat after grooming. As veterinarian Beaver says, “Protein sources are associated with all allergies. So allergies can be caused by saliva on the hair coat, dander, or a combination of the two. Plus, the animal hair itself gets everywhere.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) points out that young children should be kept away from areas where animals may have defecated, such as litter boxes or uncovered sandboxes to prevent the spread of roundworms and hookworms. These parasites can penetrate the skin or, more sickening yet, their eggs can be ingested should a child mistake the scat for a snack. The larvae can then travel in the body, wreaking havoc on organs and the nervous system (visceral larva migrans) or entering the eye (ocular larva migrans) at the risk of blindness.

Thankfully, the condition is rare and treatable. It can be prevented by having pets treated regularly for worms, cleaning a pet’s “drop spot,” washing one’s hands and serving something better for lunch.

A condition associated specifically with cat feces is toxoplasmosis, which is also a parasitic disease. Dr. Beaver explains that the human risk is sometimes overestimated by cautious doctors. “There is a risk of toxoplasmosis from cat feces, but physicians can sometimes cause unnecessary paranoia about it in cat owners. In people, toxoplasmosis is more commonly associated with eating raw or undercooked meat that is contaminated. However, for pregnant women in their first trimester, toxoplasmosis can be very damaging to a fetus.” Newly pregnant women who are concerned should simply add “Clean the litter box” to their husband’s to-do list (and skip the steak tartare).  According to the CDC, very few of the remaining people infected with toxoplasmosis have symptoms because a healthy immune system usually keeps the parasite from causing illness.

“Dogs and Cats” has been reviewed for accuracy by Bonnie Beaver, professor of veterinary medicine at Texas A&M University and former president of the American Veterinary Medical Association.

Confused by health myths and misinformation? Each week, Rich Maloof talks to leading health experts to bring you the straight facts on a broad range of health topics.

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