While your pet loves sharing the bed with you each night, you might wish they were less generous when sharing infectious diseases—parasites, bacteria, and viruses—that can cause you serious adverse health conditions. To limit infectious disease exposure—your pet’s and yours—ensure their preventive care treatments are current. Our Creature Comforts Veterinary Service team describes some of the most common diseases your pet could transmit to you.

#1: Ringworm

Ringworm is a fungal disease transmitted through direct contact with an infected pet or person, or a contaminated object or surface. People with ringworm have a scaly, reddened, and circular rash. Pets’ ringworm is more difficult to detect, but they may have bald spots with scaling, crusting, and red skin. To avoid this itchy infection, clean your pet’s bedding regularly, wash your hands frequently, and disinfect your home.

#2: Roundworms

The most common intestinal parasite, roundworms easily pass from infected pets’ feces—particularly puppies’ and kittens’—to their owners. Roundworm signs in pets include diarrhea, vomiting, bloody stool, and lethargy. In people, roundworms migrate to the lungs, resulting in shortness of breath, abdominal pain, and bloody stool. To avoid this intestinal parasite infection, always use good hygiene practices when cleaning up after your pet.

#3: Leptospirosis

The bacteria that causes leptospirosis is shed in infected animals’ urine. Pets contract this disease by drinking contaminated water, or when their mucous membranes or a wound comes in contact with infected urine. Leptospirosis can be fatal, as this disease attacks the kidneys, and can cause liver failure. Pets with leptospirosis may vomit, have diarrhea, refuse to eat, and drink excessively. If the animal’s liver is affected, they may appear jaundiced. A person can contract leptospirosis from their pet, or by swimming in contaminated water, and their signs include high fever, muscle aches, vomiting, diarrhea, or rash.

#4: Campylobacteriosis

The bacteria Campylobacter causes campylobacteriosis—the leading bacterial diarrheal illness in the United States. If a person inadvertently ingests their pet’s infective feces, they can develop gastrointestinal problems, such as severe and bloody diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps. Puppies younger than 6 months of age are most at risk of contracting campylobacteriosis infection, which can cause them to have fever, vomiting, and enlarged lymph nodes.

#5: Cat scratch disease

Cat scratch disease is a bacterial infection cats can pass to people by a bite or a scratch, or through licking a person’s open wound. Although 40% of cats carry the infection-causing bacteria during their lifetime, kittens are more likely to bite or scratch, making them more likely to transmit the infection to people. Cats typically do not show cat scratch disease infection signs, but may have fever. In rare cases, infected cats may develop labored breathing, vomiting, swollen lymph nodes, and reddened eyes. People with cat scratch disease can develop fever, headache, poor appetite, and exhaustion.

#6: Rabies

Thanks to our nation’s excellent rabies vaccination protocol, people rarely contract rabies from their pet. An infected wild animal is more likely to transmit rabies, which they spread through saliva, making an animal bite the most common rabies transmission route. A pet who develops rabies may exhibit behavioral changes, hypersalivation, fever, seizures, and light and touch sensitivity. People who contract rabies can experience headache and weakness that progress to insomnia, confusion, anxiety, partial paralysis, and hallucinations. Rabies is almost 100% fatal in people if they do not receive immediate treatment, and the disease is always fatal in pets, so ensure your pet’s rabies vaccination is current.

#7: Toxoplasmosis

Toxoplasma—a single-celled parasite—causes toxoplasmosis in cats and people. Cats become infected by eating rodents, birds, or other small animals who carry the parasite, which is then passed via the cat’s feces to their owners, typically during litter box cleaning. In general, healthy people do not contract toxoplasmosis, but—if infected—pregnant people and immunocompromised individuals can suffer serious health complications. Toxoplasmosis can cause people to experience flu-like symptoms, and fetuses to develop congenital disorders. Cats typically do not show toxoplasmosis signs, although kittens can develop diarrhea.

#8: Giardiasis

Infected pets’ feces can transmit the parasitic microorganism Giardia to people. In addition, pets and people can contract this parasite through contaminated water. Pets with Giardia can develop painful gas, abdominal cramps, vomiting, and watery diarrhea. People who contract this intestinal parasite can display the same adverse signs as their pets.

#9: Sarcoptic mange

The skin mite that causes sarcoptic mange can jump from pets to people. On people, however, sarcoptic mange mites are unable to complete their life cycle, and eventually die. Sarcoptic mange mites cause people to develop severely itchy bumps that can last up to three weeks. Sarcoptic mange mites cause pets to become extremely itchy, often losing hair, and having scaling or crusted lesions.

Although your furry pal can transmit many diseases to you, good hygiene protocols and preventive care—vaccinations and parasite preventive medications—can prevent you and your pet from developing infectious diseases. Schedule an appointment with our Creature Comforts Veterinary Service team to help you stay on top of your pet’s preventive care.