Take Preventative Measures When Sleeping With Pets

Adults and children oftentimes enjoy sleeping with household pets. They can keep us warm, feel comfortable, make us feel safe and loved. They may lick our faces, hands or other exposed areas before or during sleeping time.

Scratches and bites, wounds, abscesses, ulcerations or other breaks in the skin can allow bacteria to enter the body. Pay special attention to these areas when they are present. Eliminate bacteria transmission and infection by keeping them covered to heal quickly. Also, take measures to prevent your pet from licking these areas.

What happens when the pests traveling on our pets begin to travel on us? This is an issue of particular concern for family members with compromised immune systems. If someone in your family has a reduced efficiency immune system due to disease, illness, treatment, aging or other factors you'll want to take special care when your pets stretch out beside them. Good pet practices are important for all members of your family. Those practices are critical for family members with reduced immunity to infection or disease!

Zoonoses in the Bedroom places particular attention on several good pet habits that owners must take to maintain the health and well being of their family members when sharing sleeping space. The Center for Disease Control, vigilantly paying attention to the social-emotional role of pets in households, stresses preventative measures when owners choose to sharing sleeping space with their pets.

Flea Free
Take special care to treat your pets for fleas. This should be a lifetime habit you're already consistently addressing with your veterinarian. If not, talk with your vet to determine the best course of flea reduction and elimination for your family's household. Your vet can help you decide which product to use to keep your loved ones safe. The doctor may also have recommendations to make about treatment options that will provide additional support for your pet's health and well being.

Tick-Tock It's Time to Treat
Treating for ticks will be a discussion you need to have with your veterinarian. Your doctor will be able to recommend treatments and alternatives as appropriate for your pet's health status and your home's location. You may already be treating for ticks and you'll want your vet's feedback about other concerns and the impact sleeping with your pets may have on your family.

Scrub-a-Dub
Remembering to wash your hands frequently will support your family with reducing or eliminating bacteria that may be shared between you and your pets. Human hands are probably the area of our body that have the most frequent opportunities to transmit disease. Typically, you may not give much thought to the places your hands have been before they appear in your kitchen preparing food or handling your child's toys. Scrub-a-dub with lots of suds whenever possible!

Pearly Whites Need to Stay Bright
Dental care for your pet is important. When your pet is sharing your sleeping space keeping the pearly whites bright will have additional importance for the health and well being of your family. Tartar and buildup on your pet's teeth will gather bacteria in their mouths. Happily licking you or your family in bed can share that bacteria.

Very Vaccinated
Keeping your pet's vaccinations current will help it maintain good health. Those shots will also minimize chances that you or your family will become ill from something that can be prevented. Your family veterinarian has a schedule for your pet's shots and can advise you as to necessary vaccine updates and out-dated practices.

Prevent Pests
Preventing parasites in your home can be fairly easy when all members participate in preventative practices. These practice include good hand washing during meal preparation, carefully handling feces and hand washing after handling, keeping litter boxes covered and clean, and maintaining a feces-free yard. Pet owners who implement flea and tick treatment measures will also help to prevent parasites in their homes, beds and on their skin.

Infectious diseases can be transmitted from dogs and cats to owners that share sleeping space with them. Notable examples include: Pasteurellosis in Japan and the United Kingdom, Cheyletiella dermatitis in France and cat-scratch disease in Taiwan.

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8:30 am-8:00 pm

Tuesday:

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Wednesday:

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Thursday:

8:30 am-1:00 pm

Friday:

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Saturday:

8:45 am-2:00 pm

Sunday:

Closed

Testimonials

Feedback from our clients

  • "Words can not begin to express our gratitude for the care you had given Hunter over the years. When his time came, he watched for you to come through the door and his tail showed his affection towards you. That was most comforting having you there. Thank you.""
    ~R.H
  • ""Thank you so much for taking care of Maggie over the years. Y'all are the best and Dr. Johnson, you are the best vet in the world! God bless you all.""
    ~ J.D.
  • ""Your care for my beloved Mattie these last 10n years made her life, and mine much better….God bless each of you for all you did for us and I'm sure for all your other two and four legged patients.""
    ~E.D.
  • ""Thank you for saving my life." ~T.C."
    ~T.C.
  • ""I can not express how grateful I am for you and your staff… I appreciate everything you did in Beckham's treatment. He was so lucky to have such a wonderful doctor on his side. Thank you for all you do for the benefit of all our beloved pets.""
    ~L.B.
  • ""Dr. Johnson - There are no words that can truly capture your kindness.""
    ~G.B.
  • ""Thank you for the great care you took of Taco and the rest of our family. He is doing great now! He is enjoying running and playing with all four legs again.""
    ~W.C
  • ""People who avail themselves of your services at the clinic certainly are blessed to have such a caring staff....bless you and your devoted staff.""
    ~E.D.
  • ""A sincere thank you for taking such good care of Dulce. We are so thrilled that she is back to her normal self. You gave her the support and care she needed in her darkest hours and kept us confident in her recovery.""
  • ""Just to say how much we appreciate all of you. You all are wonderful people. We feel blessed to have our beloved furry children in your care when they need it. Your professional knowledge and your acts of kindness have a beautiful act all it's own. You are a great vet, compassionate and everything good all in one. You are in our daily prayers.""
    ~T.F.
  • ""Thank you and all of your staff for the excellent care you gave to my wonderful Abbey, who was so much a part of the family. Thank you for all the advice and support you gave to me these last few months. I don't know how I would have gotten through this without your constant support. I will, and I have highly recommended you to family and friends, as I feel you are the best!""
    ~P.B.
  • ""Thank you for taking care of my kitty, Slingshot. He is feeling better and better. My Paw-Paw said that you took extra special care of him and I really appreciate it. So, thank you again for taking care of my cat.""
    ~T.B. (age 6)
  • ""Dr. Johnson, I don't know why you decided to move here from your home in New Jersey, but I absolutely believe it was so you could help me and Mickey. I know coming to someone's home is not what a typical veterinarian would do, but you are obviously an extraordinary man in a world filled with ordinary men….On top of that, your sensitive and wonderful handwritten note arrived and touched my heart…You are one of those quiet, unheralded champions who make life easier for everyone you touch.""
    ~C.W.
  • ""Thank you so much for taking care of Lola when she had her reaction, and your office was already closed. I know you took time away from yourself and your family and I really appreciate it.""
    ~R.M.
  • ""Thank you for giving me more time with my best friend. We are all so grateful.""
    ~A.M.
  • ""Thank you for all of your support for Maxine during her illness. All was very much appreciated and will always be remembered. I have related to all my friends of what a great doctor and staff at Birdneck Animal Hospital.""
    ~O.B.
  • ""Thank you for taking such good care of me over the last 4 years. I am doing well and both legs and feet feel great. You sis an awesome job on me Dr. Johnson, and I'm gonna have a great year this year and I hope to see you only for my check up. You guys are the best!""
    ~Budkus
  • "We can't thank you enough for the wonderful and loving care you gave to"Budkus" while he was in your care. He was so little and so sick and we were so scared for him. Each and every one of the staff members made us feel like we had the only dog in the world. Like nothing else mattered except getting "Budkus" well again. Our deepest gratitude to all of you for the excellent care and attention we received, for your encouragement, comfort, and understanding, and most importantly for saving his life! Thank you so much.""
    ~ J.,B.,C.