my dog had recently had a cold in the last week... and then my cat started this week... they sneezed in my face a few times over the weekend... and now I have a cold. I've always been told that animals can't transmit colds or whatever... but I haven't been around anyone else that is sick.

11/1/2005 8:17:30 AM

yes

11/1/2005 8:19:10 AM

It is very rare for a dog or cat to be able to pass an illness they have to you. They are different strains. If your dog or cat is sick then its probably going to be a strain dedicated exclusively to them. They can act as a physical carrier of a human cold, just like any door knob, drinking glass, or whatever, but they would never show symptoms.

11/1/2005 8:36:36 AM

^Yeah. It depends on the species of animal and type of virus. But it IS possible. Think ringworms. And don't let goats lick you cause they can give you mouth herpes.

11/1/2005 2:04:44 PM

AVIAN CANINE FELINE FLU

11/1/2005 2:07:06 PM

WEST NILE VIRUS!!!!!!!!

11/1/2005 2:29:44 PM

Talked to my fiance and she said there weren't any illnesses she could think of that can cross species from dog/cat to human that have anything like cold/flu symptoms, most of them deal with the GI tract. She specializes in veterinary pathology so she has a pretty good handle on various diseases.

Quote :

"AVIAN CANINE FELINE FLU"

Actually, when I first mentioned this to her she said, "What, like the Feline Flu?!" and laughed and shook her head.

People are way overhyping the bird flu. Apparently its only transmitted from bird to human, not human to human. However there is danger if a pig were to be exposed to both avian influenza and human influenza then the strains could mutate into a more easily spread strain with human to human transmission and the higher fatality rate of the avian flu.

11/2/2005 10:33:40 AM

well, I know that they recently found a strain of dog influenza... it apparently started in grey hounds or something... and I didn't think that I could actually catch their cold... I just thought it was odd that my dog, cat and I all have the same symptoms at the same time.
But, again, I was pretty sure that you couldn't get it from other species.
I am told, however, that animals can transmit diseases to kids because their immune systems aren't built up completely yet... or something like that. Apparently that is the real reasons that your dogs are not allowed on playgrounds and why it is suggested that young children do not go to off-leash dog parks.
But, I am not studied up on any of this, so I could be wrong.

11/2/2005 12:06:37 PM

cold-like viruses are not zoonotic in most cases. you didn't catch a cold from your dog/cat and the cat didn't catch it from the dog.

the only things you'll catch from your pets are ringworm, rabies, possibly internal parasites, and maybe some GI upset...

but no, you didn't get a cold from your dog. same goes w/ kids. just because one bug infects your pet doesn't mean it is able to infect other species, including young/weak/immunosuppressed/old/etc people.

[Edited on November 2, 2005 at 12:23 PM. Reason : ]

11/2/2005 12:22:26 PM

as I said... I didn't think I actually caught it from my animals... I was just asking because I was too lazy to look up the new influenza strain, and apparently we can get avion flu which I thought was also a strain of influenza.... never hurts to ask.
Besides, what are the odds of getting sick at the same time your animals do... kinda weird.
I think I just have a strain of the flu anyhow... I found out that someone at the dog park I frequent has it, so I guess we are passing it around. Sucks for the older people.

11/2/2005 3:43:23 PM

stop eating cat litter.

11/2/2005 3:49:12 PM

Meestar Monkay peed on my luggage. I looked in the pocket and got a good whiff of Monkey pee and about got sick.

So yeah...you can get sick from a pet, but it won't be from catching viruses.

11/3/2005 12:21:31 AM

small chance normally, but yes.

11/3/2005 12:23:45 AM