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How Safe Is It To Own Pets?
Many would shrug at the fact that our furry, feline friends can pose significant health hazards for us. The cute, cuddly, man’s best friends can be the root cause for several ailments.
There are several cases of roundworms found in cats and dogs. Their eggs are passed on in their faeces, so any family member when playing on the ground where the animals have defecated can instantly get infected by the parasite. Toxocara also called Toxocara canis or cati, is the parasitic worm which harbor in the gastrointestinal tracts of dogs and cats. The eggs of these parasites can infect the surroundings, thus posing immense health risks for people, other birds and animals around them.
If you have a child in the house, it can be quite possible that he might ingest the eggs if he puts his dirty hands in his mouth. The eggs burrow through the intestinal wall and are carried in the bloodstream to the lungs. They are then coughed up, swallowed and continue to dwell in the intestines. There are generally no symptoms, although if there is more than one worm present in the body, one may experience abdominal pain and might suffer from a loss in appetite.
Prevention is always preferable to cure. It is advisable to not allow pets into the key areas of the house like the kitchen, the child’s play area, the dining area and bathrooms. Care must be taken when one goes to public parks. If a person is diagnosed as having toxocara, he will be prescribed medications to help get rid of it.
One can detect certain symptoms depending on the area of the infection. One can get eye lesions, lung infections leading to cough, sneezing, pneumonia, lung inflammations, skin rashes. There have been cases reported of fever, vomiting and violent convulsions. There is a significant enlargement of the liver, eyesight problems. They are also known to cause infestations to the vital organs like the heart and brain. One can undergo a liver biopsy to check for its enlargement.
There are several drugs like Vermox, Thiabendazole, Mintezol, Anthelmintic drugs to name a few which when taken under medical supervision can provide relief. One must take a diet that is loaded with iron or take the oral iron tablets to cure anemia caused by this disease. One needs to take anti parasite tablets and medicines to prevent irritation.
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