1. Ask advice
2. Research it yourself

An amazing number of dog owners using option 2 will buy Sentinel Spectrum. One look at our chart of the flea and heartworm treatments for dogs and you’ll see why. It does ‘everything’.

Is it really as good as it looks? I’ll let you decide. In the process, you’re going to learn a whole lot about choosing the best product for your dog.

But I must warn you: this isn’t going to be fair. There’s a reason behind everything I say, but you’re getting my personal opinions.

What Is Sentinel Spectrum?

Sentinel Spectrum is a once-a-month flavoured tablet that prevents heartworm, fleas and intestinal worms in dogs. It is the most complete single product for these three groups of parasites. That’s why it’s deservedly popular. I like it too.

But…

Once you understand it you might, like me, think there are better solutions. It’s a case of ‘jack of all trades, master of none’. Let’s look at each of the things it does, and a few extra it doesn’t.

Sentinel’s Flea Control

Sentinel contains lufenuron, an insect growth regulator. It kills fleas in the egg by blocking their growth. That’s great for safety. Being the only non-insecticidal product for dogs is certainly an excellent drawcard.

However, not killing fleas isn’t always compatible with an active lifestyle. Your dog will undoubtedly pick up ‘travellers’ on the street, at the park, and even in your yard from stray cats. These fleas will live long, happy lives. So if you’re into flea welfare, Sentinel is the best. Personally, that’s not a group I’ll be joining anytime soon.

My Flea Control Choice

Modern treatments in the isoxazoline class are very safe and extremely fast in removing fleas. Like Sentinel, they’re also tablets so you don’t have any messy drug and solvent on the coat.

There are three. Simparica is my clear winner. I have seen no evidence of it being out-performed anywhere. Just yesterday I saw a dog that lives in the hills who has always had mite problems no matter what was used. Until this year, that is, thanks to Simparica. One very happy dog (and owner).

Bravecto has taken a lot of heat for suspected adverse reactions in dogs, which I think is unfair (even Simparica has had a side effect scare). However, it’s still wise to avoid longer-acting products if you can use shorter-acting products effectively.

Nexgard I have no strong opinion of. Towards the end of the month, it’s a bit slower to kill fleas and ticks than Simparica.

Hang on, did I just mention mites and ticks? That needs an explanation.

Is Sentinel a Mite & Tick Treatment?

No. Companies aren’t great at telling you what their products don’t cover. Here’s a list of the common mites and ticks of Aussie dogs, which is very similar to other countries.

• Ear mites
• Demodex mites
• Sarcoptic (mange) mites
• Paralysis tick (not present in Adelaide)
• Brown dog tick

The paralysis tick deserves a special mention. At one time, half of the patients in some vet hospitals in the eastern states had tick paralysis. It kills without treatment and is very expensive to manage.

Now a series of products capable of preventing tick paralysis properly have changed this picture forever. Today, most veterinary practices on the east coast would see fewer tick paralysis cases in a year that they formerly saw in a week. Those products are, once again, Simparica, Nexgard, Bravecto.

Why anyone living in a tick-prone area wouldn’t use these is a mystery to me. Even in boring old Adelaide, they will prevent all the mites in the list above, plus prevent paralysis ticks when travelling. Ear mites and Demodex are particularly common in puppies.

Sentinel’s Heartworm Control

Sentinel will kill heartworm larvae for one month after they are deposited by mosquitos. That’s the same as most heartworm preventatives on the market. Safe and effective.

However, if you read my history of heartworm in Adelaide you’ll see how we never had good control using monthly treatments alone. It’s not that they don’t work, it’s that we keep forgetting to give them. Me included. I used to remember it at 3 am and then forget it the next day.

My Heartworm Control Choice

That’s why we recommend that most dogs receive the annual ProHeart injection, containing moxidectin. It doesn’t cost much more and works for 12 months after each dose in adults.

Hang on, I hear you say, didn’t you just tell me that shorter-acting is better than long-acting? Yes, that’s still true, and I certainly support the reliable use of any monthly treatment. The three reasons I think this is an exception are:

1. Moxidectin is incredibly safe
2. The dose is low due to heartworm larvae being especially sensitive
3. Existing monthly treatments don’t work for most dog owners

Sentinel’s Intestinal Worm Control

Sentinel kills all the common intestinal worms in Adelaide dogs, including tapeworm. That makes it unique among heartworm treatments in 2018.

My concerns here are minor and easily ignored. I just don’t like worming dogs more than we need to. It’s a theoretical concern and there’s nothing to back up what I say. Except…

Studies in humans have shown the interesting link between allergy and being free of worms (reference below). It seems like the immune system needs something to keep it busy. In other words, it may be better that we pick up the odd worm than never have them at all.

My Worm Control Choice

Existing recommendations to give a worming tablet every 3 months probably achieve a good balance. The life cycle for most worms is around two weeks. Dogs are likely to pick up worms at the park but never get enough to harm them.

When Sentinel Is Great

So now that I’ve picked on poor Sentinel Spectrum, let’s give it the chance to defend itself. It does a good job of heartworm and intestinal worm control if used correctly. It’s perfectly fine for fleas if dogs aren’t too social. Those fleas that are picked up won’t breed in the house.

It has one other distinct advantage that should not be ignored: price. For what it does, it stands out as the cheapest option. In a world where dog health depends on an owners’ financial state, this is also important.

So if you’ve chosen Sentinel, don’t feel that there’s anything wrong with that. I picked it as an example but I could have done the same with most products. But I hope you can see how a tailored approach designed by your vet can be better.

Further Reading

Natural flea remedies | Australian flea & heartworm treatments

Feary J, Britton J, Leonardi-Bee J. Atopy and current intestinal parasite
infection: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Allergy.
2011;66:569-578.

Have something to add? Comments (if open) will appear within 24 hours.
By Andrew Spanner BVSc(Hons) MVetStud, a vet in Adelaide, Australia. Meet his team here.

Compare this with the 1980s and 1990s. It’s hard to find a dog owner from that time who didn’t know a dog that died from heartworm in Adelaide.

Like most vets of my age I’ve been unlucky to diagnose and treat a lot of cases of heartworm. I hope it will never happen again, but I’ve got good reasons to be worried. This story is typical:

• Several years ago, before we settled on the DV foster care program, I was looking for a charitable outlet for Walkerville Vet. I contacted a well-known dog rescue organisation, and offered to help by providing free desexing, vaccines, heartworm prevention and microchips.
• We arranged a meeting and it all went well until the subject of heartworm came up. I was told that they didn’t believe heartworm was a problem, and they didn’t use prevention. In fact, they wouldn’t use or recommend prevention even though I was offering it for free!
• In the end, I had to withdraw my offer; they weren’t going to budge and I wasn’t going to do a half-baked job.

Wow do we have short memories; the folk memory of heartworm is already disappearing, even though the disease hasn’t. This happens every time we get success in preventing a disease. Take these three for example:

• Polio: my father was expected to never walk again
• Diphtheria: my grandmother carried a tracheostomy scar for life
• Distemper: my parents as young vets saw this kill more dogs than anything else (read more about distemper here)

Is Heartworm In Adelaide?

Yes, but it wasn’t always the case. When I was a child visiting my NSW relatives, I remember them giving heartworm prevention even though we didn’t in SA. It seems that sometime in the 1970s South Australian dogs began to get infected.

We suspect it started when people started moving around more for work. In moving to SA they would of course bring the family dog. An infected dog would then act as a reservoir for infecting other dogs.

Another theory is that it spread via the Riverland. Regardless, by the 1970s, Adelaide researchers using greyhounds were finding it in some dogs at post mortem, and by the 1980s vets were seeing disease in pet dogs. By the 1990s it was a big problem.

Prevention and treatment of heartworm have since been a big success. Follow the link to learn more about heartworm and see a creepy sight we regularly saw down our microscope.

Is Heartworm Prevention Necessary?

So if heartworm disease is now rare, why do you still need to use prevention? There are two good reasons:

• Dogs with heartworm are still found throughout Adelaide. If one lives within the range of a mosquito, your dog will become infected if not protected.
• The concept of ‘herd immunity’

What is Herd Immunity?

My best analogy is a bushfire. For a spot fire to spread there needs to be enough dry fuel around to keep the fire moving.

If only some fuel is dry, sparks will sometimes land and catch fire, and sometimes not, and the fire will gradually die out.

For heartworm in one dog to spread, there need to be enough dogs not on prevention within mosquito range to keep the disease spreading. If the mosquitoes bite mostly protected dogs, like sparks landing on damp grass, the disease will peter out.

Herd immunity for heartworm depends on:

• The population density of dogs
• The percent of dogs protected

That’s why the occasional dog not on heartworm prevention (or the occasional unvaccinated dog) stays well; herd immunity is how these at-risk dogs still remain protected.

“Herd immunity is vulnerable to the free rider problem. Individuals who lack immunity, primarily those who choose not to vaccinate, free ride off the herd immunity created by those who are immune. As the number of free riders in a population increases, outbreaks of preventable diseases become more common and more severe. … If large numbers of people in a community free ride, herd immunity in that community is lost.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herd_immunity

What happens next all depends on dog owners. I’m pleased to say that our clients almost 100% follow our recommendations. It’s up to us to keep levels of protection high enough to never let heartworm spread again.

What about cats? It’s complicated. Read about the heartworm in cats here.

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By Andrew Spanner BVSc(Hons) MVetStud, a vet in Adelaide, Australia. Meet his team here.

What you should ask: “WHICH worms??” You might be surprised by the answer.

Warning: Contains Disgusting Worm Descriptions & Pictures!

The truth is, it’s complicated: there are many worms of dogs and cats.

Some common treatments only cover some worms. You need to know:

• Which worms haven’t been mentioned
• Which worms do you need to treat in your area

A good example is a very popular topical flea and heartworm control, which claims intestinal worm coverage. It’s just not that great for intestinal worms. Certainly not good enough to rely on in Adelaide without adding tablets.

In fact, the only adult dogs I’ve seen in the past ten years who’ve actually been sick due to worms have been on this product. It’s not that the product did anything wrong- it just wasn’t treating all the worms (and the owners thought it was).

A (similar) confusion is between heartworm prevention and intestinal worm prevention in dogs. Answer: they need both.

Why Dogs & Cats Need Worm Treatment

1. Puppies and kittens are at very high risk and can even die without protection. They haven’t developed enough immunity yet, so worm numbers build up quickly. Some worms even infect them directly from their mother’s milk.
2. Older dogs and cats usually get infected from worm eggs in soil or prey and can also get quite unwell.
3. You can also get worms from your pet. Any pet carrying worms is also a threat to human health, especially children. Ingesting infective worm eggs can lead to the syndromes of covert toxocariasis, visceral larva migrans and ocular larva migrans. Read more about these here.

How To Tell If A Pet Has Worms

Actually, there’s no easy way; symptoms are vague and non-specific. For example, rubbing or scooting the bottom is usually NOT worms.

Puppies and kittens with worms are usually thin with a swollen belly. They often feed poorly and have loose droppings. Most older animals don’t show signs of illness, but a few will still get conditions like chronic diarrhoea, poor coat condition, anaemia or weight loss.

We vets can’t tell either. When we suspect a worm infestation, we send faeces to the lab to look for worm eggs.

How Often To Worm Pets

Vets advise routine preventative worming:

1. Every two weeks up to 12 weeks of age
2. Every month between 3 and 6 months
3. Every three months from 6 months old

If a pet has worms, you may find them in the faeces after giving an effective wormer. Just like happened to the puppy in the picture.

What Worms Do Dogs & Cats Get?

I have personally seen dogs in Adelaide get infestations with roundworm, hookworm, tapeworm & whipworm.

Read here which products cover all dog worms.

In Adelaide cats I have only seen roundworm & tapeworm.

Sadly there isn’t an all-in-one solution, but there is a way to avoid tablets. This page shows you how to treat cat fleas and intestinal worms.

Roundworm

* = prevalence in dogs and cats in a recent UK study.

Toxacara canis (dog) 9%*
Toxocara cati (cat) 29%*
Toxocara leonina (‘little lion’- cat) 1%*

Infection is usually by direct ingestion of eggs.

Puppies can also be infected in utero, and via their mothers’ milk.

Hookworm

Uncinaria stenocephala (dogs 1% & cats 1%)*
Ancylostoma species (dogs 1% & cats 4%)*

You can see by the nasty mouthparts that hookworms are blood feeders. They are spread in the same way as roundworms, plus one extra trick. They can also enter the body directly through intact skin (this includes humans), often causing severe footpad dermatitis.

Tapeworm

Tapeworms don’t make pets sick very often, but they are huge and disgusting. Segments look like rice grains and are often found around the anus or in the bedding.

Dipylidium caninum: The flea tapeworm. Super-common. It’s carried by fleas to such an extent that is a dog or cat has fleas, it’s safe to assume they also have this tapeworm.

Taenia taeniaeformis: A tapeworm caught mainly from prey such as rats and mice, only common in cats or dogs that hunt.

Echinococcus granulosus: The hydatid tapeworm. This is the stuff of nightmares: a tiny tapeworm that dogs get from eating unprocessed offal which causes huge cysts in the intermediate host. Hydatid cysts are sometimes found accidentally in people during routine scans.

Hydatid tapeworm has been uccessfully eradicated from Tasmania; that’s why all dogs going to Tassie need proof of worming. Still a threat elsewhere, especially from untreated hunting or farm dogs.

Whipworm

Trichuris vulpis: a 3-5mm worm that only infects dogs (you can see a life-size one in the middle of the picture). It buries its thin end in the colon wall and feeds on blood.

I’ve only seen two dogs in Adelaide become sick with whipworm but it’s notoriously hard to diagnose.

You might think we’re crazy, but most vets see worms and think “awesome!”. The truth is, you really don’t need to know which worms are which unless you’re a nerd like us. All you need to do is follow good advice and no one (except the worms) gets hurt.

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By Andrew Spanner BVSc(Hons) MVetStud, a vet in Adelaide, Australia. Meet his team here.

The Nobel Prize in Medicine is awarded for advances in human health. This year’s winners waited a long time for recognition; if dogs could vote, it would never have taken so long. The drug that saved generations of their lives went on to fight a major cause of human suffering.

Back in the 70s a group of researchers were looking for new treatments for parasitic diseases of animals. They isolated a bacterium from near a Japanese golf course which had a powerful effect on worms without harming the host animal.

Development and testing produced the drug called ivermectin which quickly became the most effective, broadspectrum antiparasitic drug ever developed. It safely treated a wide range of internal and external parasites in all animals from pets to livestock.

In 1989 Heartgard was registered in South Australia as the first monthly heartworm prevention for dogs. Owing to the extreme sensitivity of heartworm larvae to low doses of the drug, rates of infection rapidly reduced. Prior to this the only prevention was an unreliable daily tablet and heartworm disease was widespread.

However, there were still problems. Treatment rates were too low, and those that were treated often didn’t get the full 12 doses each year. We continued to see a lot of heartworm disease in Adelaide.

Then there was the problem with toxicity. While ivermectin is very safe for most, dogs with a defective MDR1 gene sickened from normal doses. This mutation is very common in collie-type breeds*.

New avermectins were developed with proven safety in collie dogs: selamectin (Revolution) as a spot-on version, and moxidectin (ProHeart) as another monthly tablet.

In 2000, Proheart SR12 Injection was released in Adelaide as the first once-a-year heartworm prevention. That same year, we started turning the tide against heartworm. I don’t believe the timing is a coincidence; we all had trouble remembering to give doses and buy new boxes. Here was the solution.

And now the human link. Sometime after the development of ivermectin for animal diseases, several people realised it could and should be just as effective in human parasitic diseases. In particular, two horrible and widespread African diseases called onchocerciasis (river blindness) and lymphatic filariasis.

It was discovered that just one ivermectin tablet per year was enough to prevent these diseases. A program was developed and Merck & Co (later MSD) agreed to make and distribute the drug to affected countries free of charge. I have no doubt this generosity was only possible thanks to the runaway success of ivermectin in animal health.

Satoshi Ōmura and William C. Campbell have just been awarded the 2015 Nobel for their discovery of the avermectin class of parasite treatments (Youyou Tu was also honoured for her discovery of artemisinin). Dogs and other animals everywhere thank you.

Their story shows not just how advances in animal health can improve human lives, but also the wealth of new drugs that might be still waiting out there beyond the golf course.

* Dog breeds reported to have the MDR1 gene mutation include Australian Shepherd, Border collie, Collie, English shepherd, Longhaired Whippet, Old English Sheepdog, Shetland Sheepdog (Sheltie), Rough Collie, Smooth Collie, German Shepherd, American White Shepherd.

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By Andrew Spanner BVSc(Hons) MVetStud, a vet in Adelaide, Australia. Meet his team here.

Why Dogs Rub Their Bottom

1. Two very common causes of scooting are skin allergies and anal glands
2. Other causes include skin diseases, diarrhoea, worms or excessive hair
3. All dogs scoot occasionally, but if it starts happening more often, it’s time to see a vet

Now dive deeper.

Scooting. This wonderfully picturesque word describes what all dogs do at times.

It’s not pleasant, or nice to talk about., but it’s VERY common, and can have serious causes.

Thanks to Dr Google, by the time I see them most dogs rubbing their bums have already had several doses of worming. In my 20 years as a vet, I’m still waiting for the dog with worms who scoots!

Why Do Dogs Scoot Their Bottom?

Here are the REAL reasons a dog drags his bottom on the ground from most to least common.

1. Pruritus.

Pruritus is just another name for itchiness.

In Adelaide this is the number one cause of scooting, but you won’t often find it mentioned online. Local knowledge counts!

Dogs in Adelaide have a very high incidence of atopy or allergic dermatitis. When canine skin gets inflamed, it’s always worse in the folded areas: armpits, groin, between the toes and under the tail.

Although a dog can lick and chew under the tail, it’s more effective to give it a good itch on the grass or carpet. And in the process making it worse.

To treat dermatitis well requires a balanced approach of natural home skin care and veterinary skin medication options. Also visit our page on good bathing for dogs.

2. Anal Glands

Dogs have two grape-sized glands just inside the anus, which commonly get overfull and impacted. Dogs clearly find this very uncomfortable, especially when the glands get infected.

As many scooting dogs have impacted anal glands AND itchy skin, it’s sometimes very hard to tell these two apart. The treatment is for the vet to empty both glands, which can be quite tricky. Let’s just say it’s a job for gloves.

Read our Guide To Anal Gland Problems for more information.

3. Diarrhoea

Diarrhoea is just the name for abnormally watery or soft faeces. When this happens for more than a few days, the excess moisture causes a rash to form. It can get quite severe, like a bad nappy rash, if not dealt with quickly. A dog will usually rub this on the ground.

Dogs on a stable diet should have consistently formed stools. If this isn’t the case, read our guide to diarrhoea in dogs and contact your vet. Hair on the bottom, like in Poodles, makes any soft faeces more likely to cause irritation.

4. Perivulval Dermatitis

This is really just a special case of itchy skin that happens to female dogs. Risk factors include allergies, obesity and having a recessed juvenile vulva. If weight control and skin care don’t fix the problem, we sometimes perform minor vulvoplasty surgery to create better ventilation.

When we see a puppy at risk, we will recommend deferring desexing (neutering) until after one season.

5. Just Because They Like To

As dog owners know, all dogs scoot a bit. If it’s just once every week or two, it’s probably normal, especially after having a poo or when Aunt Doris is visiting.

6. Worms

I’ve added in worms just in case I’m wrong. Besides, it’s never a bad idea to worm a dog but most dogs with worms have no symptoms at all. If worms fascinate you as much as they do us, visit our page on the worms of dogs. There are pictures too!

As for itchy bottoms, I think this myth comes from humans getting itchy bottoms from worms. Dogs don’t have a worm like our pinworm.

Horses do however, so if you see a horse scooting …

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By Andrew Spanner BVSc(Hons) MVetStud, a vet in Adelaide, Australia. Meet his team here. The information provided here is not intended to be used as a substitute for going to the vet. If your pet is unwell, please seek veterinary attention.

First though, some general advice for all diseases.

How To Prevent Infection From Animals

• Wash hands after handling animals and before eating
• Worm pets regularly- 3 monthly for dogs, cats and chickens
• Take all animals to the vet for regular checkups
• Avoid animals if you are immunosuppressed
• Keep tetanus vaccination +/- Q fever vaccination up to date
• Buy pets from clean and ethical sources
• Change pet litter frequently and pick up dog faeces
• Avoid feeding raw chicken meat

Diseases You Can Catch From Pets

We call these ‘zoonoses’ (“Zo-Oh-No-Sees”, singular zoonosis)

• Toxoplasmosis
• Worms
• Cat Scratch Disease
• Ringworm
• Psittacosis
• Q Fever
• Scabies
• Gastroenteritis
• Rat Bite Fever
• Tetanus

Some are more important than others. Most won’t be suspected by your doctor without your help.

Toxoplasmosis

The great scare story loved by current affairs shows on quiet news nights. Your cat may kill you and your baby!

Of course it’s not that simple or scary. Most toxoplasmosis in people is believed to be caused through eating undercooked meat or not washing hands after gardening. And most toxoplasmosis is so mild you don’t realise you had it. The bug does come from a cat originally, but in this case is spread to us via eating another animal or cat faeces in the yard.

Kittens and outdoor, hunting cats may be more likely to spread the bug around. Even here, cats keep themselves so clean it’s still very unlikely you can get it directly from the cat’s fur.

However, pregnant women or people with immune suppression should definitely avoid handling cat faeces or cat litter. Wish I had an excuse…

Read more about toxoplasma in cats, dogs and humans here.

Worms

You can’t really catch pet worms the way pets can. Most parasites are fairly fussy about who they live in.

What larval worms can do is burrow into your gut or skin and have a jolly good time migrating around. These conditions, called covert toxacariasis, cutaneous or visceral larva migrans, chiefly affect children and can irritate the skin or cause damage to sensitive areas such as the eye or the brain.

Even worse is the hydatid tapeworm. Movie buffs will recall the Alien series. This fun little fellow gets in as an egg via faeces from an infected dog, then hatches and looks for a home. It then forms a cyst, which gradually enlarges sometimes to great size.

Dogs infected with hydatid tapeworm are usually country dogs, with poor worming treatment and a history of being fed raw offal. This parasite has been eradicated from Tasmania, so you need to prove you have wormed your dog if travelling there.

Read more about the worms of dogs and cats here.

Problems with worms are easy to prevent. Worm your dogs every 3 months, or every 6 weeks in hydatid areas with a product containing praziquantel. See Parasite protection for dogs

Cat Scratch Disease (Bartonella)

No, we aren’t calling ‘getting scratched by your cat’ a disease. There is actually a specific bacteria found in some cat scratches which can migrate to the lymph node and cause a large swelling or abscess.

As dramatic as it looks, it usually gets better by itself in a person with normal immune system function. This bug may be spread between cats by fleas, so here’s another good reason to use flea control.

Ringworm

You can’t blame our ancestors for not knowing, but hopefully everyone now realises ringworm is actually a skin fungus, similar to athletes foot etc.

This may be the most common disease caught from pets. Guinea pigs and young kittens from shelters seem to be the major source. On humans, it usually starts as a red sore and grows in a roughly circular shape.

On cats and guinea pigs it typically causes scaly hair loss. The picture at the start shows a cat with facial ringworm under ultraviolet light. As you can see, the common feline species often fluoresces an apple green colour.

The good news is that it’s easy to treat and once you’ve had a particular type, you are usually immune (for example, I never get it even though I handle ringworm a lot).

The bad news is that cats get blamed for human ringworms all the time when they are not guilty. Guess what? Humans have their own ringworms too!

Q Fever

Coxiella burnetii is a small bacteria which causes severe flu-like symptoms in affected people. Until recently it was thought to be mainly a problem to people during large animal obstetric procedures. We now know that cats can carry the cause of Q fever and spread it via urine or when giving birth to kittens.

High risk groups include cat breeders and animal shelter workers. Consult your doctor about vaccination if you are in either of these groups.

Psittacosis or Parrot Fever

No animal disease has ever made me more unwell than psittacosis. I caught it from a Sun Conure, but you can easily get it from any parrot, especially if they have been stressed by a recent time in a pet shop.

It’s probably much like Q fever: like a terrible influenza with all the aches, chills, fever and delirium. This disease is famous for wreaking havoc in nursing homes and can even kill if the doctor doesn’t make the connection in time. Thankfully, it’s easily treated once the diagnosis is made.

Scabies

OK, this isn’t the regular human scabies, but a very similar Sarcoptes mite exists in dogs which can infect people. I guess the message here is that if you have an itchy dog, and you’re starting to scratch, get them to a vet. And you to a doctor.

Sarcoptes mange is also called fox mange because dogs are more likely to get it in fox areas. Pictured is an adult female mite with egg.

Giardia, Salmonella, Campylobacter, E. coli.

Here is the area where humans and pets probably can share the most diseases: Diarrhoea. In my house, there’s a simple rule: you wash hands before eating every time. And if you give that puppy a little pat on the way to the dinner table, back you go and wash them again.

The trick with all these diseases is that they started in poo. If you keep good hygiene, you’re at least half way there.

Giardia is a protozoan parasite which is found in many species, but especially stray cats, pet shop puppies and poorly managed breeders and puppy farms. It can cause an annoying persistent diarrhoea and loose stool in humans.

Salmonella, Campylobacter and E. coli are all bacteria which can be found in pet faeces. Particular concern should be around dogs on raw chicken diets, cats eating raw chicken or anytime with rodents, birds or reptiles. Read more causes of diarrhoea in dogs here.

Rat Bite Fever

Streptobacillus moniliformis is part of the normal bacteria found in rats’ mouths. Infection is acquired not just by a rat bite but even just close contact with rats. Symptoms of fever, headache and a rash develop and can be severe.

Tetanus

One thing I know about anti-vaxxers: they haven’t had much to do with tetanus. If they had seen it I doubt they’d take any chances; it’s a horrific disease.

Tetanus is of course often acquired by contaminated wounds. If you get a nasty cat scratch or animal bite, see a doctor and check that your tetanus vaccination is up to date. I never let mine get out of date.

Influenza

I put this one in but it’s really what your ferret can catch from you! I have seen ferrets with influenza, and you only have to look at the owners to see where they got it from.

There are other diseases, but these are the main ones you should know about. To finish I want you to know about the diseases you’ll hopefully never catch and why.

Brucellosis and Bovine Tuberculosis were both major causes of death and chronic illness in people in Australia. Vets like my father spent a large part of their days in the 1970s and 80s testing herd after herd of cattle across the country in a massive operation called the Brucellosis and Tuberculosis Eradication Campaign. It was so successful that Australia is now free of these diseases.

Rabies would be absolutely catastrophic if it got into the dingo or fox populations in Australia. Only good quarantine has kept us free of one of the most feared diseases in human history. We are not completely free of rabies though: read here about some diseases carried by bats in Australia.

Lastly, I’m glad I’m not a doctor (people- yuck!) but it does mean I’m not an expert on diseases of people. If you have any concerns about your own health, please see your trusted doctor. If you have a disease which may cause immunosuppresssion please discuss whether you should keep pets at all.

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By Andrew Spanner BVSc(Hons) MVetStud, a vet in Adelaide, Australia. Meet his team here.