Why you should not sleep in bed with your dog or cat
Good question! In this section we look for the answers to nagging questions. This time: is it healthy to let your dog or cat sleep in your bed?
Yes, it’s nice to hear your dog or cat snoring at the foot of your bed. That gives a feeling of peace and security and for some people it actually has a positive influence on the night’s sleep. But… is it also healthy?
sick makers
No, says science, it is not healthy to let a dog or cat sleep on your bed. The reason is simple: animals – and therefore pets too – carry bacteria in their fur, under their paws and in their mouths that can make you seriously ill. Notorious examples include Q fever and bird flu. Such infectious diseases are called zoonoses, and in pet land toxoplasmosis is the best known. Toxoplasmosis is a parasite in the feces of cats that is especially dangerous for the unborn child.
Tongue full of bacteria
As you read above, pets also carry pathogenic bacteria in their mouths. That the dog’s tongue is clean is therefore a persistent myth. Almost every dog bite produces an infection and that should say enough. Dogs and cats lick themselves and therefore also their anus and genitals. If you let your dog lick you in the face – oh, how sweet, a kiss! – you run a greater risk of getting sick. Parasitologist and veterinary advisor Paul Overgaauw of Utrecht University put it this way: “The chance of a bacteria from a supermarket chicken is nil, the chance of a bacteria due to a lick from a dog that has just licked its ass is much higher. .” Scientists therefore suspect that at least part of food poisoning in humans is caused not so much by food as by contamination from a pet.
Raw meat
In addition to all the potential pathogens that your pet brings in from outside – think of fecal bacteria in the fur or parasite eggs between the pads of the paws – there is another risk: raw meat. Some pet owners give their dog or cat raw meat, often believing that it would be healthy because wildlife also eat raw meat. However, research shows that raw meat is a source of bacteria – such as salmonella and coliform bacteria. The dog or cat does not even have to get sick from this, but it can transmit a pathogenic bacteria, for example by licking you in the face or – yes! – by sleeping in your bed.
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