Diseases transmitted to Man by Dogs
A dog enjoys a more intimate contact with man than with any other animal, sharing not only his dwelling, but being his close companion. Under such circumstances, the dog can transmit several diseases associated with dogs are very rare or are not of much importance or are not generally recorded in India. Hence only those which occur often are being discussed here for the interest and benefit of dog owners.
Diseases Transmitted by Dogs:
Roundworms and hookworms are common intestinal worms that afflict dogs. In turn dogs are capable of infecting and inducing disease amongst human beings who accidentally ingest eggs of roundworms, or have direct skin contact with hookworm larvae through any stuff contaminated with stools of infected dogs. Since roundworm infection is transferred from the mother to the pups before or immediately after birth, infection is often established in pups during the first month of their lives. To avoid the risk of transmission to human beings, early deworming of pups and paying attention towards sanitation is very important.
Thus the ideal approach as recent research work is that prophylactic deworming should be initiated two to three weeks after pups are whelped, and this should include the nursing bitch. Treatment should be repeated every two to three weeks until the pups are three months of age, to eliminate successively maturing larvae. In addition to deworming, simple hygienic practices are essential to avoid the risk of dogs infecting human beings.